The landscape canvas depicts a floating small steamship and barely visible through dense grey-bluish mist buildings of a municipal levee. Before staring restoration the canvas was made x-ray scanning for not to miss any defects. The scanning showed that there is a portrait of an unknown old man in rich clothes decorated with precious stones. There is a high miter on his head also strewed with precious stones.

Experts state that the portrait was drawn on highly professional level. Probably, Mikhail Sokolov drew his landscape Mist on River on the finished picture of an unknown painter grounded it with a coat of color. Or, the painter drew it earlier, and then, to some reasons, decided to use the canvas as the basis for another picture. True, to the manner of artistic performance and theme the first picture totally differ from other works of the painter.

Experts admit a high artistic value of the portrait. On this basis, the museum workers face a dilemma: which of two works to save. The decision is to be taken with participation of authoritative experts of fine art. Yet, after restoration the canvas has been put to display, and none knows what secret it keeps under a coat of color.