Floral Decoration Research Articles

V. Introduction and selection of a new species of Clarkia (C. purpurea) and development of a method for evaluating Clarkia pursh varieties for distinctiveness, uniformity and stability

During 2011–2023 in the south of Western Siberia, with the aim of introducing and selecting a new species of clarkia (C. purpurea), its biological characteristics and morphological characteristics were studied. Based on the data obtained and the use of other species and varieties of the genus Clarkia Pursh. For the first time, a methodology for conducting tests for distinctiveness, uniformity and stability (DUS) for this crop was developed. This technique is applicable to all varieties of the genus Clarkia Pursh, classified into sections: Godetia (C. purpurea (Curtis) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbr.), Phaeostoma (C. unguiculata Lindl.), Rhodanthos (C. amoena (Lehm.) A . Nelson & J. F. Macbr., Clarkia amoena ssp. lindleyi (Douglas) H. F. Lewis & M. Е. Lewis), fireweed family (Onagraceae Juss.). Many species of clarkia are characterized by long-lasting flowering and are promising for floral decoration of urban spaces, as well as for cutting. Most varieties are from very low – up to 25 cm tall, to very high – 96 cm or more; leaves are simple, lanceolate, narrow-lanceolate, wide-lanceolate, ovate, smooth, pubescent. The flowers are very decorative, varying in size from 2.0 to 8.0 cm tall, simple, semidouble, terry and strongly terry with or without fragrance, with a large variability of colors and types of floral pigmentation. Based on the study of the bioecological and morphological properties of the crop under study and in accordance with the rules approved by the Federal State Budgetary Institution “State Varietal Commission”, 36 characteristics were selected by which it is possible to test clarkey varieties. As a result of breeding work, a new variety of C. purpurea, Lilac Fairy, was created. When analyzing crossing, it was established that the lilac (violet) color of flowers is dominant in relation to pale pink (almost white), and when crossing F1 hybrids with light purple color, splitting 15:1 (15 violet from dark purple to pale purple was obtained and 1 is pale pink), which confirms the hypothesis about the polygenic nature of the inheritance of the main color of flowers in C. purpurea. The national methodology RTG/1157/1, created for the first time, for testing the DUS of Clarkia Pursh varieties will serve as a scientific basis for practical breeding.

A High-Status Middle Sarmatian Burial from the Kovalevka Burial Complex in the Volgograd Region

The article is devoted to the archaeological materials publication from the kurgan 25 excavations of the Kovalevka burial complex. The accompanying inventory, marking a high status of the buried, was found in an individual burial made in the tradition of the Middle Sarmatian funeral rite. The bronze cauldron broken in antiquity and placed upside down was found in the cache. Cauldrons of this type existed in the first century AD. Iron bits with two-hole psalms, widespread among the nomads of the steppe zone starting from the turn of the eras and silver-plated iron plaques from the horse bridle jewelry lay nearby. The set of three phalars, which can be functionally defined as breast and shoulder plates of a horse harness, was found on the other side of the cauldron. The phalars made of forged silver sheet traces of gilding on the surface. The multi-figure compositions of animals, birds and floral ornaments were depicted on the obverse, in low relief. Such phalars in Sarmatian monuments were widespread since the turn of the era and exist within the first half of the first century AD. On both sides of the cauldron there were two gray-clay pottery jugs made in Kuban pottery centers. They became widespread in the burial grounds of the Kuban and the Lower Don starting from the turn of the eras, although they were occasionally encountered at the end of the Early Sarmatian time. Two paired long militant knives were placed along the right leg; these finds are well known in the Sarmatian burials of the turn of the first centuries AD, and are found, as a rule, in high status complexes along with horse harness, bronze cauldrons and other prestigious items. All of the above allows us to assert that the buried individual belonged to the nomadic elite, whose burials during that period were concentrated in the Volga-Don interfluve.

“Floral Ornament of Reality”: Flowers in Worldview of E. T. A. Hoffmann and N. A. Polevoy

The relevance of this study is grounded in the scholarly significance of the issue of Russian-German literary connections as a crucial factor in intercultural interaction. This article analyzes works in which the authors articulate a mystical sense of nature, based on the natural philosophical ideas of F. Schelling. The focus of the investigation is the national distinctiveness of Romanticism, manifested in the peculiarities of nature perception, particularly floral imagery. It is demonstrated that the Romantic writers of Germany and Russia perceived love, within the value-emotional framework of the Romantic universe, as a mystical feeling that enables one to penetrate the mysterious forces of nature. The floral motifs within the works contribute an additional allegorical meaning to the artistic worlds of E. T. A. Hoffmann and N. A. Polevoy. The “floral background” of the characters in the analyzed texts (the tulip Gamachea, the thistle Pepush, the bride Tis — Little Rose; Emma — cornflower; Italy — “poor forget-me-not,” among others) establishes a symbolic language of nature. Attention is also given to motifs traditional to German literature: yearning, soul affinity, reminiscence of a “different world,” and the union of lovers in death, which are reflected in the examined works of Russian literature. The novelty of this research lies in its consideration of N. A. Polevoy’s dialogue with the German literary tradition represented by E. T. A. Hoffmann as a result of his philosophical and poetic explorations.

Arhaeological Research in Okhtyrka — the Arhaeology of War

The article is devoted to the result of archaeological research carried out on the territory of the Okhtyrka fortress of the second half of the 17th–18th centuries. Excavations were conducted in the basement of the Okhtyrka Municipal Local History Museum. The building was severely damaged because of the night bombing in spring 2022. During the reconstruction of the museum, the workers had discovered archaeological artefacts. In the result of archaeological research, there were discovered the remains of a building buried in virgin soil. The most informative were the remains of the cellar walls. In the filling of the building, there were distinguished two layers separated by a sterile one. In the lower layer, the vast majority of fragments of tiles and furnace slag were found, and in the upper layer — numerous fragments of pottery and individual finds. The analysis of the artefacts location and the general stratigraphy allows presuming preliminary conclusions. The dwelling had two levels — the ground living level with the furnace and the underground one, or a cellar. The level had a massive ceiling made of oak logs and a wooden construction made of logs with a diameter of 0.15–0.25 m. The space between the wooden construction and virgin soil was filled with yellow sand. Mostly, in the filling of the dwelling were found light clay pottery fragments and some items covered with green glaze. The tiles were decorated with stylised floral ornament. Among the imports, the most noticeable are a handle of a faience cup produced in the Ottoman Empire and fragments of clay bottles of Riga balsam. In addition, a faience ointment jar, produced in Germany or Austria in the 18th century. Based on the analysis of the finds, the time of construction of the building is dated to the 20s–30s, and the time of destruction — 70s–80s of the 18th century. The first date is indicated by a coin minted in 1731, found in a piece of preserved oak log, and the second one by the lower part of a clay bottle, found on the floor of the cellar. Some of the imported finds are related to medicine, so we can assume using the building as a pharmacy in the last years of its existing.

Endogenous plant metabolites influence on shelf-life extension of tuberose flowers

Tuberose is highly valuable for making floral ornaments, bouquets, artistic garlands, button holes and essential oil. The present study aimed to increase the shelf life of loose flowers by the exogenous application of endogenous plant metabolites i.e. polyamines-putrescine and spermidine at 15 and 20 mg each and with two controls (with/ without packaging). The polyamine-dipped tuberose florets were packed in polyethylene zip covers (56 microns thickness & 1% ventilation), and stored at room temperature (32±1oC and 65 ± 3% RH). Results revealed that putrescine (20 mg) and spermidine (20 mg) treated florets had reduced physiological loss in weight and spoilage percentage with delayed flower opening, and higher sensory acceptance when compared to other treatments and also extended vase life (4 days). The shelf life of untreated flowers without a package was just on the harvested day. Thus, the exogenous application of polyamines had a synergic effect on the shelf life of tuberose loose flowers and can be effectively utilized in the supply chain of tuberose.

Set Belts from the Catacomb No. 31 of the Early-Medieval Burial Ground near Verkhnii Saltiv Village

The materials of the catacomb burial no. 31 investigated in 1985 by the expedition of the Kharkiv Historical Museum under the leadership of V. H. Borodulina on the main site of the Early-Medieval burial ground in Verknii Saltiv village (VSM1) are introduced into the scientific circulation. The burial chamber, transverse to the dromos, contained the remains of two people (a man and a woman) with the traces of deliberate destruction committed in ancient times (fig. 1: 1). Inventory found with the buried people (fig. 2) allows dating this complex to the second — third quarters of the 9th century. The elements of the belt set found in the burial, represented by cast bronze plaques and a fragment of a bronze belt buckle (fig. 1: 2—6) are of interest. Two belt plaques with a fixed loop in the lower part of the shield are decorated with a lotus ornament (fig. 1: 6) typical for the 3rd chronological horizon of the Saltiv antiquities. Two square-shaped plaques with a rectangular hole that has a pointed top in the lower part of the shield (fig. 1: 3, 4) are distinctive among the Turkic antiquities of the 8th—10th centuries. Similar plaques of the Saltiv period are found in the assemblages of the Volga River middle region and the Southern Urals (Volga Bulgarians, Magyars, Mordovians, Mari), where they are part of the decorations of the Turk-Ural circle. Five more round plaques are decorated with floral ornament (fig. 1: 5), which finds analogies in the monuments of the “Magyar” circle of the 9th—10th centuries (Elizavetino-Mikhailovka, Kriukovo-Kuzhnovskii burial grounds in the Volga region, burial in the village of Nova Mykolaivka in the Dnipro Oblast). This belt set consists of three types of plaques that correspond to different traditions. Appearance of the set reflects existence of certain military fashion in the Saltiv society associated with the role played by the Magyars in the 830–890s, being in allied relations with the top of the Khazar Khaganate.

Влияние обработки фиторегуляторами на декоративные качества растений Tagetes patula L. сорта Петит гармония в условиях контейнерного содержания

The article considers the issues of the influence of treatment with Zircon and tank mixtures Zircon-Siliplant, Zircon-Ecofus to increase the decorative indicators of tagetes of the rejected variety Petit harmony in conditions of outdoor container content. As a result of the experiment, a reliable effect of the use of growth-regulating drugs on morphometric parameters was established. The article provides data on the positive effect of the drugs on the decorative qualities of the rejected tagetes. Keywords: CONTAINER FLORAL DECORATION, DECORATIVE QUALITIES OF FLORAL COMPOSITIONS, AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF FLORAL DECORATION, FLOWERING PRODUCTIVITY, GROWTH REGULATORS, GROWTH STIMULANTS, PHYTOREGULATORS, GROWTH REGULATORS, MICRO FERTILIZERS, ORGANO-MINERAL FERTILIZER, TAGETES REJECTED

Growth Traits of Pendent Heliconia Genotypes in Kanyakumari Conditions

Heliconia is one of the important emerging exotic specialty cut flowers which is gaining importance in the Indian markets and is used as a cut flower, floral decoration, and beautifying gardens. We carried out a field experiment at Horticultural Research Station, Pechiparai, Kanyakumari to evaluate the performance of pendent Heliconia genotypes based on the growth characteristics. The results revealed that among the eight genotypes evaluated, H. chartacea ‘Surinam Gold’ recorded the highest plant height (168.12 cm and 228.32 cm) at 120 and 180 days after planting (DAP) followed by H. vellerigera ‘Red’ and H. chartacea ‘Sexy Pink’ which were on par with each other with the maximum number of suckers (8.05 and 8.20 respectively). H. vellerigera ‘Red’ has the highest stem girth of the rest of the genotypes.

Timurid, Ottoman, Safavid and Qajar Ceramics: Raman and Composition Classification of the Different Types of Glaze and Pigments

Raw materials significantly determine the final composition and properties of a fired ceramic. Raman analysis which characterizes micro- and nanostructures of (coloured) glazes, opacified or not, was applied to shards mostly collected before the 1960s, currently at the Louvre Museum, originated in Anatolia, the Caucasus, Iran and Central Asia, which are, for most of them, characterized by the use of black lines to separate coloured areas, and dated to the period between the 12th and 19th centuries. Measurements were carried out in the laboratory with a blue laser excitation and/or on the conservation site with a mobile device (green laser). Three types of glazes were identified by their nanostructure of the silicate network: (i) a lead-rich glaze analogous to that of Byzantine, Zirid to Hafsid and al-Andalus productions, (ii) a lead-alkali glaze typical of the Ottoman productions of Iznik-Kütahya, and (iii) a mixed (poor lead/lead-free)-alkali glaze typical of Safavid productions. The colour determines the precise composition of the glaze. The identification is not only based on the signature of the stretching mode of the SiO4 tetrahedron (position of the wavenumber of the component(s)) but also on the position and shape of the continuous luminescence of the Raman background, characteristic of the raw materials used. Lead-tin yellow, Fe-rich, Mn-rich and Cr-rich black pigments and opacifiers made of cassiterite and wollastonite were also identified. The results (type of glaze and deduced processing temperature) were discussed in the light of the ternary phase diagrams visualizing elemental composition determined in previous works and the microstructure examination on the polished section (defining single or multistep firing cycles). Continuity was highlighted on the one hand between the tiles of Bursa, Edirne and Istanbul (Ottoman Iznik-like production) and on the other hand between those of Samarkand area (Timurid) and Iran. The procedure was then applied in the study of three objects (two dishes and a bowl) which are very representative of the productions of the Turkish-Persian cultural areas: a polychrome mina’i cup with decoration representing a rider, an Ottoman Iznik fritware with polychrome floral decoration, and a blue-and-white Safavid ceramic with a decoration representing a shrub.

Floral Ornament as a Key to Understanding the National-Romantic Version of Catalan Modernism

Floral Ornament as a Key to Understanding the National-Romantic Version of Catalan Modernism

ЕЩЕ ОДНА НАХОДКА ВОСТОЧНОГО ЗЕРКАЛА СО СФИНКСАМИ НА СРЕДНЕМ ЕНИСЕЕ

The article is devoted to the publication of another metal button mirror with paired figures of sphinxes and a floral ornament with a Kufic inscription, recently discovered on the territory of the Middle Yenisei. In this region, similar items are not only rare (exhibits of the Minusinsk and Abakan museums), but are also markers of the northern border of the distribution of these items in the Mongolian time. The сlarity of the decoration details of the product gives every reason to consider it far from being the latest copy from the original. Sufficiently good preservation of the images on the mirror (epigraphics, fantastic animals and floral decorations) makes it possible to analyze in detail not only individual artistic details, but also to make a probable attribution of the origin and chronology of this object. The peculiarities of the style of the Kufic inscription and images of sphinxes make it possible to date the mirror no later than the 11th–12th centuries, and also to include it in the circle of objects produced in Iran or Central Asia. The absence of such imported items in the south of Western Siberia north of the middle reaches of the Yenisei River is probably due to the historical features of the cultural ties of the medieval population in the initial period of the 2nd millennium AD. Overall, the new find of a mirror with a Kufic inscription and a paired image of the sphinxes on the background of a floral ornament makes it possible to clarify the local and general features of the distribution of such items in Eurasia in the Middle Ages. This, in turn, provides certain grounds for reconstructing the dynamics of the changes in the external relations of Southern Siberia over the past millennium.

Decorative Features of the Temple Complex Pura Beji (Sangsit, the Island of Bali)

The author examines the sculptural decoration of the Pura Beji temple – a vivid representative of the style of sacred architecture and decorative plasticity of northern Bali. This temple complex is the sanctuary of the subak irrigation association. It is unique with a peculiar vocabulary of decor, rich texture of stone carvings, masterfully executed in a “pink” paras. The purpose of the article is to use the example of analysis of the decorations of temple buildings (Candi Bentar gates, Candi Kurung, Candi Laras altars, Apit Lawang) and samples of round sculpture to identify the characteristic features of the decorative desing of Pura Beji, to reveal the features of the iconographic reading of individual motifs and images, their spatial configuration. The work is based on empirical material from field studies conducted in April 2019 (Desa Sangsit, kabupaten Buleleng). The study of the temple decor was carried out using the methods of full-scale research, non-standardized interviews; comparative analysis; iconographic, compositional, artistic analysis of images. For the first time, the diverse repertoire of Pura Beji's plastics was analyzed through the prism of the leading iconographic program related to the cult of fertility and the specifics of Balinese Hinduism (with its rich mythopoetics, metamorphoses of the divine and demonic worlds). This predetermined the abundance of floral ornaments and chimerical, fantastic images in the decoration of the temple, their organic fusion. The role of active contacts of the northern coast of Bali with the cultures of Eastern civilizations and Western Europe in the formation of the original style of carving by Sangsit masters is also taken into account. The author comes to the conclusion that the decorative design of Pura Beji is characterized by: rethinking the codified patterns of decor, the use of original motifs and borrowed replicas; compositional freedom of ornamental constructions; continuous filling of the wall surface with sculptural decoration in relief, the applicative manner of applying the ornament. Also noteworthy is the hyperbolized way of articulating decorative elements, manifested in the reception of emphasized grotesque in the interpretation of zoomorphic images and the dominance of a large pattern of leaves and flowers.

Lemko Carving Traditions as Part of Applied Art

The purpose of work is to identify the place of Lemko carving traditions in applied art, to describe peculiarities of Lemko carving traditions, and identify its leading artists. The research is related to the fact that Lemko national carpenters and carvers created real masterpieces, distinguished by uniqueness and originality of artistic forms. Methodology of research consists is applying comparative, historical, and logical methods. Scientific novelty of the work consists in the expansion of ideas about the place of Lemko carving traditions in applied art. The specialities of Lemko carving traditions have been shortly described, it has been resumed that Lemkos depicted floral ornaments on their products. It has been assumed that flat carving (plates, trays) probably arose, the products are combined from leaves of various trees, flowers, and bunches of grapes. Firstly, peasants decorated with floral ornament household items, for example, wooden boxes (chests), lizhnyks (woollen plaids), house tragars (decorative wooden beams). Soon, the masters transferred decorative elements to industrial souvenirs (plates, cassettes, and trays). It has been emphasised that one of the most outstanding masters of Rusyn wood carving in Lemko region is M. Orysyk (1885–1946) («Lemko-Rusyn» (1930s) is the most famous work) and V. Odrekhivskyi, the Honored Worker of Arts of Ukraine (1964), the member of the Union of Artists of Ukraine. Conclusions. Highly artistic Lemko carvings reflect the centuries-old traditions of carving, as well as the rich history of the formation and development of Lemko culture, which give us the opportunity to learn the true value of Lemkos. Woodcarving became a very popular type of artistic and decorative wood processing in Lemko region at the border of the 19th and 20th centuries and a significant part of applied art.
 Key words: Lemko carving traditions, carving, applied art, artists, products.

Artistic features of Jewish women’s breastplates of the traditional Jewish costume of the Eastern Galicia of the nineteenth century

This article is devoted to the analysis of the artistic features of Jewish women’s breastplates of the traditional Jewish costume of the Eastern Galicia of the nineteenth century. Were analyzed main compositional schemes, ornamental motifs, and color schemes. The sources of the research were selected products in the “ Spanier Arbeit ”. The technique of metal lace weaving in Sasiv – a town near Zolochiv. Marcus Leib Margulis founded the first workshop in the second third of the nineteenth century. The greatest growth of the workshop falls in the middle of the second half of the nineteenth century when craftsmen create original high-art products: Atars, yarmulkes, women's bibs, and Shabbat caps. Under Margulis’s leadership were developed: ornamental schemes, complex compositions based on plant ornament, and mesh motifs of bad-e-Rumi with modules filled with floral and leaf motifs. The most successful samples were put into mass production. At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, hundreds of craftsmen worked in Sasiv, but production gradually decreased. Traditional forms and elements of the Jewish women’s costume of Eastern Galicia were analyzed. It was determined that Jewish women chose costumes typical for all women of the region, and the difference was in decorative elements, in particular, bibs. Breastplates performed a utilitarian function: they covered the cleavage area and allowed us to observe modesty, also a significant decorative element, and a peculiar accent of the costume. The traditional shape of bibs was a significantly elongated rectangle made of precious fabrics: velvet, silk, brocade, and jacquard, decorated with metallic lace, haptic, sequins, and in some cases small pearls on semi-precious stones. The most common in lace were floral ornaments: flowers of roses, peonies, sunflowers, maple leaves, flowerpot motifs, and garlands, as well as ornaments in the form of interwoven harnesses and "peacock eyes”. The article examines the symbolism of certain ornamental motifs in Jewish art. For analysis were selected sights from the collection of the Museum of Ethnography and Artistic Crafts in Lviv, illustrations in publications of the 1930s of the twentieth century.

ПРЕДМЕТНАЯ КОЛЛЕКЦИЯ КАЗАХСКОГО КЫСТАУ: ПО МАТЕРИАЛАМ ПОЛЕВЫХ ИССЛЕДОВАНИЙ В АКМОЛИНСКОМ ПРИИШИМЬЕ

The article is devoted to the results of the study of household items discovered during the study of the wintering of Bozok II. The winteringof Bozok II is located 6 km west of Nur-Sultan. It was investigated in the summer of 2021. Numerous fragments of porcelain and ceramic dishes, a glass bottle, and interesting metal products were found in the cultural layer of the settlement. Porcelain tableware is represented by one large fragment of an unornamented bowl of white color, fragments of the upper part, walls, handles, bottom part of products, spouts of teapots. The outer surface of the dishes is decorated with floral ornaments. Ceramic tableware is almost entirely pottery. Metal products – a lock and a key of small size, a fragment of the decorative design of some interior item. The description of these findings is carried out, analogies are given. These products allow us to provide information about the daily life of the Kazakh population of the XIX century.

TWO ARTISTICALLY FINISHED MUSLIM STELES OF THE 14th CENTURY FROM KUBACHI (DAGESTAN, RUSSIA)

The article describes two tombstones of the XIV century. in the form of high trapezoidal stone slabs (the lower end is narrower than the upper part) from the largest artistic center of Dagestan - the village of Kubachi. They are located in the medieval Muslim cemetery "Bidakh Khuppe" (in the lane with Kubach - "Cemeteries on the other side"), 1.5-2 km south of the old part of Kubacha, in the lower half of the northern slope of Mount Tsitsila. The monuments under consideration are decorated at a high artistic level with late Kufic relief Arabic inscriptions and floral ornaments. The inscriptions were made at different times in the “blooming kufi” style by the same master stone cutter, calligrapher and ornamentalist, which is proved by the commonality of the forms of both monuments, the technique of their carving, the peculiarities of their decorative finishes, the ornamental style, and the unity of the compositional schemes of the decor. The name of the master who made these monuments is unknown. The article clarifies the existing in the decor of the monuments and certain differences in the style of the letters of the Kufic inscriptions, the details of the ornamental compositions of the central fields, which, obviously, are associated with the different times of the manufacture of the stelae. On the monument number 2 there is a date - 783 AH / 1381-82. (according to the Gregorian calendar); there is no date on monument No. 1. The author of the article believes that monument No. 1 was made 12-15 years earlier than monument No. 2.In the article, both tomb stelae are considered as highly artistic works of Muslim art based on the features of the decorative finish of the letters of the relief Arabic inscriptions of the curb strips, their proportionality and proportionality, as well as taking into account the expressive floral ornament of the central fields and the framing epigraphic border strips, the unity and interconnection of the details of the compositions of the central field (stele No. 2) and upper side corners.

The Importance of Classifying the Traditional Mosulian Ornaments in Enhancing the Conservation Process

Ornaments are effective interior design elements, which enhance the identity and heritage value of heritage buildings. The Mosulian ornaments represent the mixture of the culture and architectural, which are produced by Mosulian marble ‘Farish’. After the war in 2017, there was a dramatic disappearance of the original types of Mosulian ornament because of the non-oriented restoration and conservation process. UNESCO and the government sector suffered from the availability of information to find a guideline to be used in the restoration and conservation process. However, the shortage of documentations led to the disappearance of valuable ornaments, especially after investing the new technology in producing the ornaments in the conservation processes. The study aims to classify the Mosulian ornaments in terms of shape, material, and position, to construct a platform and data set of the Mosulian ornaments. The study applied a qualitative approach using observation and visual analysis methods to observe the results of the analysis with a checklist form. The results indicated that Mosulian architecture is rich in ornamental elements, floral ornaments are used in the greatest ratio than geometric, while animal shapes are rarely used. The principle of repetition in two and four steps is the main principle used in generating process. The classification of ornament can enhance the heritage value of the buildings, designers and developers can rely on this classification to design and reuse the ornament.

THE ORIGINS OF THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MYTHOLOGICAL WORLDVIEW IN THE ART OF ANCIENT CHINA

China is one of the most ancient civilizations of mankind. Ancient Chinese art and culture have deep spiritual traditions that arose from the fusion of various ethno-cultural values. The art and culture of ancient China are rightfully considered one of the most striking and unique phenomena in the history of human civilization. Since the fifth millennium, the first agricultural centers have appeared in ancient China. It should be noted that the very first mythological and cosmological worldviews of ancient China are connected with the ancient Chinese agricultural culture. Geometric and floral ornaments, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic images that adorn ancient Chinese ceramics of the Neolithic era reflect the myths and rituals of the ancient Chinese. In the middle of the II millennium BC, the Yin civilization was formed in the Yellow River basin. The Yin period in the history of ancient Chinese culture marks a huge progress in many areas of ancient Chinese society. It is also noteworthy that in the decorative and applied art of ancient China of the Yin period, completely new and different art products with elements and motifs of the "animal" style appear in their forms and compositional content. Many researchers believe that the ancient Chinese animal style could have originated and developed under the influence of neighboring nomadic tribes and peoples, as a result of military and trade contacts. Objects with zoomorphic images and compositions that relate to the art of Ancient China of the Han period are carriers of the aesthetic principles of “steppe animalismˮ. These artistic images made in the “animal style” have a high level of decorative stylization, which are characteristic of Ancient Scythian and Hunnic art. Ancient Chinese art, unique both in its ancient semantics and in the style of depicting artistic images, is a phenomenal and still not fully explored phenomenon.

THE STYLES OF TOBACCO PIPES OF THE 17th — EARLY 19th CENTURIES FROM KYIV EXCAVATION AND THEIR PARALLELS

The paper is devoted to clay tobacco pipes of the 17th — early 19th centuries, found in Kyiv. The two-part type of pipes of the so-called «eastern» type is analyzed, the most widespread in the territory of Ukraine and prevailing among finds from Kiev. The chibouk and the pipe body of such products are separate parts. Other types are one-piece pipes of the so-called «western» type (or «Dutch»), in which the chibouk and the bowl are one whole, and three-part pipes, in which the middle part (shank) served for connection of chibouk with a one-part pipe. They are extremely few among archaeological finds.
 The author collects two-part pipes into groups according to their external similarity. Within these groups, there are styles of items that have gained popularity over time. Parallels for Kyiv finds from Ukrainian lands and other territories are provided.
 The evolution of some styles during the 17th — early 19th centuries is examined. For the seventeenth — early eighteenth century pipes of small sizes of three types: bud-shaped, fluted, pot-shaped are characteristic. Each type was designed with several styles. They are distinguished by the design of the bowl. Bud-shaped pipes had a spherical, hemispherical, disk-shaped, with a petal division, with a frequent division, shell-like lower part. Pot-shaped pipes were both rounded and elongated in height. The most homogeneous were fluted pipes. They were varied by simple or more decorative designs.
 In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries styles of pipes have changed. Bud-shaped pipes with a petal division of the lower part of bowl acquired of new styles: tall, slender pipes covered with colored glaze; pipes with a shell-shaped bowl became very similar to them; as a development of this style — pipes with a crest-keel under the lower part of the bowl; style of large, similar in height and length of pipes, which could be both glazed and terracotta. Pipes with a part of the lower part of bowl also evolved in a similar way: there were large low pipes with a wide bowl and pipes of vertical proportions. Among the pot-shaped pipes tall large items with rhymed geometric and floral ornaments up to 7—8 cm in size were spread. A variant of such pipes were products decorated on both sides of the bowl with a flower-shaped medallion.
 Along with large specimens in the eighteenth century similar items of smaller sizes continued to be used. Since the beginning of the eighteenth century imported «oriental» or «Turkish» styles are becoming more and more popular — Ottoman-chibouk, «narcissus», «lily», etc. Such pipes came from the Black Sea coast, their copies could be made in Ukrainian cities, including in Kyiv.

Characterization of the stucco decoration by Baldassarre Fontana in the Gallery of the Angels at Uherčice Castle (Cz)

This paper investigates of the materials and techniques, used by Baldassarre Fontana and his workshop, to create the stuccoes of the Gallery of the Angels at Uherčice Castle (CZ) dated between 1692 and 1696, when the artist was at the height of his career. So far, the stucco decoration has mainly been studied considering stylistic features, and very little data is available on composition and material analysis. Currently, extensive restoration work is in progress at the castle and in particular on its sumptuous decoration. Portion of stuccoes that were detached in 1995 from the wooden ceiling for conservation reasons have provided a unique opportunity to study the materials, the execution techniques, and their condition. One of the detached fragments, representing an eagle in high relief surrounded by floral decoration in bas-relief, was scanned with X-ray and X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) to observe its internal structure and the anchoring system that bound it to the ceiling. The three main types of stucco work represented in the gallery (decorative plasterwork, bas-reliefs and high-reliefs), were analysed using polarised light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).