It shows the Allied assault on the Malakhov Battery on 6 (18) June 1855 during the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War, in which 173,000 British and French troops were repulsed by 75,000 Russians.
It features portraits of Pavel Nakhimov, the Russian nurse Dasha and Nikolay Pirogov.
Arriving in Sevastopol, he studied the site of the battle and historical documents, talked to participants and eyewitnesses and produced an initial drawing in Saint Petersburg.
[1] The finished painting was delivered to Sevastopol in summer 1904 and unveiled to the public on 14 May 1905, the fiftieth anniversary of the defence of the city.
[2] The evacuation of the painting was carried out on the last ship which left Sevastopol, the destroyer leader Tashkent.