Swimming pool in the harem

The painting "Pool in a Harem" (1876) has a very unfortunate fate.
In 2001, an unknown person cut the canvas out of the frame and took it directly from the Hermitage hall. At the end of 2006, an unknown person called the reception of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, saying that he believed only in the communists and wanted to convey something of value. In a plastic bag, there was a “Pool in a Harem”, folded and with breaks on the scuffs! The shocked experts of Rosokhrankultura conducted several examinations and found that the pieces of the canvas are originals.
Specialists and restorers worked hard to restore the canvas, paint peeling and deformations. The threads in the breakthroughs were literally weaved again under a microscope, during a working day it was possible to dock no more than 1 cm! The remains of the painting were also interwoven in a frame with a cut out canvas. And finally, on December 7, 2009, the public was shown the “Pool in a Harem” after restoration.