Unknown Drawing by Nikolay Gogol

Abstract

The author presents an unknown drawing by N. V. Gogol, and offers a brief description of it. The honor of discovering the drawing belongs to the researcher of the Ulyanovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore Tatiana Alekseevna Gromova. Gogol's drawing was found in the handwritten memoirs of the Siberian landowner A. P. Rodionov, which do not have any artistic value, but contain a representation of some historical events. Based on the facts of Gogol's life, described by researchers, the author of the article determines the approximate date of the drawing, and also conveys its content. Gogol was returning from Germany to Russia, in Berlin he moved in with the Rodionov family, then part of the way they rode together, and the published drawing was made by the writer for A.P. Rodionov, who at that time was six years old. Due to the fact that the figure shows a building that combines architectural elements of different styles, special attention is paid to Gogol's understanding of architecture, and references are made to his article “On the Architecture of the Present Time”.