Wooden spoon with initial “V”, Poland, 19th century.
Hand-carved wooden spoon, 23 cm long, from Poland, dating to the 19th century or earlier. The bowl is deep, clearly utilitarian, with traces of use. The handle decorated with serrated line engravings and an initial "V", acting as identification of the owner. At the end a preserved thong with an old paper collector's tag attached.
In the 19th century in Poland, spoons of this type were among the basic items of everyday use on rural and pastoral farms. They were made by hand from a single piece of wood, which was part of the tradition of Polish folk craftsmanship, based on simple, durable materials.
Copies with preserved markings are rare today, documenting the development of Polish material culture and everyday practices of village life.
Zhang Heng seismograph model, stained bone, China, circa late 19th/early 20th century.
Seismograph model made of natural animal bone (imitating ivory), engraved and stained. The surfaces are covered with rich ornamentation, consisting of floral and animal motifs (dragons, horses, fish) and a thread of flames. The egg-shaped body features eight figures of intricately carved dragons, to which eight toads correspond, sitting with open mouths on an octagonal base. The seismograph is topped by a figure of Tao reading the Tao Te Ching. The work is signed on the underside.
The prototype of the model is the world's first seismometer, constructed in 132 by Chinese scientist Zhang Heng. The device indicated the direction from which an earthquake came, even if the phenomenon took place hundreds of kilometers from Luoyang - the capital of China at the time. The device was about 2.5 meters high and made of bronze. In the mouth of each of the eight dragons was a small iron ball, balancing between the teeth. Inside the body of the device was a metal pendulum, set in motion by the vibrations of the earth. A lever system activated by the pendulum opened the dragon's mouth, and the falling ball fell into the frog's mouth. The position of the frog, into which the ball fell, indicated the direction of the earthquake.
Balmamarium, terracotta, Ancient Rome, ca. 1st-2nd century A.D.
Authentic Roman balsamarium (unguentarium) from the 1st-2nd century BC, made of clay using a potter's wheel. The vessel, which had a distinctive form - with a cracked belly, slender neck and wide, orifice-shaped spout, was used to store liquid fragrances and toilet scents. It was often part of the equipment of the deceased. Formerly it was believed that balsamaria were used to collect the tears of mourners during funeral ceremonies - hence the misnomer lacrimatorium (from lacrima - tear).
Balmamarium, terracotta, Ancient Rome, ca. 1st-2nd century A.D.
Authentic Roman balsamarium (unguentarium) from the 1st-2nd century BC, made of clay using a potter's wheel. The vessel, which had a distinctive form - with a cracked belly, slender neck and wide, orifice-shaped spout, was used to store liquid fragrances and toilet scents. It was often part of the equipment of the deceased. Formerly it was believed that balsamaria were used to collect the tears of mourners during funeral ceremonies - hence the misnomer lacrimatorium (from lacrima - tear).
Kyliks (wine drinking vessel), pottery, Ancient Greece, ca. mid-4th century B.C.
Greek kylix most likely made in Apulia, dated to around the mid-4th century B.C. Classical example of utility ceramics - A chalice used for drinking wine. The vessel is preserved in very good condition, with no cracks or structural defects, with visible signs of age, loss of the firn layer and lime deposit inside. Found in the south of France.
Lekanis with lid, terracotta, Ancient Greece (probably Beotia), 5th century BC.
Small ancient ceramic vessel of the type lekanis, dated to 5th century p. Ch. , probably originating in Beotia in central Greece. A vessel with a low, flattened body, with two thin, rising handles and a matching lid ending in a flat button. Made of fine-grained clay with a orange-red shadecovered with dark firnis and decorated with a band of vertical zigzags in brown-black.
On the underside is visible an undersized ring foot With concentric circles and lathe marks. Preserved museum numbering applied in ink. The surface of the dish shows typical traces of reduction firing, local discoloration, loss of phirnis and mineral deposits, but the whole is preserved in complete form with the original lid.
Lekanis was used in ancient Greece for storing cosmetics, fragrances, jewelry and small ornaments. Vessels of this type accompanied women in daily life, and were also placed in graves as a items of personal use with symbolic significance.
Oinochoe, terracotta, Ancient Greece, 4th century BC.
A ceramic vessel, turned on a wheel, used in antiquity as a basic pitcher at Greek feasts (symposion). Oinochoe presents a variant typical of the Greater Greece region with a three-leaf spout, whose innovative form facilitated precise portioning of liquid without spilling.
Dark gray/dark brown matte surface with visible mineral deposits and earth deposits. The state of preservation is very good, the handle and spout are complete, which increases the collector and research value. This is a rare utilitarian piece, representing a tangible piece of ancient Italian culture.
Pawel Wrobel (1913 – 1984), Merry Town, acrylic on canvas, 1973
Colorful, dynamic painting by Pawel Sparrow, one of the leading Polish primitivist painters of the 20th century. The work depicts a scene from an amusement park - a chain carousel, a crowd of people, children, a shooting gallery and city buildings in the background. The painting is signed and dated p.d.: Wróbel P. 1973.
Saint John the Evangelist, late Gothic wooden sculpture, ca. 1500
Full-plastic sculpture depicting St. John the Evangelist , made of wood, dated around 1500. The figure is shown in counterpoint, with a slightly bowed head and entwined hands holding a book - an attribute of the Evangelist. The sculpture is preserved in its original polychrome, with a visible structure of pigment layers and natural cracking of the wood.
The work may have been part of a winged altarpiece (retabulum), most likely in the Crucifixion group.
The work may have been part of a winged altarpiece (retabulum), most likely in the Crucifixion group.