Karl Bryullov bought Taras Shevchenko out of serfdom for 2.5 thousand rubles with the help of appropriations. This amount was equivalent to 45 kg of pure silver at the time. To get this money, Karl Bryullov painted a portrait of Vasyl Zhukovsky, the tutor of the heir to the throne, which was drawn in a lottery.
On May 4, 1838, a lottery was held in Tsarskoye Selo among members of the royal family and invited nobles. A portrait of the tutor of the heir to the Russian throne, Vasyl Zhukovsky, was raffled off. The proceeds were used to buy out the 24-year-old artist and poet Taras Shevchenko from serfdom,” informs Gazeta po-Ukrainsky.
The 24-year-old Taras is released from Bryullov’s workshop. The poet dedicates the poem “Catherine” to Zhukovsky, the ballad “Perebendia” to Yevhen Hrebinka, and “Haydamaky” to Vasyl Hryhorovych. A month later Shevchenko became a student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.
In the spring of 1838, Karl Bryullov and Vasyl Zhukovsky decided to redeem the young poet from serfdom. Engelhardt agreed to let the serf go for an unheard-of sum of money-2,500 rubles. At the time, this amount was equivalent to 45 kilograms of pure silver.