Viktor Borisov-Musatov was a Russian painter during the Art Nouveau period, known for his exceptional skill and contribution to the history of Russian painting. He is best known for his female figures, which are considered some of the best of the Art Nouveau and Symbolist periods. Born in Saratov, he studied at the Saratov Association of Fine Arts before attending the Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in Moscow. He also spent three years studying in Paris under painter Ferdinand Cormon. His works are decorative in essence and evoke the style of panel paintings or tapestries, with a soft pastel palette. He died at the age of 35 due to an abnormal curvature of the spine.

Borisov-Musatov's best paintings, such as Gobelin, The Reservoir, and Emerald Necklace, are considered a Russian form of Post-Impressionism and are similar to the works of the French Nabis group. His paintings mainly feature female figures in a pastoral setting and are not narrative but rather metaphorical memories of a golden age where the beauty of painting dominated life. He held a reverence for the beauty of art, and this sentiment is evident in the harmony of his paintings. His style had a significant influence on the painters of the Blue Rose Group, the foremost group of Russian Symbolists.