Portrait of M. S. Krzhysevych

Taras Shevchenko. Portrait of Mary Stepanivna Krzhysevych. Stained paper, an Italian and a white pencil (33.7 × 26.2 cm). [St.Petersburg]. [No sooner than 6.V] 1858. Taras Shevchenko National Museum, inv. g – 387.

There is author's date and signature in black pencil at the bottom right: 1858. Shevchenko.

M. S. Krzhysevych (1824 – 1905), nee Zadorozhna – niece G. S. Tarnowskі – was a friend of Shevchenko since his stay in Petersburg before exile. From 1838 she had been familiar with the composer Glinka, who during the 1842 – 1856 corresponded with her and gifted her a number of his works with author's inscriptions ["M. I. Glinka. Chronicles of life and creativity", Moscow, 1952, p. 519].

Name of M. S. Krzhysevych (Hzhesevych, Hresevych) and references to her are found in the diary Shevchenko in 1858. So, 6 May 1858 he recorded: "…went to compatriot M. S. Gresevich and she met us frisky, fun, young, as it was ten years ago. A wonderful woman, and it does not take grief. And she had a lot of grief…"

Dated after the above record in Shevchenko diary.

Storage areas: Institute of Taras Shevchenko, Kharkiv, Gallery of pictures Shevchenko, Kharkiv.

V. Ja. Tkachenko

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – Kyiv: ed. Academy of sciences of UkrSSR, 1963, v. 10, № 26 (image), p. 17 – 18 (note).