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Taras Shevchenko

Encyclopedia of the life and works

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Self-portrait 1843

Taras Shevchenko. Self-portrait 1843

Taras Shevchenko. Self-portrait. [Yagotin]. [23 – 26.XI] 1843.
Paper, ink (22.7 × 18.4 cm).

There is an author's date by ink at bottom right: 1843; below, center, ink signature of the author: T. Shevchenko.

Date specified on the basis of a letter by V. Repnina to Charles Einar on 27/01/1844, where she mentions that Shevchenko has dedicated her poem "Tryzna (Funeral feast)", entry to which it was written and read in November 11, 1843. A few days later Shevchenko left Yagotin for 10 days and returning (tentatively 23.XI 1843), gave the V.M.Repnina poem "Tryzna" and promised to give more the next day his self-portrait:

"Shevchenko gave me a notebook, entire wrote by his hand, and said that to this manuscript still belongs portrait of the author, which he handed to me tomorrow" ("Russian propylaes", T. II, M., 1916, p. 203 – 221).

Based on the comparison of some data in the same letter V. Repnina one can assume that self-portrait was presented by not later 26 Nov 1843 (ibid.).

Proof that the portrait was indeed handed by Shevchenko to V.M. Repnina maybe her letter to M.K.Chaly of 10 Jan 1881: "I have a portrait of Shevchenko, painted by himself" (Kievan antiquity, 1897, No. II, p. 171).

Previous storage: property of V.M. Repnina, E.M. Orlova.

Property of I. Zilberstein (Moscow) [as of 1961]

1939 was displayed at the Republican Shevchenko anniversary exhibition in Kiev (Product, № 140);

1948 – exhibition of graphics in Russian State Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

On the back placed the picture "Blind man" ("Slave").

L.I. Vnuchkova

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – Kyiv: ed. Academy of sciences of UkrSSR, 1961, vol. 7, book 1, № 85 (image), p. 34 (notes).