Self-portrait 1849

Taras Shevchenko. Self-portrait. Orenburg. [Not later than] 29 Nov 1849.
Paper, Sepia (24.3 × 18.1 cm).

Lower left placed ink inscription by hand F.M.Lazarevsky: 29 November 1849. Orenburg.

F.M.Lazarevsky writes in his memoirs:

"One time Taras comes to me and offers thy portrait: – Take it from me, for Christ's sake, this picture, I want that it will remained in good hands… Portrait on Poles' desire, have to depict Shevchenko seated in casemate of the Orsk fortress behind the bars, but such a situation was not on the picture" ("From memories of F.M.Lazarevsky on Shevchenko", Kievan antiquity, 1899, bk. II, p. 159).

Perhaps these memories relate to this self-portrait.

M. K. Chaly in a footnote to these memories says:

"This portrait, drawed by ink [technique detects false], was given to me by late F.M. [Lazarevsky] for annex to the second [not issued] edition of my book ["Life and works of Taras Shevchenko"], but later he got it back from me and now I don't known, where is located, and I do not even make copy of it" (ibid. 159).

From this self-portrait made by an unknown artist a copy of sepia tone on Whattman paper watermarked «Whattman 1850 (State Historical Museum, Moscow, № DK, Y. 19, § № 6, № 50).

Previous storage: property of F.M.Lazarevsky, A.F.Yanzhul, Ukrainian National History Museum (Kyiv), Central Museum of Taras Shevchenko (Kyiv).

National Taras Shevchenko Museum, USSR Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, inv. Number g – 837.

K. V. Chumak

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – Kyiv: ed. Academy of sciences of UkrSSR, 1963, v. 8, № 46 (image), p. 27 (notes).