Portrait of an unknown girl

Taras Shevchenko. Portrait of an unknown girl. 1834. [St. Petersburg].
Watercolour. 12,6 × 10,1 cm
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g-755.

The size is specified during restoration 1955.

At the bottom left placed author's signature in ink (shown later in pencil) and date: Шевченко. 1834.

Performing in the genre widespread at the time watercolor portrait miniatures. This is probably one of those images, which are mentioned Shevchenko in 1860 in a letter to the editor of The National Reading:

"Once the landlord saw a Nichiporenko my job, and he liked great it, so he started using me for taking portraits with their favorite mistress, for which sometimes bestowed upon me by a silver rubles".

In the literature first mentioned the name "Head of boy" [Ernst F. How was assembled paintings Shevchenko in Ukrainian History Museum. Shevchenko // Life and Revolution. – 1929. – March. – S. 126].

Reproduced for the first time in 1932 by A.P. Novitsky called "Portrait of Women" [T. Shevchenko Complete Works. – [Kharkiv, 1932. – T. 8]. – P. 18. – № 169. – Tab. 23].

Mentioned the names: "Female head" [Catalog of brush creativity by T.H. Shevchenko, exhibited in the gallery. – Kharkiv, 1934. – S. 14], "Head curled" [D. Antonovich Shevchenko as a painter // Full publication of Taras Shevchenko. – Warsaw, Lvov, 1937. – T. 12. – S. 67], "Head of a woman" [T. Shevchenko Complete Works: in 10 vols. – K., 1961. – vol. 7, bk. 1. – S. 6. – № 3].

Storage areas: 1918 – Ukrainian National Museum (Kyiv); from 1924 – Ukrainian History Museum named by T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv); from 1939 – Gallery of pictures by T.H. Shevchenko (Kharkiv); from 1948 – State Museum of T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).

Exhibitions:

1964. Kyiv – Moscow. Shevchenko Jubilee Exhibition [Jubilee art exhibition on the 150-year anniversary of the birth of T.H. Shevchenko: catalog. – Kiev, 1964. – S. 5];

1984. Kyiv. Shevchenko-artist. 170-th birthday [Shevchenko-artist: Exhibition Catalogue. – K., 1986. – P. 7];

1985. Kyiv. Museum of Kyiv. Shevchenko-portrait (no catalog).

I.M. Verykivska

After publication: T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 20 – 21 (image), p. 358 (notes).