Abstract:

With this article A.B. Orishev begins a series of his articles on the general theme «The truth of history into works of art». In the article, the author sets the task to understand the historical authenticity of the events depicted in the picture by V.V. Vereshchagin «Execution from guns in British India». The author reveals the circumstances of the penalty. He emphasizes that punishment had the goal of humiliating not only human dignity, but also the religious feelings of the Hindus. The article shows how the executed perceived punishment, how the public accepted the picture of the artist. The main conclusion: the author proved that the picture of V.V. Vereshchagin corresponds to historical reality. The British with incredible cruelty suppressed the uprising of the sepoys. The execution by means of guns was revenge for the no less brutal massacre, which the insurgent sipai did to the Europeans. It has been suggested that the disappeared picture is stored in one of the private collections.

Keywords: V.V. Vereshchagin, British India, the English, seps, penalty, Hinduism