#Exhibit of the Month

This clay vessel was discovered in 1982 by archaeologist V. Sorochin during excavations of a burial mound (no. 1) located in the village of Speia, Dubăsari District. It originates from grave no. 5 and is dated to the 4th millennium BC, belonging to the Usatovo culture.
The vessel was found in a child's grave. The burial pit had an oval shape, and the deceased was laid in a crouched position (similar to the fetal posture), on the left side. A total of five vessels were uncovered in this grave: three near the back, one at the feet, and one in the pelvic area.
The cultural attribution of this funerary complex was determined based on the burial rite and grave goods. This culture is characterized by the specific construction of the burial pit, as well as the positioning and orientation of the deceased toward the east and northeast.

The vessel is shaped from clay mixed with finely crushed shell. Its walls curve gradually toward the top, with the widest diameter at the shoulder area. It has a short neck, a slightly flared rim, and a flat base. The surface is carefully polished, in some areas to a lustrous finish. The interior is reddish-brown, while the exterior is yellowish-brown with gray spots. The rim features groups of perforations, three of which are preserved in their original state. The diameter of the holes is 0.35 cm. The space between the groups of perforations is decorated with cord impressions. The transition from the neck to the shoulder is adorned with three horizontal lines made with cord, from which, in five places, three vertical lines descend, each 5 cm long, executed using the same technique. At the time of discovery, these lines were filled with a white paste. The space between the groups of lines is decorated at the top with short vertical lines (0.5 cm long), and in the center with a meander ornament made of two parallel lines impressed with cord. The base of the vessel retains the imprint of a textile.
Vessel dimensions: Height: 22 cm; Rim diameter: 15.7 cm; Maximum diameter: 22 cm; Base diameter: 10 cm.

Virtual Tour

Exhibitions

„The clock over time”

May 18, 2017 – May 18, 2018

The exhibition is the result of research of the collection of watches from the National Museum of History of Moldova. The 150 watches displayed in the exhibition for the public reveal the evolution of the means of measuring time and of their makers as this activity was a constant concern and passion of man since Antiquity. The most valuable piece in the exhibition is the clock, as a heritage object, remarkable both by the sophisticated technique and the value of the materials used, as well as by the personality of their owners. It is a pioneering exhibition; a large part of the collection of watches (more than two hundred pieces) is being exhibited for the first time. The collection on display consists of various types of watches classified according to the method of operation and use.

The objects in the exhibition are authentic, original, part of them have undergone through restoration and conservation procedure, and therefore some of them are functional. Chronologically, the pieces in the exhibition are dated to the end of the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century.

Typologically, the most attractive are the wall and floor clocks from the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, whose mechanisms are housed in impressive boxes (furniture type), made by well-known watchmakers and companies like Gustav Becker, Junghans, Philip Haas, Le roi à Paris, Lenzkirch, and others. In the ambiance of the museum space are exhibited watches of historical value: the wall clock from the Chisinau Real School (by M. Karcevski), the wall clock from the headquarters of the first working-class club in the city of Balta, the clock at the Railway Station From the town of Tighina (Bender). A special value has the wall clock which belonged to the family of Ivan Şpiller, a well-known watchmaker from Chișinău with Austrian origins, who in the middle of the 19th century had one of the largest and most important clock stores in the city. He was one of the craftsmen who "took care" of the clock on the Arch of Triumph during the years 1842-1849 and 1853-1862.

A very interesting history have also the office and fireplace clocks, followed by pocket watches, originally considered as a men's accessory, later replaced by wristwatches.

A special place in the museum exhibition is held by the watches of memorial value: the watch belonging to Zinaida Radu-Maiorova (1890-?) and Dumitru Remenco (1895-1940), Bessarabians participants in the Great War (1914-1918), the watches of academician Nicolae Dimo (1873-1959), writer Petrea Darienco (1923-1976), well-known archaeologist and museographer Vsevolod Marchevici (1917-1997), musicologist Serafim Buzilă (1937-1998) and others.

The exhibition is complemented by mini-vintage interiors and photographic images.