Nika Milovidovawww.behance.netAn unusual but amusing approach — to depict the characters of The Master and Margarita in the form of pictograms based on the heroes’ most recognizable accessories. In fact, Nika Milovidova created them as part of a larger project — an interactive map of Bulgakov’s Moscow — but for the purposes of this site we are interested not so much in the map as in the portraits themselves.
It may turn into an entertaining game — try to guess, without looking at the captions, which character each of the icons belongs to.
Let’s start with something simple. A primus stove, a Mauser (strictly speaking, it should be a Browning, but let’s not be pedantic), the bow tie that adorned our hero’s neck at Satan’s ball, and the knight from the chess game with the aforementioned Satan. Of course, this is Behemoth the Cat.
Not difficult either: a cane with a poodle’s head (a reference to Mephistopheles as the prototype of this character), a cigarette case with a diamond triangle (in which scholars see either a symbol of the Trinity or a Masonic emblem), a magic globe, and a medallion in the shape of a sacred scarab. Before us stands Woland himself.
And what does a knight’s helmet have to do with it? The fact is that the Purple Knight is the true form of this hero, who in everyday life wore a checkered cap and cracked pince-nez, and entertained the public at the Variété with card tricks. This is, of course, Koroviev-Fagott.
Now a bit harder: a revolver, a bowler hat, and a bloodstained knife. One could make several assumptions, but the chicken bone unambiguously points to the owner of these items: the demon Azazello.
All right, let’s leave Woland’s retinue. What do we see here: a respectable hat, solid spectacles, a glass of apricot lemonade (served only warm), and the key to apartment No. 50. This is Mikhail Alexandrovich Berlioz, now, alas, deceased.
Matches and cigarettes (“Our Brand,” of course), as well as a wedding candle and an icon pinned with a safety pin. This is Homeless running off to catch the mysterious consultant.
Again a black poodle (this time in the medallion that hung on our heroine’s chest at the ball), a jar of magic cream, and also a queen’s crown and yellow mimosa flowers. Greetings to Margarita Nikolaevna.
A lamp, a book, a quill in an inkwell, and a charred page of the novel. And here is the Master.
Let’s raise the stakes. A goblet of wine (Falernian or Caecuban?), a ring awarded to the head of the secret service, dog tracks, and the white cloak with the blood-red lining. The fifth Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate.
This one is for true experts. A parchment with notes and a quill, a purse of money thrown to the ground, and a stolen bread knife. No, this is not Judas, but quite the opposite — the only disciple of Yeshua, Matthew Levi.
And the final challenge. Sandals, a blue tunic, and a sponge filled with water impaled on a spear. This is Yeshua Ha-Nozri.
