#Exhibit of the Month

In the dazzling world of precious stones and noble metals, certain jewelers stand out, mastering the art of harmonizing understated elegance with absolute refinement, genius with design, and sophistication with eternal, unforgettable splendor.
The name Fabergé, emblematic of originality and synonymous with the creations of a legendary house, has left an indelible mark on the history of jewelry and decorative arts. Renowned for uniting jewelry, artistic design, and utility into objets de luxe and objets de fantaisie, Fabergé's creations have always captivated with their exquisite craftsmanship. Fashioned from gold, silver, enamel, and precious stones, the pieces produced in Fabergé's workshops testify to exceptional virtuosity, marked by meticulous attention to detail and perfect material harmony. Even works inspired by earlier stylistic vocabularies bear the unmistakable mark of originality.

The National Museum of History of Moldova treasures a spectacular ladle, crafted in Fabergé's workshops in the late 19th century.
The Fabergé ladle is a curious blend of the "Russian style" and the "modern style." Made of solid silver, it features a circular, gold-plated bowl. Its raised, stylized handle (hook-shaped) is adorned with vegetal motifs, triple rings, and silver pearls. The rim is embellished with a wide band composed of rectangular medallions, decorated with spiral loops and stylized scales arranged alternately. The bowl is supported by four hemispherical feet. At the center, engraved inscriptions read: Eugenie von Platonow/St. Petersburg and ТОРГОВЫЙ ДОМЪ „АЛЕКСАНДРЪ"/1863/15/10/1913.
Research suggests that this ladle was commissioned by Alexander Trauberg, a first-guild merchant and owner of the "АЛЕКСАНДРЪ" Trading House located at Nevsky Boulevard 11, St. Petersburg. It was likely created to mark the 50th anniversary of his business in 1913.
The hallmark stamped on the base-Fabergé's K. ФАБЕРЖЕ logo surmounted by the Russian Empire's coat of arms, alongside the female profile in a kokoshnik within an oval frame, accompanied by the Greek letter Δ (delta) and the silver purity standard "88"-confirms that the piece was produced by Fabergé's Moscow branch.
The hypnotic charm of Fabergé's creations defined the aesthetic ideals of an era, embodying exuberance and refinement, crafted by a jeweler to kings and a king among jewelers.

Virtual Tour

Publications

Journal „Tyragetia"

vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2

Amusement places in Chișinău. Cafe Man’kov (Late 19th century - the 30ies of 20th century)

ISSN 1857-0240
E-ISSN 2537-6330

Ana Grițco

Amusement places in Chișinău. Cafe Man’kov (Late 19th century - the 30ies of 20th century)

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie

Collections of postcards are a chronicle in images that captivate us with variety of topics, the study of which can extract from the darkness of oblivion different scenes of everyday life in certain historical periods. In this sense, interesting is a postcard from the museum collection, which depicts Cafe Man'kov - a place where more than a century ago the Chișinău cream of society loved spending time. The history of this coffee house is associated with the name of A.I. Man'kov, a prosperous businessman of the second half of 19th - early 20th centuries. Initially, in the 1880s, it was located in the building of the Diocesan House (the Alexandrovskaia Street), where A. Man'kov rented premises, and since 1901 it has moved into the Schwartzman's House (the Pushkinskaia Street), a rented space as well. In 1905, the cafe was opened in a specially built building in Fountain Lane (between the Sinadinovskaia and Pushkinskaia Streets) known as Cafe Man'kov, with an interesting architecture, "European" interior, and tastefully furnished terraces. Cafe Man'kov was one of the first buildings in Chișinău which was electrified (1907). It soon became a favorite place of leisure for Chișinău dwellers, where one could drink tea or coffee with Swiss chocolate, enjoy a delicious cake, as well as have lunch or dinner. The cafe existed until 1934, when A. Man'kov died at the age of 92 years. In Soviet times, the building was demolished, and now in its place there is the Press House (the area between the streets of Pushkin and Vlaicu Pârcălab).

List of illustrations:

I. Cafe Man'kov, beginning of the 20th century (postcard, NMHM).

II. Cafe Man'kov, the first half of the 20th century (postcard, private collection).

III. Schwartzman's House, beginning of the 20th century. In this building Cafe Man'kov was located from 1901 to 1905 (postcard, NMHM).

IV. Advertisements of Cafe Man'kov published in the press of the time (newspapers "Novoye Vremya", "Drug", "Bessarabskaya Zhizn", "Jubilee Agricultural Calendar" etc.).

V. Stamps of the reading room and library of the Bessarabian Nobility Club (were found in a book from the NMHM collection).

Ana Grițco

A drugstore of old times Chișinău (end of 19th – beginning of 20th centuries)

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IV [XIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie

Ana Grițco

The First World War (1914-1918) in deltiology

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015

Ana Grițco

The church – a hypostasis of the charity gesture from Bessarabia in the modern period

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie

Ana Grițco

Requisition as a way of sovietisation of Bessarabian peasants

Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2007