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Heroic Feat of Rayevsky's Soldiers

Creation period
1912
Dimensions
96,5x126,5 cm
Technique
oil on canvas
13
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#1
Nikolay Samokish
Heroic Feat of Rayevsky’s Soldiers
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Nikolay Samokish, a battle painter, created several drawings and artworks to commemorate the 100th anniversary of 1812 Patriotic war, including Heroic Feat of Rayevsky’s Soldiers at Saltanovka. This painting represents a legendary episode of the battle near Saltanovka village. On July 11 (23 old style), 1812, Lieutenant General Rayevsky, Commander of the 7th Infantry Corps, headed the attack of Smolensky Regiment against the forces of Napoleon’s Marshal Louis Nicolas Davout. Rayevsky was accompanied by his sons Aleksandr and Nikolay, aged sixteen and ten.

In a letter to his wife, Rayevsky proudly mentioned the bravery of the boys:
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“Aleksandr is already known to the whole army, he has been promoted… I only got a chest shell shock, a mild one… Nikolay was under the strongest fire, and yet he just joked. His pants are plowed with a bullet. I will send him to you. This boy will be far from ordinary”.
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Sons of Lieutenant General Rayevsky: Aleksandr Nikolayevich Rayevsky and Nikolay Nikolayevich Rayevsky. Unknown artist, 1821.
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Later on, however, Rayevsky got irritated with the endless talks of his fellows about that episode. So, he told poet Konstantin Batyushkov, his personal adjutant, that “the whole story had been made up by someone in St. Petersburg”. Lev Tolstoy who dedicated a part of his novel to the Rayevsky, also believed that the feat of the general and his sons was a fake.
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S.F. Babkov, a copy of George Dawe’s painting. Portrait of Nikolay N. Rayevsky.
Oil on canvas. 1964. The Battle of Borodino Panorama Museum


The painting features Nikolay Rayevsky heading an infantry column and holding a sword in his right hand. He is wearing a casual jacket, though, according to the order of Alksandr I, on the battle days the generals were required to wear dress-coats with gold embroidered oak leaves. So, the painting is closer to the historical realities of 1812 and the personality of the general noted for his modesty.
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According to the legend, the general’s sons follow their father in the attack. Aleksandr, the elder son, a Warrant Officer of the 5th Regiment of Chasseurs, is pictured closer to viewers. The artist “dressed him up” to make the painting more impressive. Those red-collar jackets with golden patches were typically worn by the low-ranking officers of Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, while Aleksandr Rayevsky never served there. His chest features a golden officer badge, which was assigned only to senior officers. Junior officers were entitled to silver signs.

The uniform worn by Rayevsky the junior is rather attributable to the guards than to the 5th Regiment of Chasseurs where he actually served. Nikolay’s busby (as well as his brother’s) features the double-headed eagle, which is the symbol of the guards but not the Regiment of Chasseurs.

The general and his sons are followed by the column of Smolensky Infantry Regiment. According to the painting, the officers and soldiers are nearly running, though in reality they were supposed to walk. Running could have broken the battle order of a row or a column. The infantry soldiers represented on the canvas are also wearing the guards’ busbies with eagles. The first row of attackers features an officer holding a regimental flag.

Nikolay Rayevsky wrote in his report to the Petr Bagration, Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Western Army:
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’… this regiment, in the spirit of its eternal glory and unshakable courage, was walking without shooting, with fixed bayonets, despite the strong fire of the enemy… I myself witnessed how many field, company and subaltern officers having received several wounds returned to the battle after bandaging them, as if to a feast’.
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Heroic Feat of Rayevsky's Soldiers

Creation period
1912
Dimensions
96,5x126,5 cm
Technique
oil on canvas
13
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To see AR mode in action:
  1. Install ARTEFACT app for 
  2. iOS or Android;
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  4. Push the «Augmented reality» button and point your phone's camera at the painting;
  5. Watch what happens on your phone screen whilst you flip through the pictures.
 
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