#Exhibit of the Month

The history of this icon traces back to the 10th century at the Protaton Monastery on Mount Athos. In one of the cells named "The Dormition of the Mother of God," an elderly hieromonk lived with his disciple. They preserved a superb depiction of the Virgin Mary. This old icon became renowned through the revelation of the prayer "It Is Truly Meet."
Between the years 980-982, on a Saturday evening before an all-night vigil, the elder monk left for the nearby church, instructing his disciple to continue the religious routine in the cell. Being obedient, the disciple followed the instructions. When he reached the 9th Ode of the Canons, "More Honorable Than the Cherubim...," he suddenly heard someone beginning to chant alongside him: "It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos..." It was a mysterious pilgrim monk who had appeared unexpectedly and joined in the prayers. At that moment, the icon began to radiate light, as if it were broad daylight. Astonished by the events, the disciple asked the mysterious monk to write down the verses. The monk wrote them on a tile with his finger as if it were soft wax and said, "From now on, this is how you Orthodox Christians should chant," and, saying this, he vanished. Left alone, the disciple realized he had witnessed a great miracle. Enlightened, he understood that the pilgrim was none other than the Archangel Gabriel, who had come, as he had before, to deliver the word of the Highest to humanity.

The icon was transferred from the cell to the Holy Altar of the Protaton Church, where a similar icon is preserved to this day. The tile with the divine hymn was taken to Constantinople and included in the Orthodox Church's liturgical books. Soon after, Archangel Gabriel's prayer was incorporated into the Divine Liturgy, immediately following the Consecration of the Gifts of Bread and Wine. The valley with the cells has since been called Adin, meaning "to chant," "chanting."

The icon "It Is Truly Meet" is of inestimable value and has become the protector of Mount Athos. The icon is celebrated on June 11/24, commemorating the miraculous appearance of the Archangel, and on July 13/26, in honor of the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel.

This icon, of the Eleusa type, portrays gentleness and tenderness in its central figures. The Virgin holds the Child with her right hand, while her left hand, placed beneath His feet, grips the hem of His tunic. The small Jesus wears a short tunic reaching His knees and holds a scroll in His right hand inscribed with the words of the Axion hymn. His left-hand slips under the veil of the Virgin towards her left shoulder. Both figures are crowned with golden halos. Two angels flank the Virgin's halo, while the Almighty in an open heaven blesses with both hands.

Crafted using tempera on wood, the icon is adorned with gold leaf and multicolored enamel, giving the image a unique delicacy. The inscription on the lower frame indicates that the icon was created by the painter Ioasaf in 1905.

The painter monk Ioasaf Berghie (1862-?) of the New Neamț Monastery resided there between 1887 and the 1940s, occupying three rooms to set up his studio, where he worked continuously on icons and church artworks. Born into the family of a church teacher in Jabca village, Ștefan Berghie, Ioan Berghie developed a passion for sacred iconography from an early age. In 1890, Andronic, the abbot of the New Neamț Monastery, blessed him to paint icons. Taking monastic vows in 1895 under the name Ioasaf, he traveled by foot to visit major ecclesiastical centers nearby and further afield, learning the art of iconography. Starting with naive-style interpretations, he eventually mastered professional painting techniques and acquired new decorative skills. His works became highly popular throughout Bessarabia and abroad. Painting a significant number of icons, they were often mistakenly sold as coming from major artisan workshops. To prevent such confusion, he received the abbot's blessing to sign his works, earning recognition and fame for his name.

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Exhibitions

“Shining Herend”

May 13th - July 13th, 2016

National Museum of History of Moldova, in collaboration with the Hungarian Embassy in Moldova and Herendi Porcelánmanufaktúra Zrt. (Porcelain Manufacture Herend A.S.) organized the exhibition-event „Herend Glow" on the occasion of the International Museum Day held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of Moldova.

Over 600 Herend brand porcelain objects were displayed in two exhibition rooms on the ground floor of the museum. The exhibition opening, held on May 13, was attended by a large audience with H.E. Mátyás Szilágyi, Hungarian Ambassador to Moldova; Monica Babuc, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Moldova and dr. hab. Eugen Sava, general director of the National Museum of History of Moldova, who spoke words of greeting. The painter decorator Magyarosi Zoltan from Herend Manufacture offered a master class on painting on porcelain.

The exhibition of porcelain from the largest factory in the world that celebrates 190 years since its foundation contains a valuable selection of unique hand painted items belonging to the Hungarian cultural heritage. The vast collection brought to Chișinău for the first time provides a suggestive overview of the techniques and technologies specific to the Herend porcelain art making process, with an illustration of their amazing variety of objects. The exhibits present a great variety of shapes and decoration objects made of porcelain and a refined aesthetic taste of Herend products. Besides the most popular shapes and decorative elements specific to Herend models, in the exhibition were included also other "treasures" that are the pride of Herend manufacture, i.e. pieces showing bravery and professional prestige objects that make a demonstration of an outstanding technical virtuosity. Being part of the European and Hungarian cultural heritage, the porcelain manufactured at Herend has become immutable with the passing of time, a cultural creation of priceless value.

Short history of the Porcelain Manufacture form Herend

At a distance of about 1,000 kilometers, in Hungary, near Lake Balaton - the largest lake in Central Europe - is situated a small town, Herend, where in the last 190 years are being produced the finest items of porcelain in the world. This name is entirely associated with manual painting, perfection, tradition and innovation. It took a long way to achieve this.

Possession of porcelain objects in the nineteenth century was an exclusive privilege of the aristocracy. The delicate and precious Chinese porcelain, which had been known in Europe through imports made on the Silk Road the route, made a great impact on Mór Fischer, head of the artisan manufacture from Herend at that time. He was a man of a fine sense of artistry who achieved to replicate with detail the unmistakable quality of the refined import products. The small manufacture, founded in 1826 by Stingl Vince, continued to develop under his leadership. In 1842, Lajos Kossuth himself, the hero of the Hungarian independence revolution from 1848 to 1849, highly appreciated the porcelain manufactured at Herend. Shortly, the factory reached international success: at the first world exhibition held in London in 1851, Queen Victoria was very impressed with the models with peonies and playful butterflies that she commissioned a large set decorated with those ornaments. The most famous model of Herend manufacture "Victoria" was then created in memory of this event. The set is on display at the exhibition hosted by National Museum of History of Moldova.

Over the years, the porcelain manufactured at Herend became a delight of royals across the world, which showed respect and appreciation for the charm of the inimitable and sumptuous work. Beginning with the first touch of raw materials to the last brush line, the birth and decoration of the Herend porcelain is a special celebration of art, a celebration of the "craft" of the creative man.

Today, with a history of 190 years from foundation and rich experience, the Porcelain Factory from Herend produces already 16.000 different models and around 4.000 ornamental motifs, whose free combination can bring endless variations. The manufacture's primary purpose is preserving traditions and cultural heritage to be passed on to future generations, creating new values that enchant the eye.

Since 2001, the Herend Manufacture is part of the Hungarian heritage. The brand is synonym of quality, luxury and elegance.

Promotion of Herend porcelain as national Hungarian value is part of the manufacture's cultural mission, for this purpose numerous exhibitions have been organised both in Hungary and in other countries around the world (Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Romania, Slovenia etc).

In 2006, according to a survey conducted by the Luxury Institute in New York, the most popular porcelain brand on the US market is Herend. An act of recognition for the Herend Porcelain Manufacture was the membership as of 2011 in the French Association "Comité Colbert". Since 2013, Herend porcelain has become the brand "Hungarikum". These Hungarian and international recognitions confirms the successful promotion of Herend porcelain as national and international value.

We invite you to the first exhibition of masterpieces signed by Herend organised in Moldova. Herend porcelain will glow in all its splendour in Chișinău, in a vast and exclusive presentation.

Join the "Shining Herend"!

#Exhibit of the Month

The Mother of God “It Is Truly Meet” (“Axion Estin”)

“Shining Herend”

May 13th - July 13th, 2016

#Exhibit of the Month