Ukrainian gold

[winter]

It's been three weeks, but the exhibition is still ongoing, so those currently in Warsaw can still go see the Ukrainian gold from the PLATAR collection on show at the National :) It's an amazing exhibition - perfectly preserved ceramics and jewelry from the least-known cultures that wintered in Ukraine and Poland before the current era began. Scythian motives run to stylised animals, and they traded extensively with Greeks, so the craftmanship is astounding.



More images in my gallery of the exhibition. Forgive the poor framing at times - I only had the Panasonic TZ3, not the best camera for indoor photography, so I concentrated on sharp pictures.

Comments

[alice_montrose]

Oh wow! These are very, very nice! I really like the designs Of the Scythian/Greek jewellery... and of the angel plaques (creepy as you may find them).

[winter]

And it's all from a private collection, too. That means some lucky ladies probably have a chance to wear them....

[alice_montrose]

It's a good thing I prefer silver jewellery. If not, I would be incredibly jealous right now. ^^;;;

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

So pretty. I like the angel plaques. They look mystical^_^ I didn't know those people were Christians.

Thanks for the pics.

[winter]

They weren't - pretty hard to be Christians before Christ ;) I just called them angels as a shorthand, but winged human depictions aren't that uncommon. The same way people put wings on lizards and lions.

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

*laughs*
I thought they were. The figures looked like those small angels sold at Christmas^_^

[winter]

Mind you, the cross necklace further on IS from the already Russian Orthodox Kiev Russia :) But it's the Scythian motives that I find most interesting, exactly because of how modern they look.

[ariss-tenoh.livejournal.com]

That cross necklace looks like something a Gothic Lolita would wear. Very pretty.

Interesting isn't it? How the motifs cross cultures.

[amelia-petkova.livejournal.com]

So pretty so pretty. You certainly know the way to a girl's visual and anthropological geekiness!

[winter]

The exhibit was just two rooms, but I spent an hour there gawking at all the shiny things :D

[moustachios.livejournal.com]

Cooool!

I'm amazed they all survived in such good condition... There's so much from that period that's been lost, or just plain melted down and reincarnated as something else.

[winter]

They were preserved by being in graves no-one knew about :) It's amazing how many of them survived.

[zenicurean.livejournal.com]

My inner history geek is delighted at all the shinies.

[winter]

Apparently they aren't as significant as they could be if they were dug up properly (they're mostly dug up by local farmers and sold without documentation), but they ARE shiny :)

[moe-almanthea.livejournal.com]

This jewellery is very beautiful! Really, most of it I would wear with pleasure now, in modern times ;)

[winter]

Hey, the exhibit is here until the end of June ;) When are you coming to see Phantom?

[moe-almanthea.livejournal.com]

In the end of June :] But when it comes to museums in Warsaw, my and my mother's priority is to see exhibition about Zbigniew Herbert, but maybe we will have time also for this jewellery. I have to talk with my mother about that...

[winter]

It's a small exhibition - it took me an hour :) Worth a shot.