The article deals with one of the most noteworthy events in the creative career of this great artist – his invitation, along with other artists, by P.P. Konchalovsky to illustrate the anniversary edition of Mikhail Lermontov’s collected works. The work proceeded with great pains: strivings, frustration and redrawing were draining the painter’s strength. Of the 36 illustrations produced by Vrubel, only 20 were included in the publication. His watercolor “Demon and Angel with Tamara's Soul” was acquired by S.I. Mamontov, a patron of arts, and later, having changed several owners, it ended up in the collection of Professor A.Y. Abramyan. The further movements of the drawing, its theft and discovery 20 years later, unique restoration at Tretyakov Gallery and return to Yerevan are described in this article.
Key words: M.A. Vrubel, anniversary edition of M.Y. Lermontov’s collected works, A.Y. Abramyan, the Russian Art Museum in Yerevan, “Demon and Angel with Tamara's Soul”, restoration.