#Exhibit of the Month

The 21 beads form part of a bronze hoard found in 2019 within a forested area close to the town of Nisporeni. Alongside the beads, the hoard included numerous bronze ornaments (2 Röschitz-Sanislău-type fibulae, 7 necklaces, 12 rings, 22 tubes, 23 bracelets, and approximately 80 appliqués), one coral bead and a pendant made from a wild animal's tooth. At present, the amber beads are preserved in the collections of the Muzeul Național de Istorie a Moldovei, while the remainder of the hoard is in the possession of a private collector.
The hoard was discovered accidentally in a pit about 50 cm deep. The objects in this hoard are of Western origin, with known parallels in archaeological complexes from Poland, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia, and, to a lesser extent, in Romania. The presence of this bronze hoard on the territory of the Republic of Moldova illustrates the cultural dynamics of the region during the Early Iron Age and a fundamental shift in the vector of cultural influences from east to west.

The amber bead strand comprises 16 whole beads and five fragmentary ones. They have an elongated biconical shape and vary in size. The beads are brown-reddish in color; their lengths range from 1.1 to 3.1 cm, widths from 0.6 to 1.4 cm, thicknesses from 0.6 to 1.1 cm, and the perforation diameter ranges between 0.2 and 0.3 cm.
Amber beads appear in several bronze hoards dated to the Late Bronze Age in the eastern half of Slovakia and in Transdanubian Hungary. Parallels are also known from the Cioclovina Cave in Romania. With the onset of the Iron Age, amber items disappear from the Carpathian Basin for approximately 300 years, reappearing alongside the arrival of Scythian elements.
The bronze hoard discovered at Nisporeni is dated to the HaA2-HaB1-2 interval (1050/1000 - 800/750 B.C.).

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Events Archive

The opening of the photographic exhibition "Picasso.Intimo."

September 11, 2023

On September 11, the National Museum of History of Moldova had the honor of hosting a special event, the opening of the photographic exhibition "Picasso.Intimo.", which celebrates the legendary Spanish artist Pablo Picasso and his impressive work.

The Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in the Republic of Moldova, based in Bucharest, in collaboration with the National Museum of History of Moldova, organized this exhibition to highlight the artist's vision and contribution. With Picasso's words in mind, "a painting lives only through the one who seeks it", the exhibition invites visitors to make their own connections with the work and personality of Pablo Picasso.

During the opening event of the exhibition, the General Director of MNIM, Mr. Eugen Sava highlighted the importance of Pablo Picasso's personality for contemporary culture and history and, H.E. Jose Antonio Hernan Perez-Solozano, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in the Republic of Moldova, based in Bucharest, pointed out the uniqueness of the photographs and exposed the fact that the talent of Roberto Otereo, the public in the Republic of Moldova can better familiarize themselves with the universe of Pablo Picasso.

Roberto Otero (1931-2004), Argentine photographer, journalist and writer, had the privilege of immortalizing Picasso in the privacy of his home at Notre-Dame-de-Vie in Mougins. His photographs, featured in this exhibition, offer an intimate glimpse into the maturity of the artist and the complicity between the photographer and his subject. This unique exhibition, which includes selections from the Otero Collection of the Picasso Museum in Malaga, offers a rare opportunity to discover the lesser-known side of Picasso.

The photographic exhibition "Picasso. Intimo." will be open to the public until October 12, 2023, in the hall on the ground floor of the National Museum of History of Moldova, Chisinau, 31 August 1989 street, no. 121A. We invite everyone interested to come and explore the fascinating world of Picasso through the lens of Roberto Otero.