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#Exhibit of the Month

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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.

Virtual Tour


Exhibitions

„POSTER X POEM”

15 June - 26 July 2020

 
The POSTER X POEM exhibition in Chisinau is the first international exhibition within the framework of the POSTER X POEM project, which displays 30 posters inspired by contemporary poetry. The exhibition includes both the posters from the first POSTER X POEM exhibition held in Bucharest and works by Bessarabian artists and can be seen from June 15, on 31 August 1989 Street, no.121 A, on the fence of the National Museum of History of Moldova.

Started in Bucharest in March 2020, POSTER x POEM is an interdisciplinary project that brings together contemporary poets and artists. POSTER x POEM arrived in Chişinău on the initiative of AA +, which invited 14 contemporary poets and 14 artists from Bessarabia to participate.

The posters show poetic texts and their visual interpretation, their authors are the following creative duets: Alexander Vakulovski x Aliona Ciobanu, Moni Stănilă x Veronica Gorii, Paula Erizanu x Maks Graur, Veronica Ştefăneţ x Cristina Halp, Dan Negară x Anna Vasina, Hose Pablo x Sandul, Artur Cojocaru x Alex Escu, Anastasia Palii x Adrian Gavriliuc, Artiom Oleacu x Ecaterina Şălaru, Iulia Iaroslavski x Mihaela Mândru, Ion Buzu x Veronica Belous, Cristina Dicusar x Ana Grigorovscaia, Victor Tzvetov x Cristian Menumortu, Alexandru Cosmescu x Denis Foca.

The POSTER x POEM project was enthusiastically taken by Bessarabian poets. "I was very happy to participate in this project. I think that the interactions between artists of different genres of art are always welcome because they inspire new visions and perceptions", poet Veronica Ştefăneţ mentioned. Based on the concept of "carte blanche", each artist was offered a poem by a contemporary poet as a theme for creating a poster. The only requirement for the work was that the poem and name of the poet were on the poster. "I always thought that poets should be friends with artists, because it depends on them how poetry collections will look like. The next step is posters. Of course, I am glad that a poster will be created by a poem of mine. I can't wait to see it! I saw how a meeting of two artists created a spark. And it's even more beautiful that poetry begins from the street, and returns back to the street. Enjoy it!", poet Alexander Vakulovsky added.

POSTER x POEM started with a first online and offline exhibition on the fence of the National Art Museum of Romania in Bucharest. The first 16 posters of the project were presented in this exhibition, among the invited poets being Tara Skurtu, Dan Coman, Vasile Leac, Andrei Dosa, Mina Decu, Răzvan Ţupa, Teona Galgoţiu and Svetlana Cârstean.

POSTER X POEM believes that poetry must reach as many people as possible and for that it must come out of books and appear on walls and fences. The poster is the perfect medium to take poetry to the middle of the city, among people.

The project is initiated by GLITCH, a communication studio for cultural projects in Bucharest and arrived in Chisinau in collaboration with AA +, a non-formal initiative from Moldova, which focuses its activity around local and foreign visual culture.



 




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

German porcelain is highly prized among antique collectors for its exceptional material quality, originality, and the meticulous craftsmanship of its decorative design...

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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

menu
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