Diary of Marie Bashkirtseff

Alexandrine Patchenko

Also known as: Nini, Alexandrine, Alexandrine Patchenko, Mme Paul Bashkirtseff, sa femme

Person people/mentioned Moderate Updated: 2026-05-24
Show in diary 19 mentions

Basic Information

  • Full name: Alexandrine Patchenko (married name: Bashkirtseff/Bashkirtseva)
  • Nickname: Nini
  • Father: M. Patchenko
  • Sister: Catherine (called "soeur de Nini")
  • Husband: Paul Bashkirtseff, Marie's brother (married 1880)
  • Residence: Gavronzi estate, near Poltava, Ukraine

Overview

Nini was Paul Bashkirtseff's wife and Marie's sister-in-law ("belle-soeur"). From a landowning family in the Poltava region, she married Paul in 1880 after a dramatic courtship disrupted by Constantin Bashkirtseff's intervention at the church. Marie described her as "jolie comme un amour" (pretty as a picture) with "de tres beaux cheveux noirs" (very beautiful black hair).

Courtship and Marriage

Marie described the fiancee in December 1879: "d'assez bonne famille connue, du meme pays, voisine, assez riche, jeune, jolie et d'apres ses lettres bonne nature" (carnet 087). The wedding was initially blocked by Paul's father at the church in March 1880, causing a family crisis, but eventually took place at Micha's country estate. The dramatic arrival at Gavronzi saw Nini throw herself at Maman's feet "en poussant des cris et des sanglots, les cheveux denoues" (carnet 091, February 25, 1881).

Marie's Assessment

Marie was deeply ambivalent about Nini. She doubted Nini's love for Paul, noting she had kept a wealthy backup suitor. At Gavronzi in 1881, she found the couple's domestic life joyless and provincial. By 1883, Marie was furious at Paul and Nini's treatment of their mother, writing "Paul et sa femme se conduisant comme des cochons avec maman" (carnet 100, July 13, 1883).

Yet Nini was also protective of Marie's fragile health -- in Paris she was "all in supplications and tears" when Marie opened a carriage window (carnet 087, January 2, 1880).

Marie's Portrait of Nini (1881)

Marie painted Portrait of Alexandrine Patchenko, the Painter's Sister-in-Law in 1881 (oil on canvas, 92.5 x 73 cm), showing Nini relaxed on a sofa with a book. This painting survives in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

References in Diary

  • December 1879: Paul's engagement; Marie writes welcoming letter (carnet 087)
  • January 1880: In Paris, protective of Marie's health (carnet 087)
  • March 1880: Wedding blocked at church, crisis (carnet 087)
  • February 1881: Wedding account retold; dramatic arrival at Gavronzi (carnet 091)
  • Summer 1881: Life at Gavronzi; Marie critiques the marriage (carnets 092)
  • July 1881: Name day of Paul; Nini recounts provincial wedding details (carnet 092)
  • July 1883: Marie furious at Paul and Nini's ingratitude toward Maman (carnet 100)

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