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Taras Shevchenko

Encyclopedia of the life and works

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Head of Christ

Taras Shevchenko. Head of Christ

Taras Shevchenko. Head of Christ. Sketch. Paper, pencil, ink, pen 10.8 × 10.8 cm (31 × 22 cm). [Nizhny Novgorod]. [26 – 27.XI 1857]. Institute of Literature National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Manuscripts, fund 1, № 104.

Sketch on sheet 44 between diary records of September 26 and 27 1857 [see "Shevchenko's diary from 12 June 1857 to 13 June 1858 year." Institute of Literature National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Manuscripts, fund 1, № 104].

In his diary on September 27, 1857 Shevchenko wrote:

"Walking past the Church of St. George and saw that the doors of the church opened, I went to the porch and stood in horror. I was struck by a hideous monster painted on 3-arshin round board. At first I thought it was an Indian Manu or Vishnu to get lost in the Christian temple to feast of incense and wooden oil".

Later, February 16, 1858, in the same journal indicated:

"Monstrous image not made by hands, a copy of which is with me once scared to Church of St. George. The original of this Indian ugliness is in the cathedral and wonderful as antiquity. It moved from Suzdal by Prince Konstantin Vasilyevich in 1351. It may well be that it is the original Byzantine monster".

In the album "Exhibition, dedicated to the memory of Shevchenko" (Kyiv, 1939, Tab. 84) figure reproduced under the title "Cartoon Shevchenko to God."

Previous storage diary: Property M. M. Lazarevsky, V. Tarnowski's Chernihiv museum of ukrainian antiquities – № 27, Chernihiv Regional Museum of History, Institute of Taras Shevchenko, Kharkiv.

N. P. Prokopenko

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – Kyiv: ed. Academy of sciences of UkrSSR, 1963, v. 10, № 93 (image), p. 51 (note).