#Exhibit of the Month

Bronze cauldrons of the Scythian time are rare in the Northern Black Sea region, especially on its western borders. Therefore, those few items found on the territory of the Republic of Moldova occupy a worthy place in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova (NMHM). In particular, in the archaeological exhibition, two bronze cauldrons are displayed, discovered near the village of Nicolscoe in 1988 in burial mounds no. 14 and 15. In addition, in 2020, two bronze cauldrons without any accompanying documents were found in the collection of NMHM; however, they were visually identified as coming from various excavations in the Low Dniester region, such as burial mound no. 45 near Dubăsari and burial mound no. 1 near the Răscăieții Noi village.

The object presented as the exhibit of the month is a little-known find discovered in 1979 in barrow 1 near the village of Răscăieții Noi in the Ștefan Vodă district. In addition to its outstanding size (about 10 m high), this mound is known for discovering a cast bronze finial in the Scythian animal style on its surface in 1953. However, by the beginning of excavations, the locals had damaged part of the mound and a Scythian cast bronze cauldron was found near it. The cauldron was seriously damaged by mechanical impact, as a result of which the rim was deformed, and the walls, with one preserved vertical handle, were bent inwards. Fragments in the upper part of the body and one handle have been lost. The total reconstructed height of the cauldron is 24 cm (excluding the handles), the reconstructed diameter of the hemispherical cauldron is 30 cm, and the weight is 6.5 kg. In 2020, data on the chemical composition of the bronze cauldron alloy were obtained, revealing that it was cast from an alloy of almost 95 per cent copper. Unfortunately, due to the loss of information on the context of the discovery of the cauldron at Răscăieții Noi, it is impossible to link its discovery with one or another Scythian burial of the barrow. Moreover, the grave goods of other Scythian burials of Barrow 1 do not allow them to date below the 4th century BC. However, the cauldron with vertical handles from Răscăieții Noi most likely belongs earlier. This may be indicated by a bronze finial from the first half of the 5th century BC, which was found on this barrow in 1953. In addition, burial 7 from the nearest excavated barrow 2 at Răscăieții Noi, containing a plaque depicting a rolled predator (a copy of which is also on display at the NMHM), belongs to the mid- 5th century BC. Thus, there is a high probability that the cauldron from Barrow 1 at Răscăieții Noi is associated with the late Middle Scythian period or the mid-5th century BC.

Scythian bronze cauldrons in the west area are concentrated in three main regions: Bukovina-Podolia, the Lower Danube, and the Lower Dniester. Some Scythian cauldrons have no reliable archaeological context. Nevertheless, in combination with the same "stray" finds like the Scythian statues, the finds of Scythian cauldrons mark the Scythian presence, most likely not earlier than the late 6th century or even the turn of the 6th-5th centuries BC. The cauldrons first appeared in Bukovina, where they have been known since the middle of the 7th century BC. Bronze cauldrons (with their carriers) entered the steppe region 150-200 years later, and the "military" burials that appeared in the western steppe regions were no earlier than the middle of the 5th century BC. Most burials with cauldrons (and, apparently, the stray finds) are dated back to the second half of the 5th century BC. Then, in the early 4th century BC, their quantity was reduced, and after the first quarter of the 4th century BC, they completely disappeared from the cultural practice of the population of the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region.

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Exhibitions

“My ancient silverware, so artfully crafted...”

June 29, 2021 - April 30, 2022

The exhibition entitled "My ancient silverware, so artfully crafted" is based on one of the diverse and extremely valuable collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova, that of secular and ecclesiastical jewelry.

Exceptional preservation, functional palette and originality were the selection criteria for more than 500 objects that make up the exhibition.

Fulfilling multiple utilitarian and aesthetic functions in the daily life of the 18th-20th centuries, the selected pieces demonstrate typological diversity, an amalgam of making techniques and decorative compositions, testifying to the predilection of the local elite and the Church for beauty, elegance and refinement.

The exhibition is complemented by enlarged images of some of the exhibits and reproductions of signs on the objects: marks of workshops, marks of craftsmen and metal fineness.

The typological range of the presented silverware includes items of secular and religious purposes: fruit vases, cups, glasses, sugar bowls, candy bowls, candelabra, cutlery, tea and coffee sets, salt cellars, spice sets, small handbags, snuff boxes and cigarette cases, icon cases, chalices, pectoral crosses, censers, candlesticks, and so on; all these are consumer goods, mass-produced products, but they illustrate the lifestyle and creative trends of that era.

The exhibition circuit suggests the universal arrangement of the space for the items on display, with an emphasis on the objects from Western European, Russian, Ottoman Empire workshops, but also from some Asian countries.

Of greatest interest are local products, for example, the Gospel, published in Chisinau in 1855, covered with silver plates and with three clasps, on which there is a metal fineness mark, a stamp of an assayer and a mark of a jewelry workshop from Orhei, which operated in the second half of the 19th century.

The historical value of some of the exhibits is enhanced by their production by renowned jewelry centers such as Fabergé, Hlebnikov, Sazicov in Russia, Elkington in England, Christofle in France or Norblin and Fraget in Poland.

Among these exhibits there is a 19th century silver inkwell decorated with pearls and malachite, which was made by the famous Russian House of Fabergé. Interesting is a 19th century spirit kettle made of silver-plated alpaсca, a product of the Christofle company, which at that time was the most famous in France.

A touch of splendor is given to the exhibition by silver handbags made using filigree technique, decorated with weaving of silver threads, and snuff boxes decorated with stylized floral and plant motifs made using openwork filigree technique.

Remarkable are the items that, in addition to their intrinsic and artistic value, also have a memorial value. In this category stand out the candlestick that belonged to the family of the Bessarabian writer Constantin Stamati, the monograms of the mayor of Chisinau Carol Schmidt, the silver-plated alpacca fruit vase of Eugenia Crușevan, the first woman lawyer from Bessarabia, a legal adviser of the Diocesan Council of the Archdiocese of Chisinau and Khotin.

The exhibition is complemented by enlarged images of some of the exhibits and reproductions of signs on the objects: marks of workshops, marks of craftsmen and metal fineness.

The exhibition invites visitors to enjoy technical excellence, and especially the joy of creativity.