Painting. Portrait of Kateryna Skarzhynska.

By V. I. Pobokov. 

The portrait depicts Kateryna Mykolaivna Skarzhynska, a prominent Ukrainian patron of the arts, collector of antiquities, public figure, and founder of the first private museum in Left-Bank Ukraine. She is shown at work, seated at a carved table with an open book and a pen in her hands. The artist focuses on her concentrated expression and the gesture of writing, emphasising her intellectual pursuits, education, and dedication to preserving cultural heritage.

Kateryna Skarzhynska is depicted wearing a festive pink and crimson dress with a white lace collar. Her image is characterised by elegance and inner dignity. The composition gives particular importance to the book and writing implements, which serve as symbols of scholarly and educational activity and recall the patron’s significant contribution to the development of museum work, archaeology, and historical research.

The background features a landscape with trees and open space, lending depth to the composition and creating an atmosphere of harmony between the individual and the surrounding world. The soft colour palette and realistic manner of execution contribute to the psychological characterisation of the sitter. The artist skilfully combines documentary accuracy with elements of symbolic interpretation.

Provenance: The painting was donated to the museum by the artist in 2026.