Pysanka Made from an Ostrich Eggshell

The pysanka is made from an ostrich eggshell, which gives the object considerable size and distinctive decorative qualities. The surface of the egg is covered with a complex geometric composition based on radial division. The ornament consists of eight large leaf-shaped segments radiating from a central point and covering almost the entire surface of the object, forming stylised eight-petalled flowers.

Each segment is decorated with variations of traditional pysanka motifs, including grids, diagonal lattices, and areas filled in shades of purple, ochre, brown, and the natural colour of the eggshell. The ornamental fields are separated by broad light-coloured lines, creating a clear rhythmic pattern and emphasising the symmetry of the composition. Each petal terminates in a rake motif, also known as a comb motif. This is one of the oldest symbols associated with water. The rake motif represents clouds, while its teeth symbolise life-giving rain. Circles are often depicted between the rake motifs, symbolising grain or seeds that require moisture to grow.

The combination of vegetal and geometric elements is characteristic of the Ukrainian pysanka tradition.

The object demonstrates the craftsman's adaptation of traditional pysanka motifs to the large format of an ostrich egg while preserving the canonical principles of ornamental composition. The colour scheme is based on the contrast between light lines and rich dark tones, giving the composition visual expressiveness and decorative unity.

A metal ring for hanging is attached at the top.

Provenance: The object comes from the collection of Pavlo Bobrovskyi (1860–1945), a renowned patron of the arts, military diplomat, artillery colonel, and native of Poltava. During his many years of service and travels across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, he assembled a large collection of antiquities, ethnographic objects, weapons, and works of decorative and applied art. Bobrovskyi donated his collections to the Natural History Museum of the Poltava Huberniia Zemstvo free of charge and became one of the founders of its ethnographic department. By the beginning of the 20^th century, his collection comprised approximately 2,777 objects, including Egyptian antiquities, Japanese weapons, and artefacts from India, China, Iran, and other countries. During the Second World War, the pysanka was taken to Germany and returned to the museum in 1948.