Thanks to the involvement of inhabitants of the Kostroma region in the initiative ‘Let’s save a painting together’, at various times, Yefim Chestnyakov’s works of art, such as ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘A portrait of a female’, ‘A horse walking along a winter road in a forest’, were restored. The fairly small painting ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (39×56) was handed over as a gift by residents of the Shablovo village of Kologrivsky District in the Kostroma region, back in 1968. The work of art was painted by the artist at the beginning of the 20th century. And it is considered to be one of his earlier works, created during his Saint Petersburg years (1899–1905). The scene from literature was painted with oils on a canvas. The art work depicts the tragic finale from William Shakespeare’s drama “Romeo and Juliet” (Scene III, Act V), when Juliet fell into a death-like trance in the tomb of Capulets.

On the other side of the canvas, the artist began painting another work of art with a number of figures. The barely discernible picture could also be a scene from Shakespeare’s drama ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

In 2014, during the annual festival ‘A giving apple’, twenty eight thousand rubles were collected for the restoration of Yefim Chestnyakov’s work of art. As the canvas was peeling and deformed, with holes in it, it had not been previously displayed. The skilled hands of restorer Antonina Ivanovna Shuvalova freed the work of art from a layer of dirt and dust; revived the colors, and brought back to life the romantic vision of love and faithfulness of Shakespeare’s tragedy. In 2015, the painting ‘Romeo and Juliet’ was showcased for the first time at Yefim Chestnyakov’s anniversary exhibition “The forgotten but dear to me” at the Museum Reserve. In 2018, it was displayed at the exhibition “Yefim Chestnyakov: I have come to tell you a tale” to mark the 100th anniversary of the Yaroslavl Art Museum. Since 2019, the work of art has been a part of the museum’s permanent collection ‘Rus’ is in his blood…’, which pays tribute to Yefim Chestnyakov, the artist, writer, sculptor and thinker, 145 years since his birth.