#Exhibit of the Month

Peter Carl Fabergé (1846-1920), was a famous jeweler of French origin, who became the official supplier of jewelry for the Imperial House in Russia, and when we say Fabergé, we mean not just jewelry, but rather works of art.

The famous Russian jewelry House of Fabergé received worldwide recognition for the elegance and uniqueness of its products. In the late 19th - early 20th century, the House of Fabergé was a world-class phenomenon known for its famous "Easter eggs" made of precious metals and stones. The first egg was crafted in 1885, when Tsar Alexander III decided to give his wife a special gift on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their marriage. Since the jubilee fell on Easter, the tsar asked C. Fabergé to create a unique decoration in the form of an egg, which would be extremely precious, like his wife Maria. This is how Faberge eggs and the annual Easter tradition of donating them appeared at the court of the Russian Tsar. For 32 years, before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, which led to the fall of the tsarist monarchy, the House of Fabergé created about 70 eggs, of which more than 50 have survived to this day, and each of them is a work of art of rare beauty, a symbol of luxury and aristocracy.

Among the treasures stored in the National Museum of History of Moldova, there are also Fabergé jewelry items. Here we present to the attention of visitors a silver inkwell of the 19th century, covered with stylized ornaments in the Russian Modern Style influenced by medieval Russian-Byzantine art. The body of the item represents a ball with small spherical legs on a marble stand in the form of a truncated pyramid. The inkwell is completely covered with stylized patterns of rare beauty and decorated with pearls and malachite. This work of art is 15 cm high and 9 cm in diameter. The lid is made in the form of a traditional dome of Russian churches.

National Museum of History of Moldova

Exhibitions

“On the waves of mechanical music: Devices from the collection of the Museum of History of Moldova in Chişinău”

September 18-20, 2020

The National Museum of History of Moldova participates in the 12th International Festival of Mechanical Music held from 18 to 20 September 2020 in Iaşi by the "Ştefan Procopiu" Museum of Science and Technology, part of the "Moldova" National Museum Complex in Iaşi. This year the festival is held virtually.

As a partner of this traditional Iaşi event, the National Museum of History of Moldova has created a virtual exhibition entitled "On the waves of mechanical music", which will be presented at the Iaşi Palace of Culture during the three days of the festival.

The collection of technical objects of the National Museum of History of Moldova in Chişinău numbers about 1000 exhibits, of which about 40 musical automata and over 200 disc records.

The exhibition "On the waves of mechanical music: Devices from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova in Chişinău" invites you to walk, auditory and visually, into the world of mechanical musical instruments, extracting them from the past, from inaction and conditionally integrating them into a virtual present time. The objects presented were produced in different countries of Europe and America, but most of them are of Soviet origin. But, regardless of the geographical space in which they were made, they all belong to the history of Bessarabia through their connection with people and moments from the past of this territory for the last two centuries.

The exhibition tour proposed to the public includes music boxes, harmoniums, gramophones, turntables, pickups, tape recorders and cassette players, thus offering a brief insight into the history and constructive development of mechanical musical instruments from the late 19th century to the 80s of the 20th century.

The display is supplemented with discs released by "Columbia Records", "Parlophon Records", "Odeon Records", "Lifa Record", "Perfection Concert Record", "Electrecord", "Balkanton", "Bellaccord Electro", "Melodia", etc. The incomparable sound of these records sets the tone for the entire exhibition.

The Festival program can be found here.