German porcelain is highly prized among antique collectors for its exceptional material quality, originality, and the meticulous craftsmanship of its decorative design. The museum's collection preserves five figurines from one of the oldest porcelain manufactories in the Thuringia region of Germany - the statuary group known as *"The Musicians"*, crafted at the Volkstedt manufactory. These pieces entered the museum's holdings in 1991, acquired from a resident of Chișinău. With undeniable historical and artistic value, they bear the distinct imprint of the Rococo style. The Volkstedt manufactory has a long-standing tradition in producing figurines, including those depicting musicians. In 1760, Georg Heinrich Macheleid - inventor of hard-paste porcelain in Thuringia - founded a production workshop in Zitzendorf, which was relocated to Volkstedt in 1762. Macheleid led the manufactory until 1764. Over time, the factory changed ownership and management multiple times. Under the direction of Christian Nonne, it flourished between 1767 and 1797, a period marked by significant artistic development. Volkstedt began creating figurines that would later gain international recognition. It was during this flourishing period that the museum's porcelain statuettes, titled *"The Musicians"*, were produced. They depict five “putti”: four playing musical instruments (flute, mandolin, horn, and pipe), while the fifth conducts. Each figurine is entirely handcrafted - from modeling to painting - and delicately adorned with pastel tones and gilded details, capturing the playful movement and refined artistry of each musician. The base is made of mass-colored porcelain in a rare grey-green hue. The contrast between green, white, and gold accents lends the ensemble an unusually delicate appearance. These ornamental features are characteristic of the Rococo style, which emerged in France and is closely associated with the reign of King Louis XV. The mark applied to the figurines consists of two crossed forks, clearly rendered in underglaze blue, with slightly blurred paint - a detail that helps date their production. Because the crossed forks often resembled the crossed swords of the Meissen trademark, the Volkstedt manufactory was compelled to change its mark starting in 1787. Initially represented by a single fork, the mark briefly returned to two forks before being replaced in 1800 by the graphic symbol "R", referencing the town of Rudolstadt. Therefore, the brief period during which the two-fork mark was reinstated - and during which the museum's figurines were likely produced - is estimated to be between 1787 and 1800.
The statuettes range in height from 10 to 18 cm and are preserved in relatively good condition.
These late 18th-century German porcelain pieces, now on display, are exceptionally rare. They stand as true works of art by German craftsmen and serve as important historical testimonies to the evolution of porcelain manufacturing in Germany.
Mysteries, myths and realities regarding the testament of Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Abstract
The matter of Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł’s will is one of little-known questions. Usually this issue was considered by historians in the context of property of the Radziwill family, or used by writers in literary fiction that gave rise to many myths. In this article the author examines this question in several ways: 1) The property brought by Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł, a daughter of Vasile Lupu, as a dowry; 2) Wiano and wedding gifts; 3) Awards of Polish kings for life ownership of real property; 4) The property of her husband. The amount of the dowry of Maria is not exactly known, but according to documentary evidence, it numbered from 600,000 to 2000,000 zlotys: 450 thousand in money and 150 thousand in jewels (gold and silver). Besides, she received six starostwos (territorial units) for life tenure. After the death of Janusz Radziwiłł (1655), Maria tried to return the money and jewelry from her dowry, which was at the time under the custody of a cousin of her husband - Bogusław Radziwiłł, but he evaded the return of its property. Maria Radziwiłł has repeatedly appealed for help to the king, her relatives and tribunals, but could not get justice. She died in 1660, leaving a will. Her heirs managed to return 471,400 zlotys, which were given to 13 convents, seven churches, Slutsk School, Vilnius Boarding School, and 3 hospitals. 600 zlotys were unsubscribed to the service of forty Prayers. Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Vilnius got 200 thousand zlotys. The remaining heirs received from 400,000 to 100 zlotys. The closest relatives of Maria Radziwiłł – Gospodar Stefaniță, her half brother on the father, and her sister Ruxandra, Tymish Khmelnytsky’s widow, also actively fought for her property. The author concludes that the relatives did not appear in her will. Disputes regarding Maria’s property lasted until the beginning of the 19th century that later (and up to the present) gave rise to many legends and myths.
List of annexes and illustrations: Annex 1. Fragment of the document: Regestr skarbnice albo rzeczy Radziwiłłowny koniuszanki WXL która posyła z Królewca. 1670, Królewic (56 stron), str. 21v-22 (Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka Rankraščių skyrius). Annex 2. Fragment of the document: Археографический сборник документовЪ относящихся кЪ исторiи Северозападной Руси (Вильнюс 1870), 373-374, док. 91 Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka Rankraščių skyrius, F4-(A231)18003, 18004). Annex 3. Fragment of the document: Археографический сборник документовъ относящихся къ исторiи Северозападной Руси (Вильнюс 1870), 373-374, док. 91 Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka Rankraščių skyrius, F4-(A231)18003, 18004). Annex 4. Fragment of the document: Regestr skarbnice albo rzeczy Radziwiłłowny koniuszanki WXL która posyła z Królewca. 1670, Królewic (56 stron), str. 45 (Vilniaus universiteto biblioteka Rankraščių skyrius). Annex 5. Fragment of the document: Lietuvos Valstybes Istorijos Archyvas, F. 1280 (Radivilos 1416-1939), A. 1, nr. 599, 76 v (Zablódow 1581-1824). Fig. 1. Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł (copy of the portrait by Matthäus Merian (Jr.) made by unknown artist. Dział Doku- mentacji Wizualnej i Digitalizacji. Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie). Fig. 2. Janusz Radziwiłł, husband of Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł (after Leybowicz 1758). Fig. 3. Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł (after Leybowicz 1758). Fig. 4. Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł (from colection of M. Berson). Fig. 5. Orthodox Church from Kedainiai (Keydani) (a-b - after Kedainiai Regional Museum; c-d - photo by the author). Fig. 6. Bogusław Radziwiłł, husband of Anna Maria Radziwiłł (after Leybowicz 1758). Fig. 7. Anna Maria Radziwiłł (after Leybowicz 1758). Fig. 8. Portrait of Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł (unknown author) (https://www.google.MariaRadziwill). Fig. 9. Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł (after Leybowicz 1758).
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Epistolary heritage of women’s texts. Private correspondence of the Cantemir sisters
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVII [XXXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Helena Krasowska, The Polish Minority in South-Eastern Ukraine. Warsaw: Institute of Slavic Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, 2017, 389 p. ISBN: 978-83-64031-65-6
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Helena Krasowska, Polacy w naddniestrzu. Świadectwo zanikającego dziedzictwa (Poles in Transnistria. A testimony to a disappearing heritage). Wydawnictwo: Studium Europy Wschodniej Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa, 2024, 350 str. ISBN 978-83-67208-22-2
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XVIII [XXXIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
The conditions of the marriage concluding in the Middle Ages. Comparative study
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2007
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Ştefan Lemny, Dimitrie Cantemir, un principe român în zorile Luminilor europene. A Romanian prince at the dawn of the European enlightenment. Un prince roumain à l’aube des Lumières européennes. Bucureşti: Editura Institutului Cultural Român, 2019, 186 p. + 59 ilustraţii. ISBN 978-973-577-737-1
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIII [XXVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
German porcelain is highly prized among antique collectors for its exceptional material quality, originality, and the meticulous craftsmanship of its decorative design...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
