An exhibition of carvings from the collection of famous cultural and educational figures of Transcarpathia of the second half of the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries - I.A. Silvay (1838-1904) and his son S.I. Silvay (1876-1932) - opened in one of the exhibition halls of the Transcarpathian Museum of Folk Architecture and Life.
This is one of the largest collections of carvings in the Uzhhorod Skansen's collection. It contains exquisite works on philosophical, religious, and everyday themes, which testify to the outstanding artistic abilities and creative capabilities of the authors of that time.
Ivan Antonovych Silvay was a priest, famous writer, ethnographer and cultural figure of Transcarpathia. He was born on 15 March 1838. He was fond of carving, as evidenced by the vast majority of his collection. These are decorative and applied objects: desks and dressing tables, cabinets, jewellery boxes, flower shelves, frames for portraits and artistic paintings. One of the best works is an oversized bookcase with a clock. Its upper part is decorated with relief carvings in the form of an old castle. The doors of the lower part of the cabinet depict the ruins of Uzhhorod, Nevytsky and Khust castles. I.A. Silvay's collection includes several reliefs, including "Loggers" and "Jesus Christ with the Cross".
A prominent place is occupied by portrait frames, in particular, a photographic portrait of Maria Ratz, the wife of I.A. Silvay, enclosed in a wooden frame decorated with interlacing openwork carvings. The works carved from a single piece of wood are distinguished by their originality and sophisticated technique: a wreath of thorns in the form of three intertwined branches of thorns with large thorns and shackles that form a chain of eleven rings. The collection of works is complemented by magnificent decorative boxes for personal belongings.
Sion Ivanovych Silvai, like his father Ivan Antonovych, was a priest, a well-known cultural figure, writer, painter, and collected and recorded folklore. An impressive piece from his collection is a decorative cabinet with a portrait in the form of a castle with towers, loopholes, windows, and a drawbridge, made in three-dimensional carvings with each element clearly distinguished. A portrait of S.I. Silvay's wife, Iryna Bachynska, is mounted on the inner plane of the surrounding castle.
A prominent place in the collection is occupied by carved reliefs. Among them, we should highlight works on religious ("Hail, King of the Jews") and philosophical ("Time") themes. The plot motifs also reflect the life of ordinary people ("Housing Need", "I am happy with this work", "I do this with joy"). The author is concerned with the fate of people and their everyday problems.
A relic of the Silvay family is the violin cases, which are richly decorated with relief carvings. The crown, coat of arms and initials of I.S., the owner of the violin, are carved on the surface of one case.
The collection of works of the second half of the nineteenth century - the first half of the twentieth century, assembled by I.A. and S.I. Silvayama, is fascinating in its artistic significance. It is a valuable asset of the museum's collection and a generous gift from the past centuries to present and future generations.
We invite everyone to admire the carvings to the museum. The exhibition will run until 04 March 2024.