The painting is inspired by the old Yugoslav fairy tale The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples – a story about true love and the fact that it is worth overcoming all obstacles for its sake.

This work captures the peacock on the miraculous apple tree that grew under the Tsar’s castle, which in one night not only blossomed, but also gave birth to golden apples. However, someone always stole them at night.

One day the Tsar sent his sons to guard this rare tree. Unfortunately neither the eldest nor the middle son discovered anything because they fell asleep. But the youngest son saw nine peahens fly to the apple tree. They grabbed the golden apples and took them away. One of them turned into a beautiful girl, he and the Tsarovich fell in love and met under the golden apple tree every night. In the morning, the girl always left two apples for the Tsarovich – one for him and the other for the Tsar. But jealousy did not let the older brothers sleep. Their bad words were heard by a kind of old woman who offered to hide under the Tsarovich’s bed at night and cut off the girl’s braid.

So it happened, and it seemed that all would be lost. The peacocks did not come ever again. Well, Tsarevich set out to find his beloved, and it was truly a long and daring adventure…but more on that another time 🙂

The picture is painted with oil colors on a canvas of 90 x 50.5 cm and stretched on an internal wooden frame.