Expedition tent on island Barsa-Kelmes
Taras Shevchenko. Expedition tent on the island Barsa-Kelmes. Watercolour (13,3 × 22,9 cm). [7 – 13.VIII] 1848. Taras Shevchenko National Museum, inv. g – 448.
The name and date selected on the basis of similarity of the landscape shown in this figure and the figure with the author's name "Barsa-Kelmes", and according to records Butakova diary from 6.VIII 1848, relating to the island:
"… On the 6th, I went to the island of Barsa Kelmes and night put an anchor before it", and of 8.VIII 1848: "Get water from wells, left ensign Akishev with one non-commissioned officer and six sailors to capture the island, giving them a tent, the right amount of weapons and ammunition and provisions for a week" ["Day notes of navigation A. I. Butakov on the Aral Sea in 1848 – 1849", Tashkent, 1953, p. 16].
The same descibed Maksheev:
"The 8th I and Akishev with 8 sailors, took with them food supplies for the week, landed to explore the island and made it semi-instrumental shooting on a scale of 2 miles to the inch, and made their temporary shelter made of canvas. Meanwhile schooner get water from wells, in the morning the next day take off anchor and taking advantage of a favorable wind, went back to the peninsula Kulandy… " [A. Maksheev, Traveling on the Kyrgyz steppes and Turkestan, St. Petersburg, 1896, p. 62].
Staying on the island for the diary Butakov determined 7 – 13.VIII 1848 Picture was dated on this evidence. Perhaps drawing done in the morning 9.VIII 1848, since it depicts swim schooner.
Sketch of these tents see number 169.
Mentioned in the literature under the names: "Tent with people on the shore Aral Sea" [I. Pleschynsky, Drawings and Watercolors, "Visual Arts", K., 1939, № 2 – 3, p. 58, "Product of V. Tarnowski's museum of Ukrainian Antiquities", Chernigov, 1900, Vol. II, p. 177, № 210], "Expedition tent on the shore of Aral Sea" [A. Novitsky Taras Shevchenko as a painter, Lviv – Moscow, 1914, p. 57, № 252], "Bank of the Aral Sea" [G. D. Vladimirski and A. N. Savinov, Shevchenko – Artist, Moscow – Leningrad, 1939, p. 38].
Storage areas: V. Tarnowski's Chernihiv museum of ukrainian antiquities – № 210, Chernihiv Regional Historical Museum, Gallery of pictures by T.H. Shevchenko (Kharkiv).
In 1929 exhibited at the exhibition of works of Taras Shevchenko in Chernihiv (Catalogue, p. 20, № 44, where the technique incorrectly identified – sepia).
L. I. Vnuchkova
After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – Kyiv: ed. Academy of sciences of UkrSSR, 1962, vol. 8, № 22 (image), p. 15 (notes).