1838 Taras Shevchenko was bought out

180 years ago, on May 4, 1838, the Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko was redeemed from serfdom. This was preceded by difficult negotiations between Shevchenko's patrons - the artists Ivan Soshenko, Karl Bryullov, Alexei Venetsianov, the poet Vasily Zhukovsky and the secretary of the Academy of Arts Vasily Grigorovich - and his master, the landowner Pavel Engelhardt.

Engelhardt, having learned that such well-known people were fussing over Shevchenko, raised the price. Bryullov for this called him "the largest pig in Torzhkov's shoes." As a result, Shevchenko's friends arranged a lottery, in which Bryullov's painting "V.A. Zhukovsky" was the prize. The proceeds of 2,500 rubles went to the ransom of Taras Grigorievich, which was a record amount for that time.