P.Ch. Wittgenstein

Taras Shevchenko. Portrait of P.Ch. Wittgenstein. Engraving (11,1 × 9,8 cm) placed between pages 256 – 257 of the book "Russian generals" by N.A.Polevoj.

Under the portrait almost in the middle engraved: H.R (Henry Robinson).

Peter Chrystianovych Wittgenstein (1765 – 1842) – Count, Field Marshal of the Russian army.

N.A.Polevoj, who probably picked iconographic material for Shevchenko, July 16, 1843 recorded in his diary that Senator I.S. Gorgol (1770 – 1862) sent him a portrait of Wittgenstein [Diary of N.A. Polevoj. 1838 – 1845 // Historical Journal. – 1888. – № 4. – P. 171-172].

To create this portrait Shevchenko could enjoy the work of English painter George Dawe, executed in 1823 for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace, portraits, engraved by Henry Dawe and other engravers.

Looking at portraits of P.Ch. Wittgenstein, engraved after the original by George Dawe, D.A. Rovinsky provided a description of the portrait published in N.A.Polevoj's book, without mentioning names of the artist [Rovinsky D.A. Detailed dictionary of Russian engraved portraits. – St. Petersburg, 1889. – T. 1. – S. 437 – 443, T. 2. – S. 655].

N.P. Prokopenko

After publication: T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 196 – 197 (image), p. 421 (note).