Attributed to Vasily Kuzmich Shebuev, 1777-1855

Estimate

15,000 - 20,000 GBP

bidding is closed

Description

Vasily Kuzmich Shebuev
The Heroic Feat of the Merchant Igolkin, an episode from the Northern War 1700-1721
bears signature in Cyrillic l.l.
oil on canvas
156 by 115cm., 61½ by 45¼in.

Catalogue Note

The offered lot illustrates the legendary incident during the Russo-Swedish War, when Igolkin, a merchant from Novgorod, killed the two Swedish soldiers who were holding him captive after they made a defamatory speech against Peter the Great. The King of Sweden, Charles XII, was so astonished by Igolkin’s bravery that he reversed the death sentence he had passed on the merchant and sent him back to Russia. This tale was a popular subject amongst Russian artists during the eighteenth century.