Centurion's daughter. Sketch

Taras Shevchenko. Centurion's daughter. Sketches and studies. Horse. Sketches.
[1841 – 1842, no later than November 18. St. Petersburg].
Paper, pencil. 22,3 × 31,1 cm.
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g – 415.

On the back – "Women's shirts sleeves. Sketches to paintings "Catherine" and "Centurion's daughter".

Ink inscription at the bottom left: Girl with towel.

At the middle of page – a sketch for the painting "Centurion's daughter"; left – sketch sleeve shirt; right – more elaborated sketch of sleeves and a sketch of horse.

The figures correspond to the episode of the story by G.F. Kvitka–Osnovjanenko "Centurion's daughter": "… in the centurion's house, in the so-called "big room", in a clear frosty day, a girl sitting by the window and worked hard" [Centurion's daughter: real story / Sovremennik. – 1840. – Vol. 19. – p. 1; Kvitka–Osnovjanenko G.F. Works: in 6 volumes. – K., 1949. – Vol. 4. – p. 176.].

Dated after the mentions of the painting in Shevchenko's letters to G.F. Kvitka–Osnovjanenko from December 8, 1841 and to P.Korolev on November 18, 1842.

There is initial sketch of this subject.

Registered by G.M. Chestahivsky in 1861 in description of the Shevchenko's drawings, which were in his academic workshops, at number 111 with the name "Woman considers the belt" [Department of manuscripts and textology Institute of Literature. T.H. Shevchenko National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, fund 1, № 459].

Scientific description provided in 1882 by M.K.Chaly named "Woman considers embroidery" [Chaly M.K. Life and works of Taras Shevchenko. – K., 1882. – P. 380].

First commented and reproduced in 1932 by A.P. Novitsky called "Illustration for story Centurion's daughter by Kvitka" [T. Shevchenko Complete Works. – [Kharkiv, 1932. – T. 8]. – p. 39. – № 284. – Tab. 148].

Mentioned with names: "Girl with a towel" [Catalog of V. Tarnowski's Museum of Ukrainian antiquity / arranged by B.D. Grinchenko. – Chernigov, 1900. – T. 2. – p. 174. – № 173], "Etude of Centurion's daughter" [Red Path. – 1927. – № 11. – P. 262].

Storage areas: from April 1861 – property of M.M.Lazarevsky, later purchased by St. Petersburg's Ukrainian community, not earlier than July 1861 – A.O. Kozachkovsky, not later than 1873 came to V.P. Kakhovski; from 1891 Kakhovski family, not later than 1893 transferred to S.D. Brazol; since 1898 – the property V. V. Tarnowskі; from 1899 – V. Tarnowski's Chernihiv museum of ukrainian antiquities, 1925 – Chernihiv Historical Museum, 1933 – Gallery of pictures by T.H. Shevchenko (Kharkiv), with 1948 the State Museum T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).

V.O. Sudak

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – K.: ed. of Acad. Sci. of UkrSSR, 1961, t. 7, bk. 2, № 257 (image); T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 445 (notes).