#Exhibit of the Month

In the dazzling world of precious stones and noble metals, certain jewelers stand out, mastering the art of harmonizing understated elegance with absolute refinement, genius with design, and sophistication with eternal, unforgettable splendor.
The name Fabergé, emblematic of originality and synonymous with the creations of a legendary house, has left an indelible mark on the history of jewelry and decorative arts. Renowned for uniting jewelry, artistic design, and utility into objets de luxe and objets de fantaisie, Fabergé's creations have always captivated with their exquisite craftsmanship. Fashioned from gold, silver, enamel, and precious stones, the pieces produced in Fabergé's workshops testify to exceptional virtuosity, marked by meticulous attention to detail and perfect material harmony. Even works inspired by earlier stylistic vocabularies bear the unmistakable mark of originality.

The National Museum of History of Moldova treasures a spectacular ladle, crafted in Fabergé's workshops in the late 19th century.
The Fabergé ladle is a curious blend of the "Russian style" and the "modern style." Made of solid silver, it features a circular, gold-plated bowl. Its raised, stylized handle (hook-shaped) is adorned with vegetal motifs, triple rings, and silver pearls. The rim is embellished with a wide band composed of rectangular medallions, decorated with spiral loops and stylized scales arranged alternately. The bowl is supported by four hemispherical feet. At the center, engraved inscriptions read: Eugenie von Platonow/St. Petersburg and ТОРГОВЫЙ ДОМЪ „АЛЕКСАНДРЪ"/1863/15/10/1913.
Research suggests that this ladle was commissioned by Alexander Trauberg, a first-guild merchant and owner of the "АЛЕКСАНДРЪ" Trading House located at Nevsky Boulevard 11, St. Petersburg. It was likely created to mark the 50th anniversary of his business in 1913.
The hallmark stamped on the base-Fabergé's K. ФАБЕРЖЕ logo surmounted by the Russian Empire's coat of arms, alongside the female profile in a kokoshnik within an oval frame, accompanied by the Greek letter Δ (delta) and the silver purity standard "88"-confirms that the piece was produced by Fabergé's Moscow branch.
The hypnotic charm of Fabergé's creations defined the aesthetic ideals of an era, embodying exuberance and refinement, crafted by a jeweler to kings and a king among jewelers.

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Publications

Journal „Tyragetia"

vol. X [XXV], nr. 1

ISSN 1857-0240
E-ISSN 2537-6330

Михаил Видейко

Investigations of Trypillia site

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică

Keywords: Trypillia site, V. Khvoika, excavations, stage Trypillia BI-II, large settlements

Abstract: This article is dedicated to investigations of the site, which gave its name to the Trypillian Culture. For the first time it was excavated by V. Khvoika in autumn 1897, at the same time when he explored few sites around the village of Trypillia in 40 km south of Kiev. Despite the fact that since the excavation more than a hundred years has passed, the results have not been published, except a description in two pages that appeared in 1901. Later the place of excavations was forgotten, and only after 100 years it was discovered for a second time and identified using archival materials. A brief history of this "rediscovery" is presented in this article. We also propose the description of explored objects based on a modern view on the Trypillian Culture objects and interpretation of other finds from this site in the system of contemporary dating and periodization. This article mainly based on data from the Scientific Archive of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and some materials from the National Museum of History of Ukraine. Trypillia now is the largest (possibly up to 100 hectares) site of this culture in the Middle Dnieper region and at the same time the earliest one of these sites, dated by BI-II stage (around 4400-4200 BC).

List of illustrations:
Fig. 1. Fragment of the Open Letter of 1909 to the excavations in the Kiev region, including Trypillia. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 2. Page from the field dairy by V. Khvoika (1897) with a view of the place of excavations near Trypillia. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 3. Excavations near Trypillia, drawing from a table made by V. Khvoika. Drawing is based on the sketch from the field dairy, 1897. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv.
Fig. 4. Photo from a table made using field drawings. Inscription on the top: "Excavations near Trypillia, Kiev district". Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 5. Maps with the place of excavations: 1 - scheme published by V. Khvoika in 1904; 2 - fragment of a map, possibly used for the scheme; 3 - fragment of a scheme. Place of excavations is marked by an arrow.
Fig. 6. Excavations near Trypillia, panorama by V. Khvoika (a) vs satellite image (b): 1 - place, from which V. Khvoika observed explored area near Trypillia; 2 - hill at the central part of Trypillia with church; 3 - windmills to the right; 4 - windmills on Divich Gora (to the left). Place of excavations marked by circle.
Fig. 7. Place of excavations near Trypillia in 2003: а - view to Trypillia, by number 4 Divich-Gora marked (on drawings to the left); b - plateau with site, view from Krasnaya river; с - view from Trypillia, 1 - place, from which V. Khvoika observed explored area near Trypillia; place of 2003 г. Excavations marked by arrow.
Fig. 8. Trypillia, 2003: 1 - test-pit, general view; 2 - cultural layer with remains of burnt house; 3 - fragment of pear- like vessel; 4 - fragments of painted pottery.
Fig. 9. Trypillia, excavations in 1897, drawings by V. Khvoika. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 10. Trypillia, excavations in 1897, drawings by V. Khvoika. Croup of vessels and human bones. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 11. Trypillia, excavations in 1897, drawings by V. Khvoika. Page from dairy, dated 3.10.1897. Group of vessels in test-pit. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 12. Trypillia, excavations in 1897, drawings by V. Khvoika, later used for preparations of the large illustration.
Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 13. Finds from excavations near Trypillia: 1 - stone tools; 2 - copper axe. Drawings by V. Khvoika (1) and photo
(2) published in 1901.
Fig.14. Trypillia, helmet-like cap: 1 - old label with inscription, in which Trypillia mentioned as the place of finding; 2-4 - helmet-like cap, general views. National Museum of History of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 15. Fragments of painted pottery, probably from Trypillia. Drawings from the large table prepared by V. Khvoika for publication. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.
Fig. 16. View on excavations near the Krasna River by Trypillia at the beginning of the 20th century: 1 - inscription from the top of passé-partout; 2 - photo of trench, places with vessels are marked; 3-4 - finds enlarged. Scientific Archive, Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.