#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.

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#Exhibit of the Month

March 2021

THE GOSPEL of 1855

The lack of Romanian-language religious books in Bessarabia under the rule of the Russian Empire forced the church authorities in Chişinău to order the resumption of their printing. After a period of crisis, through which the printing activity within the Diocese of Chişinău and Khotin had passed, in 1853 it was revived. At the suggestion of Bishop Irynarch Popov, the Economic Directorate of the Bishops' House ordered the purchase of new equipment (fonts of different sizes) for the printing house, ink, paper, and also the staff was increased. A boom in the publishing work of the printing house follows, which was accompanied by many publications.

The Gospel in Romanian, published in 1855, was the third work printed at the Diocesan Printing House reopened in 1853. The two-year delay in publishing the book was caused by a problem with the quality of paper required for editorial printing. In particular, its lack also influenced the circulation of the book, which was published in only 603 copies (initially it was supposed to publish 1000 copies). The Gospel of Buda produced in 1812 served as an original for the printing of the 1855 Gospel of Chişinău.

The first two pages from the beginning of the Gospel, to be sent to the owner of paper in Warsaw, were typed and printed on June 29, 1853. The fonts for printing were purchased, and an engraving "St. John the Theologian" was printed on the second page (reverse side). The printed sample was sent to a Polish merchant, and on January 1, 1855, an employment contract was concluded with Valiko Sobelman, who undertook to bind the books at a price of 80 kopecks in silver each.

Some copies of the 1855 edition of the Gospel were later clad in silver, which confirms the sacred significance of the book, as well as its essential role in worship.

The National Museum of History of Moldova possesses three copies of the Gospel printed in Chişinău in 1855, which were examined by the late Dr. Maria Danilov. The volume on display is an exceptional one and differs from the other copies in its silver cover. The legs, the corner metal plates with engraved images of the Evangelists, and the central medallion depicting the Crucifixion of Christ bear the mark of the assayer, the mark of silver fineness 84 zolotnik, and the image of an oak on the shield. As a result of the research, it was found that the cover was made by a local craftsman, and the image of the "oak on a shield", which was the coat of arms of the Orhei uyezd, suggests that the cover was made in a local workshop, the existence of which in the middle of the 19th century is confirmed in the literature.

The religious books printed in Chişinău in the second half of the 19th century, stored in the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova, give a special significance to book printing and the art of book design, which lies in the continuity of the spiritual tradition of the Romanian people of Bessarabia of the 19th century.

#Exhibit of the Month

The Statuary Group “The Musicians”

March 2021

THE GOSPEL of 1855

#Exhibit of the Month