The mystery of one portrait

5 September 2023 , in Chernihiv Historical Museum named after VV. Tarnovsky, a special meeting "The mystery of one portrait" took place, which was dedicated to the memory of Ludmila Maiboroda (1948–2022) – a talented museum worker and an extremely sincere person.

Lyudmila Oleksiivna Maiboroda was born 16 August 1948 року в Чернігові. Even while studying at school, she became interested in history. To a large extent, the library of the village of Velyki Osnyaki contributed to this, where relatives lived. and where the girl was brought on vacation. Connections with the Osnyaks did not stop in the future.

Ludmila's love of history led her to the History Faculty of Leningrad State University, and after its end in 1971 year - to the Chernihiv Reserve (now the National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv"). By 15 years, 11 May 1987 year, Lyudmila Oleksiivna headed the Military Historical Museum, branch of the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after. VV. Tarnovsky, in which she worked for the rest of her life. It was created during this time, the expositions of the Military History Museum were constantly supplemented and updated, the expositions of the museum-memorial complex of partisan glory "Lisograd" in the village were developed and created. Yelin and in the forest at the partisan parking lot. Завдяки її енергії, perseverance, professional skill, organizational skills and communication hundreds of exhibitions, which told not only about the military and military aspects of the history of Chernihiv Oblast from the earliest times to 2022 year, and about liquidation of the accident at the Chornobyl NPP, contribution of Chernihiv residents to the development of cosmonautics, museum collections were shown, creative achievements of masters and art lovers. Exhibitions were exhibited in the museum, in "Lisograd", on the streets and squares of Chernihiv, cities and villages of the region, in educational institutions and cultural institutions. Despite all the blows of fate, Lyudmila Oleksiivna remained a life-loving person. She followed the new achievements of academic science and the work of museum colleagues, enthusiastically responded to new socio-historical requests of visitors, was it a study of the "white spots" of regional aspects of the military history of the First World War and the era of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921 at that time, or a new vision of branch exposure. As a manager, Lyudmila Oleksiivna was more of a mother, a senior colleague, which will teach, and will help, and quarrel, but will never remain indifferent. Like most museum workers, she used family and personal connections for the benefit of the museum.

Once Ludmila Oleksiivna brought to the museum a slightly damaged frame of the early 20th century found in Osnyaki., в яку був вставлений плакат з портретом Т.Г. Шевченка 1960-х років. The poster had no value, but the frame could be restored and used to create exhibitions. Museum artist Nina Fedorivna Vargan agreed to this job, after all, as no one knew, there was a lack of materials for the creation of exhibitions of household items of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. She removed the frame from the poster and revealed a plywood board underneath, on which a portrait of an unknown man was drawn, and made a cautious guess about his identity. After the restoration of the work of art by Igor Shapolov, the signature of the artist Ivan Hryhorovych Rashevsky and even his fingerprint became clearly visible.

At one time in the village. Velyki Osnyaki is a talented Chernihiv artist Ivan Rashevskyi (1849–1921) owned an estate, had an art studio. In Chernihiv, where from 1912 and until his death was the director of the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities V.V. Tarnovsky, lived in a service building, where he also set up a studio.

Regarding the image on the portrait of a man, then Chernihiv art critics, local historians and museum experts agreed, that this is the famous statistician Vasyl Yehorovych Varzar (1851–1940), who in 1875–1890 worked in the statistical bureau of the Chernihiv Zemstvo, was elected a member of the City Duma. Rashevskyi and Varzar were not just acquaintances, and relatives: Vasyl Yehorovych was married to Ivan Hryhorovych's sister Oleksandra. Memories of Iryna's granddaughter about the Varzars' stay in Chernihiv in the summer 1917 year allow us to assume, that it was then that this portrait was painted.

This is how the history of the Chernihiv Historical Museum named after. VV. The fates of Tarnovskyi's employees at the beginning of the 20th and 21st centuries were intertwined.

Scientific secretary of the museum, Ludmila Linyuk