Pyotr Kolchin painted Highlander with a Horse in the 19th century when living in Georgia. The picture features a man who walks along the street holding a horse by the bridle — a routine episode from daily life in the Caucasus. The man wears traditional clothing: brown kaftan, green beshmet and light-colored trousers, a white skullcap topping his head. The highlander is painted with his back to the viewer, the viewer’s attention is thus focused on the animal.
Horses played an important role in people’s lives in the 19th century. They were indispensable in households as well as in the army. In the Caucasus horse breeding became the occupation of a special population group. Horse dealers used to travel as much as the military. Seeking new markets, they were among the first to be exposed to different cultures and languages. Highlander with a Horse speaks about the horse as an important companion of humans. The artist demonstrates that a work animal deserves as much respect as a courser.
The painting has a dramatic story behind it — recently it was reestablished as part of the museum collection through the effort of law enforcement agencies. During the assault on Grozny in December, 1994, the building of the P. Zakharov Chechen Republic Art Museum was destroyed. Concrete slabs collapsed into the basement where museum items were stored. Efforts to rescue the art pieces were first taken in March, 1995. Unfortunately, only a few art pieces were recovered from under the rubble – most had been destroyed or looted.
Highlander with a Horse was also believed to be lost, however it was found in 2012 in the Krasnodar Territory. Officers of the anti-extremism branch of the Interior Ministry’s Head Department conducted a search in the home of a 65 year old collector. He was suspected of illegal trading in cold arms and antiques. “During the search the police seized diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and two shotguns of French and Belgian make dated early 20th century”, – the Russian Interior Ministry’s media office reported. – ‘They also found a painting of historical value, by late 19th century Russian artist Pyotr Kolchin’. The painting had been stolen from the Grozny museum between 1994 and 1996. It was returned to the museum in November, 2015 and later featured at a single picture exhibition as part of the Rarity Recovered project.
Not much is known about Pyotr Kolchin. Only a few paintings by his hand are known to exist, which makes any comprehensive research into his creative work challenging. Highlander with a Horse is the only Kolchin painting owned by the National Museum of the Chechen Republic.
Horses played an important role in people’s lives in the 19th century. They were indispensable in households as well as in the army. In the Caucasus horse breeding became the occupation of a special population group. Horse dealers used to travel as much as the military. Seeking new markets, they were among the first to be exposed to different cultures and languages. Highlander with a Horse speaks about the horse as an important companion of humans. The artist demonstrates that a work animal deserves as much respect as a courser.
The painting has a dramatic story behind it — recently it was reestablished as part of the museum collection through the effort of law enforcement agencies. During the assault on Grozny in December, 1994, the building of the P. Zakharov Chechen Republic Art Museum was destroyed. Concrete slabs collapsed into the basement where museum items were stored. Efforts to rescue the art pieces were first taken in March, 1995. Unfortunately, only a few art pieces were recovered from under the rubble – most had been destroyed or looted.
Highlander with a Horse was also believed to be lost, however it was found in 2012 in the Krasnodar Territory. Officers of the anti-extremism branch of the Interior Ministry’s Head Department conducted a search in the home of a 65 year old collector. He was suspected of illegal trading in cold arms and antiques. “During the search the police seized diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and two shotguns of French and Belgian make dated early 20th century”, – the Russian Interior Ministry’s media office reported. – ‘They also found a painting of historical value, by late 19th century Russian artist Pyotr Kolchin’. The painting had been stolen from the Grozny museum between 1994 and 1996. It was returned to the museum in November, 2015 and later featured at a single picture exhibition as part of the Rarity Recovered project.
Not much is known about Pyotr Kolchin. Only a few paintings by his hand are known to exist, which makes any comprehensive research into his creative work challenging. Highlander with a Horse is the only Kolchin painting owned by the National Museum of the Chechen Republic.
