Danylo Scherbakivskyi

Danylo Mykhailovych Shcherbakivskyi was born on December 17, 1877. He was an outstanding historian of Ukrainian art, a teacher, a museum leader, and an ethnographer.

The future scientist received his education at the historical and philological faculty of St. Volodymyr Kyiv University. Even during his studies, the young man became interested in the search for Ukrainian antiquities.

Photo. Views of Kyiv. St. Volodymyr UniversityNational Museum of the History of Ukraine

From 1910, he headed the historical and domestic department and the folk art department of the Kyiv Art, Industrial, and Scientific Museum (now the National Museum of the History of Ukraine). Every year, Danylo Scherbakivskyi travelled with expeditions to various cities and villages of Ukraine, collecting items for the museum.

The photo. Views of Kyiv. City MuseumNational Museum of the History of Ukraine

Embroidered fragment (1780 -1820) by UnknownNational Museum of the History of Ukraine

Here is a sample of embroidered cloth, which was purchased by Danylo Scherbakivskyi in the village of Marianivka of the Haisyn district, in 1914 during an expedition to the Poltava province.

During the First World War, the researcher was an officer on the Galician front. Even there, he continued his museum activities, photographing and trying to preserve the ancient Galician churches, icons, handwritten Gospels, embroideries, etc. from destruction. Later, Danylo Scherbakivskyi handed over the salvaged items to the museum. In particular, in the village of Voskresyntsi, he purchased gerdans of the late 19th century.

Seed bead necklaces. Gerdans (End of the 19th century)National Museum of the History of Ukraine

Gerdans are beaded neck jewelry made of multi-colored beads strung on a thread or hair base. The products presented in the museum have a geometric diamond-shaped pattern.

During the second half of 1924, the scientist became one of the co-organizers of the Ethnographic Society in Kyiv. In addition to organizational work on the creation of this society, Danylo Scherbakivskyi was engaged in scientific and educational activities. 

Especially in his first book, "Notes of the Ethnographic Society," his expertise about the Department of Folk Art of the T. Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Historical Museum is apparent.

Carpet or Kilim. Carpet or Kilim.National Museum of the History of Ukraine

A significant event in the artistic life of Ukraine in the 1920s was the exhibition of Ukrainian carpets organized by Danylo Scherbakivskyi, held in the T. Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Historical Museum (now the National Museum of the History of Ukraine) in the fall of 1924.

About three hundred items from the museum collection were exhibited there. The scientist played a direct part in filling and forming the museum collection of carpets.

Carpet or Kilim. Carpet or Kilim.National Museum of the History of Ukraine

At the exhibition, it was possible to trace the evolution and development of the technique of Ukrainian carpet making, territorial differences in the ornamentation of carpets, and features of carpets of different social strata of the population. 

Sanctuary lampNational Museum of the History of Ukraine

At the beginning of 1920, Danylo Scherbakivskyi began to collaborate with the ethnographic section of the Ukrainian Scientific Society, and from 1919 to 1922, he played a direct part in the creation of the F.Vovk Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology.

Sanctuary lampNational Museum of the History of Ukraine

On July 5, 1925, Danylo Scherbakivskyi became a co-author of the exhibition, "Ukrainian historical portrait of the 17th-20th centuries," which occupied 5 halls of the museum. In the first exhibition hall, paintings of the XVII–XVIII centuries were presented, in particular several portraits of the Vyshnevetski princes, which were among the first to be deposited in the Kyiv Museum of Antiquities and Arts (predecessor of VIM) in 1899.

Portrait of Dmytro Baida Vyshnevetskyi, From the collection of: National Museum of the History of Ukraine
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Portrait of Raina Vyshnevetska, From the collection of: National Museum of the History of Ukraine
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On June 6, 1927, at the age of 49, Danylo Shcherbakivskyi committed suicide in Kyiv. During his short life, Danylo collected and attributed about 30,000 exhibits, which became the basis of the collections of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, the National Art Museum, and the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art. He visited almost all of Ukraine, collecting rarities, often buying them with his own money, denying himself the most necessary things.

Overhead lock, From the collection of: National Museum of the History of Ukraine
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Votive offering, From the collection of: National Museum of the History of Ukraine
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He had no family and basically lived at the museum. It can be considered a real feat that the ascetic managed to save a significant number of unique monuments from inevitable death when he was on the fronts of the First World War, as well as during the years of the revolution, liberation struggles, and during anti-religious campaigns.

Shroud (18th century)National Museum of the History of Ukraine

Altar-cloth (18th century)National Museum of the History of Ukraine

Credits: Story

Research and text: Olena Ivanova
Project Сurator: Bohdan Patryliak
Technical implementation: Oleg Mitiukhin, Oksana Mitiukhina, Liudmyla Klymuk
Text editor: Yevgeniia Lebid-Hrebeniuk, Valentyna Yanchuk
Translation: Dmytro Mitiukhin
Selection of exhibits: Olena Ivanova
Photographer:  Dmytro Klochko, Oleg Mitiukhin

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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