#Exhibit of the Month

The great ruler Stephen the Great, outstanding army commander and diplomat, was also concerned during his life with the economic prosperity of the country, supporting the development of crafts, trade and fairs. During his reign, groși and half groși minted in the dinar system were issued, a monetary system introduced in Moldova during the last reign of Petru Aron (1455-1457).

The coins were minted from silver of superior title, those that reflect stability in the economic life of the country at that time. Their masterful execution at the Suceava mint is among the beautiful artistic achievements during the reign of Stephen the Great.

During his reign, two types of issues were minted, for the two denominations: groși and half groși.

Type I issues have a split shield on the obverse; in the first quarter appears a rose surmounted by a cross and three fascias, in the second quarter. For the epigraph issues (groși), the image is accompanied by the circular legend with the name of the issuer: + STEFANVS VOIEVODA. On the other side appears the bour's head with a star between the horns accompanied by the heraldic furniture - the rose and the contoured crescent, placed to the right and left of the bour's head; circular legend: MOLDAVIE COIN.

On type II coins in the shield on the obverse appears a patriarchal cross (double) and the legend STEFANVSVOIEVOD or abbreviated STEFANVSVOIE. On the reverse, as in type I, the bour's head with heraldic attributes is preserved: rose right/crescent left and crescent right/rose left. A star or rose appears between the ox's horns. The legend accompanying the face with the bour head is MONETAMOLDAVI or abbreviated MONETAMOLDA.

The dating of Stephen the Great's coins is still under discussion. According to one opinion, type I issues were minted between 1457-1476, and type II between 1480/1481-1505 (Octavian Iliescu), and another 1465/1467-1475/1476 for type I and 1476/1479-1497 for type II (Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu).

The coins in this showcase were discovered during the archaeological excavations at Orheiul Vechi (Trebujeni, Orhei district) in the 6th and 7th decades of the 20th century:

1. Type I money issues, groși, silver
2. Type II money issues, groși, silver
3. Type II coin issue, half groși, silver

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Events Archive

The National Fair of the Carpet „COVORUL DORULUI” 5th edition

December 16, 2018

The National Fair of the Carpet was organised for the 5th consecutive year by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research in the contextxt of the promotion of the ellement "Traditional techniques of weaving carpets in Romania and the Republicof Moldova" which was inscribed on the UNESCO's Representaative List of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity of December 1, 2016.

The aim of the National Fair of the Carpet is to valorize the authentic Romanian rug and the rugs of other ethnicities living in the Republic of Moldova, to discover the basic motifs and symbols of the carpets, and to familiarize with the traditions and customs of the inhabitants of Moldova. The mistletoe caroling, which is part of the Universal Heritage from 2013, will be the key moment of the artistic program.

The 5th edition of the National Fair of the Carpet was held simultaneously in three national museums: the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History (Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, no. 82), the National Museum of History of Moldova (31 August Street, no. 121A) and the National Art Museum of Moldova (31 August Street, no. 115).

PROGRAM:

14:00-15:00 National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History

The official opening of the event, as well as the opening of the exhibition "The Image of the World woven onto Wool" with carpets from the museum collections, as well as 12 ponevi (thick cloth of wool, cotton and other materials from which are made carpets) from the collections of the Museum of the Criş Country in Oradea (Romania). The first part of the event included a vast informative and fun musical program with many representations of carpet weaving traditions, as well as numerous creative and interactive workshops. In the courtyard of the museum was organized a peasant household where visitors had the opportunity to taste traditional dishes.

15:30-16:30 National Museum of History of Moldova

The museum became a place of interaction between different ethnic groups living in the Republic of Moldova, a meeting place for many cultures, languages and traditions. In the hall of the museum were presented the most beautiful winter traditions of Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and Gagauzians. Workshops were organized by experienced weavers from the "Rustic Art" Craftsmen Complex from Clişova. The exhibitions and workshops were accompanied by a musical performance, which included pieces from the folklore of minorities living in Moldova. Visitors were also able to admire the exhibition "The Magic of the Old Carpet", which includes selected pieces from the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova from the 18th - beginning of the 20th century, some of which are exhibited for the first time. In the museum courtyard was arranged an artisan craft fair.

17:00-18:00 National Art Museum of Moldova

Was opened the exhibition "Tradition and Modernity" with a display of artworks signed by Mihai Grecu, Elena Bontea, Vladimir Palamarciuc and woven artworks by Elena Rotaru, Silvia Vrânceanu, Andrei Negură, Maria Saca-Răcilă and others.

The binder that secured the connection between different locations and compartments was the Winter Parade of Traditional Costume. Special guests at the National Fair of the Carpet were: the group Flori de măr from Râșca, Suceava; Folkloric group Glasul Odăieșilor, Galați County; Group Cerbul from Heleșteni, Iași.

Event partners: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Moldova, Primex Com, MIMI Castle.

Media partner: Publika TV