Study of a Strelets' wife for the painting 'The morning of the Streltsi's execution'

The Morning of the Streltsi's Execution is a remarkable work, that conveys both the horror of death and the tragic nature of one of the most crucial periods in Russian history. The subject of the picture comes from the Petrine age and reflects one of the episodes in the struggle for the throne between Peter the Great and his sister Sophia, the conclusion of which was the defeat of Sophia and the streltsi who supported her. 'It was not the execution that I wanted to convey, but the solemnity of the the last minutes,' write Surikov about this painting. The streltsi are full of dignity as they go to meet their deaths; they have lost the fight and ask for no mercy. Surikov singles out interesting characters, particularly expressive is the strelet's wife.
Recently discovered in the United States, this study was previously illustrated in V. Kemenov's book covering the major Surikov works with its whereabouts unknown.