Porcelain is a material that has sparked great interest throughout history, and its production has been a true challenge. Also known as "white gold," porcelain is a white, translucent ceramic material obtained by firing a paste of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar, along with other additives, at high temperatures. It was first discovered and used in China. The first Chinese porcelain objects arrived in Europe in the 13th century, but a broader spread of Chinese porcelain on the European continent is recorded in the 17th century. The technology for producing porcelain was kept a secret by the Chinese for a very long time.
The first hard-paste porcelain manufactory in Europe, located in the city of Meissen, was established in 1710 due to discoveries in porcelain production made by Saxon mathematician and physicist Ehrenfried Walter von Tschirnhaus (1661-1708), which were put into practice by the royal court alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1718). He invented the glaze and achieved the complete fusion of the shard and the glaze. The Meissen factory, still operational today, has created and continues to create a vast range of porcelain products. Crafted by the finest artists, sculptors, and engravers, who use unique hand-painted colors and exclusive designs, Meissen products are of exceptional quality and elegance, enjoying worldwide fame.
The tea set, partially consisting of seven pieces (teapot, milk jug, sugar bowl, and two cups with saucers), displayed in this showcase, is a product of the famous Meissen factory in the Kingdom of Saxony, Germany. It was crafted in the first half of the 19th century from high-quality porcelain. The exhibit became part of the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova through a transfer from the "G. Cotovschi" Memorial House in Hâncești, which was closed in 1989-1990.
The decoration of these pieces is remarkable, featuring hand-painted "German flowers," one of the well-known styles of floral and plant decoration practiced by Meissen craftsmen since the 18th century. They were influenced by Chinese porcelain, which was often adorned with images of flowers and fruits. A distinctive feature of this decorative style was the "scattered flowers" arrangement, where floral elements were placed as individual blossoms or bouquets across the surface of porcelain objects.
The marking on the underside of the pieces consists of two crossed swords, elements borrowed from the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Saxony, applied by hand with cobalt paint under the glaze. With slight variations in the representation of the swords, this mark has been used since 1722 and continues to the present day. The mark on this tea set is characterized by prominent dots on the crossed swords, a feature used at the Meissen factory between 1815 and 1860.
The polychrome floral painting, gilding, and the application of a rosebud on the lids of the teapot and sugar bowl lend a sublime delicacy to these pieces, making them rare and exquisite.
Monuments of the Corjeuți type within the context of the Early Bronze Age History of Eastern and Central Europe
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. III [XVIII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
As a result of excavations of the early Bronze Age tumuli located on the left Bank of the Middle Prut (villages Burlănești and Corjeuți) in Moldova held in 1987-9 (see figure 11/1) by the author of this article a number of monuments was unearthed which show considerable resemblance and allow their treatment as a distinctive group. The burials are found at the edges of embankments of the tumuli, the main burials of which are identified with the Yamnaja Culture and are dated to the second half – last quarter of the Ш millennium BC. The burials under consideration make use of stone constructions: circles of medium-sized limestones up to 5 m in diameter and stony platforms. There are two cases of inhumation and two cases of cremation excavated (figures 1, 10). Items of pottery found at these burials also show certain resemblances and point to technological parallelism. Two burials found at the village of Corjeuți (figure 1/2, 4) are particularly important. One of these was arranged in a rectangular pit, with the deceased lying on his / her right side with the head towards south / south-west. Clear traces of bronze objects which have not been preserved are visible on the wrists and phalanxes. A stone rectangular item was found at the place presumably occupied by the middle of the body. It was made out of a thin plate of grey slate, is narrowed in its central part and a hole is marked in one corner from either side (figure 1/5). The measurements of the object are as follows: length - 9 cм, breadth 3-4,5 см, thickness - 0, 25 – 0, 8 см. The object may be interpreted as one of the famous symbols and part of a package of the Bell Beaker Culture - the wrist-guard. The Culture (resp. Phenomenon) in question existed for ca 700 years from the end of the Eneolithic period well into the Early Bronze age in wide areas of Western and Central Europe, and reached its height in the middle of the III millennium BC. It is obvious that a single object from the Corjeuți burial does not make the site automatically belonging to this culture. However, there are further parallels which make such an attribution possible: funeral rites (biritualism, the pose of diseased, the usage of stone) and the forms of the so-called Begleitkeramik, cf. particularly the bowl on four stems (figure 1/8). A peculiarity of the Bell Beaker Phenomenon is that it did not cover a continuous region, but consists of several distinct areas which are analysed as belonging to different provinces. According to the current views the eastern border of the Phenomenon is located by the 20º of eastern longitude, but a possibility of further finds to the east of it and therefore to the further spread of the area has been admitted (сf. Titov 1981, Heyd 2007, 101). It should be noted that a number of parallels to the Bell Beaker Phenomenon have been found on the sites of Jigodin and Roșia groups (northern Oltenia and north-western and eastern Transylvania) in neighbouring Romania. Furher conclusions – whether the monuments of the Corjeuți type are part of the Eastern Bell Beaker province or are just reflection of it in a far periphery – will be possible only with the further excavations in the area.
Татьяна И. Демченко
Toward the definition of the Edinets archaeological group
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. II [XVII], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Татьяна И. Демченко
Kurgans on the left bank of the Middle Prut (excavations of 1982 and 1984)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. I [XVI], nr. 1, Arheologie. Istorie Antică
Porcelain is a material that has sparked great interest throughout history, and its production has been a true challenge. Also known as "white gold," porcelain is a white, translucent ceramic material obtained by firing a paste of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar, along with other additives, at high temperatures...
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.
The National Museum of History of Moldova takes place among the most significant museum institutions of the Republic of Moldova, in terms of both its collection and scientific reputation.