Portrait of N.P. Sokolovsky

Taras Shevchenko. Portrait of N.P. Sokolovsky. 1842. [St. Petersburg].
Bristol Watercolour. 25 × 21,9 cm.
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g -720.

Right at the bottom in pencil author's signature and date: Shevchenko // 1842. On the back of a pencil sketch of a man with a girl, made by unknown.

Sokolowski Nikolai Pavlovich – a lieutenant of Life Guards Lancer regiment [Calendar and general staff of the Russian empire in 1841. – St. Petersburg, [1841]. – Part 1. – p. 174]. Depicted shown in the uniform of this regiment. About Sokolovsky July 2, 1857 Shevchenko mentioned in the diary: "… with this notable person (captain Aprelev. – Ed.) I acquainted in 1841 in a one my countryman, some Sokolovsky".

The first information about the work gave Nikolai Semenovich Hashkevych in a letter from Odessa to Kiev City Museum Director M.F. Bilyashivsky on March 6, 1911:

"About portrait of Mr. Sokolovsky inform next. This portrait is my property and belongs to my cousin who asked me to sell it. I showed your letter to the owner of a portrait, she agreed to sell po[rtrait] for the amount you offer – two hundred rubles and send it at the earliest opportunity to: Merazliivska str., № 38, Apt. 4. N.S. Hashkevych".

Then added: "Posted 10/III-1911 M. Belyashev[ski]" [Manuscript department Insitute of literature (Kyiv), fund 146, № 13]. Maybe this is the record of money sent for a portrait purchased to the museum.

For the first time mentioned the name of "Portrait of a young officer in Ulan form" [B[elyashevsky] N., Sch[erbakovsky] D. Exhibition of T.H. Shevchenko's artworks // Art. Painting. Graphics. Art printing. – 1911. – № 3. – p. 39].

Reproduced with the name "Mr. Sokolowski (?) in Ulan ammunition" [Novitsky Ol. Taras Shevchenko as a painter. – Lviv, Moscow, 1914. – Tab. 8].

Storage areas: from 1911 – Kyiv City Museum, 1919 – First State Museum (Kyiv); from 1924 – Ukrainian History Museum (Kyiv) 1933 – Gallery of pictures by T.H. Shevchenko (Kharkiv), from 1948 – State Museum of T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).

Exhibitions:

1911. Kyiv. Exhibition in memory of Taras Shevchenko [Exhibition of artistic works of Taras Shevchenko. – K., 1911. – p. 2. – № 42];

1968. Prague. Shevchenko exhibition [Taras Ševčenko: Výstava o životĕ a díle. – [Prague 1968]. – № 11 / 1];

1984. Kyiv. Shevchenko – artist. To 170–th birthday [Shevchenko – artist: Exhibition Catalogue. – K., 1986. – p. 8];

1985. Kyiv. Museum of Kyiv. Shevchenko – portrait artist (no directory).

O.I. Shevchenko

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – K.: ed. of Acad. Sci. of UkrSSR, 1961, t. 7, bk. 1, № 36 (image); T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 387 (notes).