In Kyiv, a Watercolour by Shevchenko, Once Considered Lost, Will Be Exhibited: What Is Known

In the Taras Shevchenko Museum of the “Zapovit” in Pereiaslav, the watercolour “St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv” by Taras Shevchenko, long considered lost, was presented.

Soon, the work will be on display at the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

This was reported on the “Radio Culture” broadcast.

The guests were acting director of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve “Pereiaslav” Maryna Navalna, and antique dealer, architect, and owner of the auction house “Epokha” Fedir Zernetskyi.

Navalna noted that this was the first time an original work by Taras Shevchenko had been exhibited in the museum. In her view, both the presentation of the work and its return to Ukraine are extremely significant events.

The head of the institution noted that during wartime it is impossible to obtain an original, even for a single day, from a state institution. All original works are currently secured in storage, and issues such as insurance and transportation must also be considered, which entail additional costs. In the case of private collectors, everything proceeds much more quickly.

Zernetskyi purchased the work “St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv” in 2018 at Sotheby’s. According to him, together with related expenses, it cost 10,000 pounds sterling (more than 575,000 hryvnias at the current exchange rate).

The collector noted that the painting was attributed at the auction to an unknown European master. However, since he had long studied Shevchenko’s work, he was familiar with the artist’s technical features and methods, and immediately recognized Shevchenko’s authorship, which was later confirmed by chemical analysis.

According to the collector, the work is unique due to the condition in which it has been preserved. The painting was located in Europe and therefore was not sent for restoration to Moscow, unlike most of Shevchenko’s works, which subsequently lost their original brightness. In addition, it was not exposed to direct sunlight, which affects pigments.

The watercolour is also special because the matting was made by the artist himself.

The owner of the painting shared that he has already made five high-quality copies using an inkjet printer, which are almost indistinguishable from the original without additional equipment.

One of the copies will soon be sent to Pereiaslav, while a large-scale presentation of the original will take place at the Saint Sophia Cathedral after Easter.

EMPR