#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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#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

Buckles Decorated in the Polychrome Enamel Technique

March 2021

THE GOSPEL of 1855

#Exhibit of the Month