#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.
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

#Exhibit of the Month

December 2022

Postcards dedicated to winter holidays

"Back in the old days, people used to send each other greetings..."

We are on the threshold of the winter holidays, when we are concerned with the small joys and pleasant surprises, we want to give our loved ones, along with the spoken or written greeting. The latter - the handwritten card sent by post - is not so popular today, because modern information transmission technologies have replaced these "small cardboard patches", which exuded not only the vintage fragrance, but also the individuality of the recipient who sent it. Over time, the congratulations had the role of messengers, which often "replaced" the visits intended to "personally" congratulate the close ones, friends, acquaintances, also symbolizing a gesture of esteem and appreciation from the sender to the recipient.

The predecessors of greetings were business cards, which appeared for the first time in the middle of the 18th century in Paris, where, around the holidays, they were sent by couriers or personally handed to relatives, friends, acquaintances. The year 1843 is considered the year of the "birth" of greeting cards with the theme of the winter holidays, the first Christmas card being ordered by Henry Cole and illustrated by John Horsley in London, then multiplied with the help of lithography, which resembled traditional business cards. some works of art, some were with gold or silver borders, even when the phenomenon became an industry, they delighted with magical, warm images, so that the message written to the recipient brought even greater joy. Congratulations differed from other cards postcards not only as an image and message, but also through a series of signs-symbols characteristic of the event, each carrying an individual message. These were illustrations of the traditions and customs that existed in the respective country, remaining constant, regardless of the country, the representation of children and family, the string of images being supplemented with biblical scenes. With the advent of photography, they began to be printed postcards with mounted scenes. No less interesting were the greeting cards with everyday scenes reflecting the theme of Christmas, which had as an image, in addition to the traditional ones, the festive table, children opening the gifts brought by Santa Claus, companies and funny couples, sometimes not very sober, the decorated Christmas tree, etc.

The heritage of the National Museum of History of Moldova has a rich collection of illustrated postcards, which also includes greeting cards for various occasions. Those exhibited during the winter holidays - Christmas and New Year - are only a small part of the collection, they circulated in Bessarabia a century ago, being shipped from the Russian Empire, Romania and other countries. Browsing through vintage postcard albums, we transport ourselves to the magical world of winter holidays with our loved ones, savor the vintage perfume and ask ourselves: when was the last time we sent a handwritten Christmas or New Year's card in the mail?

#Exhibit of the Month

The Statuary Group “The Musicians”

December 2022

Postcards dedicated to winter holidays

"Back in the old days, people used to send each other greetings..."

#Exhibit of the Month