Nikolay Vasilyevich Ilyin (1894–1954) was a Soviet graphic artist and illustrator. He worked in the sphere of book typography. From 1910 to 1916, he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

Between 1922 and 1930, the artist worked as a book designer in Nizhny Novgorod, then in Moscow — for the Detgiz and Goslitizdat publishing houses. He worked in the silhouette technique and created illustrations for the works of such classics as Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov.

The drawing on display was made by Nikolay Ilyin as a headpiece for Mikhail Lermontov’s poem “Airship” (1840) from the Napoleonic cycle. The artist later used the white silhouette drawing in his wood engraving.

Nikolay Ilyin depicted a ship with sails filled with wind and with clearly traced outlines of masts and ropes. The ship rides over the waves and is contrasted against the black sky with shining stars and a bright crescent.

The headpiece is framed by a smooth wavy contour and is shaped like a medallion. It serves as an introduction to the poem corresponding with the poem’s mood and meaning:

The graphic work was printed in the book “Collected Poems” with Mikhail Lermontov’s poetry, which was published in 1958 in Moscow. The original piece was acquired from the artist’s son in 1978.

In 1840, the poem “Airship” was first published in the third section of the fifth issue of the “Otechestvennye Zapiski” magazine. The news about the publication of the May issue of “Otechestvennye Zapiski”, where Lermontov’s poem “Airship (From Zedlitz)” was published, appeared in the “Literaturnaya Gazeta” newspaper.

The publication of “Airship” coincided with the decision of the French government to return the mortal remains of Napoleon I of France from the island of Saint Helena to Paris; French King Louis-Philippe announced the decision of the government in the Chamber of Deputies. Perhaps the rumors of the impending decision reached Russia earlier, and Lermontov wrote “Airship” under the fresh impression of this news.