#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

World Press Photo

November 15 – December 6, 2023

Traditionally, in November, the Republic of Moldova will host the World Press Photo International Exhibition. The 2023 edition of this prestigious competition, which recognizes quality photojournalism, will be organized in Chisinau for the seventh consecutive time, but also, for the first time, in Comrat. The two exhibitions are organized by the Center for Independent Journalism (CJI) and the Piko Creative Agency, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chisinau.

The exhibition, which includes the best photographs taken in the world during 2022, will be launched in Chisinau on November 15, in the premises of the National History Museum of Moldova, and in Comrat on November 22 in the premises of the State University of Comrat.

The World Press Photo 2023 competition was held in six regions around the world - Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America, South America and Southeast Asia, and Oceania. The jury finally selected 24 regional winners, of which four global winners were named:

World Press Photo of the Year - "Airstrike on Mariupol Maternity Hospital" by Evgeniy Maloletka for Associated Press;
World Press Photo Story of the Year - "The Price of Peace in Afghanistan" by Mads Nissen for Politiken/Panos Pictures.
World Press Photo Long Term Project - "Battered Waters" by Anush Babajanyan for VII Photo/National Geographic Society.
Open Format World Press Photo - "The Doors Don't Know Me" by Mohamed Mahdy.

The 24 winners and six honorable mentions, whose photographs reflect frontline histories of war, culture, identity, migration, were selected by an independent jury from a total of 60,448 photographs submitted by 3,752 photographers from 127 countries. The winning images of World Press Photo 2023 draw attention to the biggest issues facing humanity today - documenting the war in Ukraine and the impact of the war on civilians, the historic protests in Iran, the realities of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the many aspects of the climate crisis in countries such as Morocco, Australia, Peru, Kazakhstan. At the same time, the contest emphasizes the importance of press photography throughout the world.

The regional winners of the World Press Photo Contest 2023 are 24 photographers from 23 countries: Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Peru , South Africa, Spain, Philippines, Ukraine, United States and Venezuela.

The launch of the exhibition will take place on November 15, at 15:00, at the National Museum of History of Moldova, based on invitations. The general public is invited to discover the stories behind the winning photos between November 16 and December 6, 2023, in Room no. 1 of the National Museum of History of Moldova, 31 August 1989 street, 121A.

#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles Decorated in the Polychrome Enamel Technique

World Press Photo

November 15 – December 6, 2023

#Exhibit of the Month