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#Exhibit of the Month

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Porcelain is a material that has sparked great interest throughout history, and its production has been a true challenge. Also known as "white gold," porcelain is a white, translucent ceramic material obtained by firing a paste of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar, along with other additives, at high temperatures. It was first discovered and used in China. The first Chinese porcelain objects arrived in Europe in the 13th century, but a broader spread of Chinese porcelain on the European continent is recorded in the 17th century. The technology for producing porcelain was kept a secret by the Chinese for a very long time.

The first hard-paste porcelain manufactory in Europe, located in the city of Meissen, was established in 1710 due to discoveries in porcelain production made by Saxon mathematician and physicist Ehrenfried Walter von Tschirnhaus (1661-1708), which were put into practice by the royal court alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1718). He invented the glaze and achieved the complete fusion of the shard and the glaze. The Meissen factory, still operational today, has created and continues to create a vast range of porcelain products. Crafted by the finest artists, sculptors, and engravers, who use unique hand-painted colors and exclusive designs, Meissen products are of exceptional quality and elegance, enjoying worldwide fame.

The tea set, partially consisting of seven pieces (teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl, and two cups with saucers), displayed in this showcase, is a product of the famous Meissen factory in the Kingdom of Saxony, Germany. It was crafted in the first half of the 19th century from high-quality porcelain. The exhibit became part of the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova through a transfer from the "G. Cotovschi" Memorial House in Hâncești, which was closed in 1989-1990.

The decoration of these pieces is remarkable, featuring hand-painted "German flowers," one of the well-known styles of floral and plant decoration practiced by Meissen craftsmen since the 18th century. They were influenced by Chinese porcelain, which was often adorned with images of flowers and fruits. A distinctive feature of this decorative style was the "scattered flowers" arrangement, where floral elements were placed as individual blossoms or bouquets across the surface of porcelain objects.

The marking on the underside of the pieces consists of two crossed swords, elements borrowed from the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Saxony, applied by hand with cobalt paint under the glaze. With slight variations in the representation of the swords, this mark has been used since 1722 and continues to the present day. The mark on this tea set is characterized by prominent dots on the crossed swords, a feature used at the Meissen factory between 1815 and 1860.

The polychrome floral painting, gilding, and the application of a rosebud on the lids of the teapot and sugar bowl lend a sublime delicacy to these pieces, making them rare and exquisite.


Virtual Tour


Exhibitions

“ANCIENT JEWELRY. The treasures of the National Museum of History of Moldova”

Virtual exhibition

The National Museum of History of Moldova, in partnership with the Arbor Institute for Culture, invites you to discover or rediscover the exhibition "ANCIENT JEWELRY. The Treasures of the National Museum of History of Moldova", the new virtual exhibition hosted on Theopen-art.com, the first platform for art exhibitions in virtual reality in the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

The 24 pieces of jewelry presented in this virtual exhibition belong to the period between the 5th millennium BC and the 17th century AD, although all come from archaeological research of the sites between the Prut and the Dniester, their origin is associated with the communities which lived between the Balkans and the Carpathians and up to the Caucasus and had trade relations with the population of the Northern Black Sea region. The objects selected for this exhibition are rare, exceptional artifacts, made by our predecessors in metal and precious stones; they are of great cultural, historical and artistic value.

These impressive museum pieces, which can be admired in real at the permanent exhibition "Treasures of the Past" of the National Museum of History of Moldova, were found by Moldavian archaeologists during the period from the 1960s to 2015, if we refer to the latest find that is part of this collection presented in virtual reality. Although some of the discoveries were made by teams, we still want to mention a few names of archaeologists who brought to light and researched these valuable adornments: G. Fedorov, G. Chebotarenko, T. Shcherbakova, N. Chetraru, V. Vornic, V. Bubulici, and S. Popovici.

Made of gold or silver, adorned with precious stones or without, jewelry has always symbolized the wealth, influence, and sometimes magical power of its owners.

 

 

 

The National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM) is one of the most important museum institutions in the Republic of Moldova, both in terms of its collections and its scientific prestige. Founded in 1983, the museum keeps 348,619 heritage items, a varied typology of which reflects the history of Moldova over the centuries, from prehistoric eras to the present, showing the human habitat, facts, events, outstanding personalities. Since its establishment until now, NMHM has organized over 650 temporary exhibitions in the country and abroad, focusing on its own collections, as well as on cooperation with other cultural and research institutions.

In recent years, the archaeological heritage of the Republic of Moldova has been highlighted in important international exhibitions organized in partnership with European and overseas museums, such as the exhibition "Cucuteni-Trypillia, Una Grande Civilta dell 'Antica Europa" at the Vatican, the exhibition "The Lost World of Old Europe. The Danube Valley, 5000-3500 BC" held in New York (USA), Oxford (UK), and Athens (Greece), "KRIEG - Eine Archaeologishe Spurensuche" in Halle (Germany), and "Visigoths. Rois de Toulouse" in Toulouse (France). In Romania, the NMHM heritage was part of important thematic exhibitions held in Bucharest, Iași, Suceava, Brăila, Vaslui, and Alba Iulia.

The Arbor Institute for Culture is a subsidiary of the Arbor Association for Culture and Arts in Romania, founded by cultural manager Victoria Nagy Vajda, whose mission is to promote the high artistic values of the Republic of Moldova and to support cultural mobility within the Romanian cultural space and abroad. The activity program of the association provides for the implementation of joint cultural projects with state cultural institutions, in addition to the extensive activities that it carries out in partnership with the independent artistic field. "ANCIENT JEWELRY. The Treasures of the National Museum of History of Moldova" is the second exhibition realized by the Arbor in partnership with a museum from the Republic of Moldova. The first VR exhibition, "Tribute to the Romanian Language: Bessarabian writers in the work of artist Valentina Rusu Ciobanu" was organized in partnership with the Mihail Kogălniceanu National Museum of Literature in the Republic of Moldova, under the curatorship of Maria Șleahtițchi and Victoria Nagy Vajda.

The VR gallery on the Theopen-art.com platform has an area of 300 square meters, distributed in 5 exhibition areas, where large or smaller exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography, and multimedia can be held. The creation of the Theopen-art.com platform was supported by the Swiss Cooperation Office in the Republic of Moldova and by the non-governmental organizations Arbor Institute for Culture (Republic of Moldova) and the Arbor Association for Culture and Arts (Romania) through Victoria Nagy Vajda.

Virtual exhibitions can only be visited on a desktop or laptop computer with an updated web browser. VR exhibitions are not available from mobile phones.
Instructions: Use the arrow keys and the mouse/trackpad to navigate in the VR exhibition. To exit, press the ESC key twice.

Organizers: National Museum of History of Moldova, Arbor Institute for Culture
Curators: Mariana Vasilache, deputy director; Victoria Nagy Vajda, cultural manager
Photographers: Iurie Foca, Mihail Băț, Denis Topal
The photographs are taken from the catalog "Piese de giuvaiergerie antică din colecțiile Muzeului Național de Istorie a Moldovei" ("Pieces of ancient jewelry from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova") by Ana Niculiță, 2018; editors: Eugen Sava, Aurel Zanoci.
Link: https://www.theopen-art.com
VR: Augmented Space Agency - virtual frontier explorers, architects of augmented spaces and designers of new digitally mediated experiences.


 




Independent Moldova
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Bessarabia and MASSR between the Two World Wars
Bessarabia and Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Period between the Two World Wars
Revival of National Movement
Time of Reforms and their Consequences
Abolition of Autonomy. Bessarabia – a New Tsarist Colony
Period of Relative Autonomy of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire
Phanariot Regime
Golden Age of the Romanian Culture
Struggle for Maintaining of Independence of Moldova
Formation of Independent Medieval State of Moldova
Era of the
Great Nomad Migrations
Early Middle Ages
Iron Age and Antiquity
Bronze Age
Aeneolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Palaeolithic Age
  
  

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#Exhibit of the Month

Porcelain is a material that has sparked great interest throughout history, and its production has been a true challenge. Also known as "white gold," porcelain is a white, translucent ceramic material obtained by firing a paste of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar, along with other additives, at high temperatures...

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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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

 



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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

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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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC