Illustration for #1 2013 (38), paper 6

MIKHAIL NESTEROV’S LETTER TO HIS FAMILY.

St. Petersburg, 4 February 1893

Department of Manuscripts, Tretyakov Gallery

“YESTERDAY MY PAINTING WAS FINALLY MOUNTED [REFERENCE TO NESTEROV’S COMPOSITION “THE YOUTH OF ST. SERGIUS OF RADONEZH”], FLANKED ON THE WALL BY AP[OLLINARY] VASNETSOV’S LANDSCAPE (A LAKE) TO THE RIGHT AND GHE’S PORTRAIT OF MARIA TOLSTAYA TO THE LEFT (MIRRORWISE) <…> AT THE END OF THE LETTER I ATTACH A DRAWING FEATURING MY COMPOSITION AND OTHER NEIGHBOURING ONES AS VIEWED BY SPECTATORS FROM THE STAIRS”.