Vasily Kuzmich Shebuev

The present work is a copy after Vasily Shebuev's painting from 1839, now at the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg. Its subject is an episode from the Great Northern War between Russia and Sweden. The Novgorod merchant Igolkin was in Sweden at the time of the outbreak of the war and was imprisoned together with other Russian subjects. While in prison, he overheard Swedish soldiers insulting the Russian Tsar, Peter the Great. A fervent patriot, Igolkin snatched a rifle from one of the soldiers, killing two of them with a bayonet. The King of Sweden, Charles XII, was so impressed by Igolkin’s bravery that he reversed the death sentence and sent him back to Russia.