#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century.
The word pafta is of Turkic origin-possibly entering the language via Iranian influence-derived from the Persian word bafta, meaning "woven," which evolved in Turkish to signify "plate." Today, the term is used in nearly identical forms in Romanian (pafta), Bulgarian (пафта), Serbian (пафте), and some Aromanian dialects (pafta), designating functional and ornamental clothing accessories used to fasten belts, girdles, or sashes, crafted from various materials and decorated using different techniques.
The three buckles decorated in the polychrome enamel technique, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova, belong to the South-Danubian tradition and are dated to the late 19th - early 20th century.

Each buckle consists of two identical trapezoidal parts, their surfaces divided into three roughly equal registers, adorned with stylized vegetal motifs forming a metal lattice into which enamel is poured. The two parts extend into sharp angles at the ends, forming a triangle with the edge of the last decorative register, similarly ornamented. The enamel used to fill the floral motifs is black, turquoise, white, orange, green, yellow, and burgundy. The entire decorative field is framed by a beaded border.

On the reverse, both components retain a copper band riveted along the edge, used to fasten the ends of the belt. The fastening system, made by interlocking the hinges of the two parts and secured with a movable pin attached by a chain to a clasp fixed on one of the buckle pieces, is concealed by a rectangular plate (riveted with three pins to the body of the piece), with narrow edges ending in sharp angles, decorated in the same style and technique. Additionally, it features three circular settings with notched edges bent inward to hold centrally placed red and green glass paste. These settings are framed by a radiant, notched band.

The symbolism of the color palette encodes meanings and symbols, chosen for their believed magical powers. Red has always represented love, affection, and protection against curses and the evil eye; white symbolizes purity and spiritual and physical cleanliness; blue is symbolically associated with infinity, morning, new beginnings, and transformation; green represents destiny, hope, prosperity, balance, and rebirth, being linked to nature's revival each spring and to life itself.

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Exhibitions

The Tamer of Steel, in Chisinau

November 29, 2023 - Janaury 7, 2024

Daniel Rădulescu, Romanian contemporary artist, known for his special technique of steel sculpture, the most collected artist working in steel in Romania, presents his creations in Chisinau on the occasion of Romania's National Day. The public can admire for a month 8 of his iconic works, made entirely of steel.

Daniel Rădulescu (b. 1990, Brașov) makes his sculptures by hand modeling, with thousands of layers of molten steel, without using molds or forms. This feature makes his sculptures unique, impossible to replicate. Daniel Rădulescu is one of the best-known artists in Romania, his metal sculptures are sought after by collectors from all over the world. The prices of his works increased in 2022 by 1,600% compared to his first works sold.

He studied the sphere of digital and 3D graphics, until he became captivated by any tangible material, from stone, wood and plaster, to the hardness and at the same time fluidity of metal. He explored many possible steel processing technologies until it took shape under his hands. The texture resulting from his impressive working technique has become an emblem of the artist. Daniel Rădulescu has made 97 sculptures to date, all of which are in private collections in 10 countries on 3 continents.

"I want to instill empathy and make visitors look beyond a hard material like steel. Two of these works are inspired by Greek mythology, Bacchus and Daedalus. Each has its own story, but both are made in different chapters of their personal lives. Together, I feel that the 8 sculptures represent me and reconstruct a route of my life; they will communicate well in a common space," says the artist Daniel Rădulescu.

The exhibition takes place at the National Museum of History of Moldova in Chisinau, Bronze Hall, from November 29 to December 20, 2023, and the opening takes place on November 29, at 16:00.

The project is financed by the Department for Relations with the Republic of Moldova within the Government of Romania.