Portrait of brothers Lazarevsky
Taras Shevchenko. Portrait of brothers Theodore and Mikhail Lazarevsky. Paper, sepia (29 × 22 cm). Orenburg. 11.XII 1849. Literary Museum of the Institute of Russian Literature of the USSR ("Pushkin house"), Leningrad, inv. 58062.
Bottom right ink inscription: Orenburg 11 December 1849.
Shevchenko acquainted brothers Lazarevsky in exile during his stay in Orenburg (9 – 14.VI 1847 and XI 1849 – IV 1850). At this time, F. M. Lazarevsky served in the Orenburg border commission, and M. M. Lazarevsky – trustee of Kazakhs in Troick. In a letter to his sister G. M. Ohievska from 6.XII 1849 F. M. Lazarevsky wrote:
"… together with Mikhailo's portrait my one painted by our famous Shevchenko; my picture, they say, is remarkably similar – it has already finished. Mikhailo's is not yet finished, and when it's over and I'll send them home, take care to write out and frame for them" ["Ukraine", Kiev, 1928, Vol. 4, p. 49; M. Matsapura, New in the legacy of Taras Shevchenko, Zh. "Ukraine", 1951, № 8, p. 30].
Storage areas: property of A. F. Janzhul.
K. V. Chumak
After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – Kyiv: ed. Academy of sciences of UkrSSR, 1962, vol. 8, № 51 (image), p. 29 – 30 (notes).