Portrait of Kenesary

Description

Author: Kasteyev, Abylkhan. 1904-1973
A portrait of Kenesary Kasymov-khan and leader of the Kazakh national liberation movement of 1837-1847-rendered in a decorative, narrative style. In the foreground, seated on an ornamental carpet in a three-quarter turn to the left, is a mustached man with a small beard, wearing a fur-trimmed velvet chapan and a tall traditional headdress, holding a saber. Behind him on the carpet is a group of men; to the left, a part of a yurt and horsemen are visible, with snow-capped mountains in the background. The decorative detailing, compositional clarity, and solemn frontality of the figure align the work with the tradition of the historical portrait, elevating the figure to the stature of a national hero-symbol. At the lower right - signature and date.