#Exhibit of the Month

The 21 beads form part of a bronze hoard found in 2019 within a forested area close to the town of Nisporeni. Alongside the beads, the hoard included numerous bronze ornaments (2 Röschitz-Sanislău-type fibulae, 7 necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, and approximately 80 appliqués), one coral bead and a pendant made from a wild animal's tooth. At present, the amber beads are preserved in the collections of the Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei, while the remainder of the hoard is in the possession of a private collector.
The hoard was discovered accidentally in a pit about 50 cm deep. The objects in this hoard are of Western origin, with known parallels in archaeological complexes from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, and, to a lesser extent, in Romania. The presence of this bronze hoard on the territory of the Republic of Moldova illustrates the cultural dynamics of the region during the Early Iron Age and a fundamental shift in the vector of cultural influences from east to west.

The amber bead strand comprises 16 whole beads and five fragmentary ones. They have an elongated biconical shape and vary in size. The beads are brown-reddish in color; their lengths range from 1.1 to 3.1 cm, widths from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, thicknesses from 0.6 to 1.1 cm, and the perforation diameter ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 cm.
Amber beads appear in several bronze hoards dated to the Late Bronze Age in the eastern half of Slovakia and in Transdanubian Hungary. Parallels are also known from the Cioclovina Cave in Romania. With the onset of the Iron Age, amber items disappear from the Carpathian Basin for approximately 300 years, reappearing alongside the arrival of Scythian elements.
The bronze hoard discovered at Nisporeni is dated to the HaA2-HaB1-2 interval (1050/1000 - 800/750 B.C.).

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„Polish illustrations for children in Chisinau”

June 1-30, 2022

Their works win awards around the world. The images they create take readers into a fairytale world, opening an extraordinary portal to the realm of fantasy. The titles signed with their names are used fervently not only by the youngest, because the illustrations they create are true works of art. These are the most important Polish illustrators and designers of children's books. At the National Museum of the History of Moldova in Chisinau you can see some examples of those wonderful works.

Polish School of Illustration - a term created in the 60ʼs, used for a group of Polish illustrators who have gained international recognition. They illustrated children's books.

The beginning of the Polish School of Illustration dates back to the second half of the 50ʼs. The socio-political situation in Poland after 1956 had a great influence on the shaping of this cultural and historical phenomenon. New opportunities appeared for the authors of that time, the profile of publishing activities was defined and the publishing movement was centralized. The Ministry of Culture and Art raised the problem of children's books at a high level, which allowed the first-class implementation of the children's book plan.

Artists during the People's Republic of Poland, due to the prevailing doctrine of socialist realism, focused on profitable, practical artistic works such as: designing postcards, advertising prints or designing book illustrations. In retrospect, this situation brought positive results. Then, thanks to this, in the years 1950-1980, a group of illustrators-visual artists, referred to as the Polish School of Illustration, developed.

This group of illustrators represented exceptional artistic originality and used innovative solutions. The artists used various techniques, created works characterized by a sense of humor and created poetry in their visual message, which was distinguished by an extraordinary freedom of expression. All these phenomena resulted in the fact that the Polish School of Illustration gained international recognition and ensured a very high position of Polish illustration in the world.

The exhibition "Polish School of Illustration" can be seen on the fence of the National Museum of History of Moldova, Chisinau, 31 August 1989 street, 121A, June 1-30, 2022.

#Exhibit of the Month

Exhibit of the Month Amber beads from a bronze hoard discovered near the town of Nisporeni

„Polish illustrations for children in Chisinau”

June 1-30, 2022

#Exhibit of the Month