Why it matters
Repin shows Cossacks roaring with laughter as they compose an insulting reply to the Ottoman sultan's demand that they submit: a legendary scene set in 1676. He worked on it for more than a decade, recording the years along the lower edge of the canvas.
Did you know?
- Repin painted it from 1880 to 1891.
- Tsar Alexander III bought it for 35,000 roubles.
- Whether the famous letter was ever really written is still disputed.
Based on the Wikipedia article Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks (CC BY-SA 4.0).
