Sitter in Marsyas posture

Taras Shevchenko. Sitter in Marsyas posture.
[1840, not later than 3 April. St. Petersburg].
Oil on canvas. 72 × 54,2 cm
State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), № J- 3378.

Right below the author's oil paint signature: Shevchenko.

Scientific description provided in 1880 in the memoirs by F.P. Ponomarev, where mentioned gifted to memoirists "torso St. Sebastian from nature in Academy classrooms" [Russian antiquity. – 1880. – No. 3. – p. 589] (see also the comment to "Self Portrait of 1840").

The new attribution etude as an image of sitter in a Marsyas pose proposed by N.V. Sadkova:

"Sitter put in a posture of Silenus Marsyas. He depicted with the usual for Silenus and satire attributes: syrynga, sawdust, fur hunting. Imagery achieved not only the attributes and pose, but also the internal state of play. Sketch from life close to the subject work" [Sadkova N.V. T.H. Shevchenko's Memorial workshop: a guide. – L., 1970. – p. 22, 26, 53].

With this name it is registered in the catalog of the Russian Museum [State Russian Museum. Painting of XVIII – beginning of XX century: Catalogue. – L., 1980. – p. 348. – № 6226. – reproduction. – p. 347].

Sitter shown in position of Marsyas suspended by the hands to the tree. According to Greek myth, Silenus Marsyas caused to win the game on the flute of Apollo, which by all was the winner. But King Midas chose Marsyas, through which both Apollo punished: Marsyas hung to a tree and stripped of his skin and ears of the king turned to the donkey ones.

Sketch was submitted for examination in the Academy of Arts at April 3, 1840 and rated number "6". (The highest score was the number "1".) [Sudak V.A. In the classrooms of the Academy of Arts // The study of T.H. Shevchenko. – K., 1968. – p. 9 – 11; Ginzburg I.V. T.H. Shevchenko in the Academy of Arts classroom // Questions of art education. – L., 1975. – Vol. 13. – p. 93 – 95; Taras Shevchenko: The documents and materials for the biography. 1814 – 1861. – K., 1982. – p. 24. – № 47]

Outline of the plot – Sitter and student of the Academy of Arts, Students of the Academy of Arts.

Reproduced for the first time at photographic postal card early XX century [Zabochen M., Polishchuk O., Yatsyuk V. Ukraine's old postcard: Album Directory. – K., 2000. – p. 248. – № 366]

First described by O.P. Novitsky in 1932 after the photo provided by F.P. Ponomarev's grandson [T. Shevchenko Complete Works. – [Kharkiv, 1932. – T. 8]. – p. 31. – № 240. – Tab. 9]. M.I. Matsapura in 1951 discovered original and first gave a reproduction [Matsapura M. New in heritage Shevchenko // Ukraine. – 1951. – № 8. – p. 30.]

Storage areas: from early 1840th – property of F.P. Ponomarev, then – his grandchildren T.P. Antipo, A.V. Mikhailov, from 1940 – the State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg).

Exhibition: 1964. Kyiv – Moscow. Shevchenko Jubilee Exhibition [Jubilee art exhibition on the 150-year anniversary of the birth of T.H. Shevchenko: Product. – Kiev, 1964. – p. 6].

Since 1964 on display at the T.H. Shevchenko's memorial workshop at the Art Academy in St. Petersburg.

I.M. Verykivska

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – K.: ed. of Acad. Sci. of UkrSSR, 1961, t. 7, bk. 1, № 29 (image); T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 371 – 372 (notes).