The Russian Bride's Attire

This piece of art is probably my favorite at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.

What surprises me the most in this picture is everybody's look. The eyes are drawn in such a natural way!

Another attribute of this image is its size. It's enormous and covers almost the entire wall it hangs on. It's a stunning 110 x 147 inches (279.4 x 373.4 cm).

This painting, by the Russian artist Konstantin Makovsky, was painted in 1887 according to the museum, but some sources say that 1889 was the date of completion.

But there's a trick to this painting. There are at least two versions of this painting. There's the large version, which is located in the Legion of Honor, and there is another one. It was done in 1884 and is significantly smaller, at 92 х 145 cm. This one is located in a museum in the city of Serpukhov, close to Moscow, in Russia.

Take a close look at the image on the left, and the one on the right.(they can be enlarged by clicking on the image) Can you find the differences?

In the one on the left, in the left corner of the room, there are two ladies, one of them facing the wall, so her back is toward you. In the other picture , there is one lady with a headdress that is most likely going to be put on the bride.

Also, in the image at the Legion of Honor, in the top left corner, the chandalier is covering the entire object on the shelf (an icon?) and in the other, most of the icon can be seen.

I haven't found any reason or explanation for the two versions. Perhaps one of them was simply a "rough draft." I could, of course, make up a crazy story about how one version was lost, then recreated, then found, but that would be lying, and lying's not good...