A unique bronze anthropomorphic figurine from the Late Bronze Age, discovered in western Ukraine, has been donated to the Lviv Regional Council communal institution “Museum of the History of Halychyna” in Vynnyky. According to preliminary expert assessments, it is around 3,000 years old.
The artefact is tentatively attributed to the ancient Thracian cultural area. Researchers suggest that the figurine depicts a lyre player. No similar objects have so far been recorded in museum collections in Ukraine, which makes this find particularly rare.
Previously, the figurine had been put up for sale at private auctions under the title “King David on the throne”, however scholars consider this interpretation to be incorrect. Thanks to benefactor Taras Khmelovskyi, the artefact was bought back and preserved in Ukraine. With the involvement of archaeologist and heritage expert Maksym Levada, the object has been transferred to the state section of the Museum Fund of Ukraine.
Director of the Museum of the History of Halychyna, Ihor Tymets, emphasised the importance of this new acquisition and its potential for scholarship.
“For the museum, this is an extraordinarily valuable acquisition. We are looking at a rare object that still requires comprehensive scholarly examination. It is particularly important that the object will now be accessible to researchers and museum visitors,” — Ihor Tymets
Scholars will continue to study the figurine: metallographic analyses are planned, as well as clarification of its dating, provenance and cultural affiliation. Once the research is completed, the artefact is to be formally introduced into academic circulation.
Benefactor Taras Khmelovskyi stressed that such unique items must be preserved in Ukraine rather than disappearing into private collections or being taken abroad, and that they should be accessible to researchers and the wider public.
The bronze figurine can already be viewed at the Museum of the History of Halychyna in Vynnyky at the following address: 26 Halytska Street (Lviv Regional Council communal institution “Local History Museum”).