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
Portrait of Maria (Lupu) Radziwill in the works of the Polish painter Korneli Szlegiel (1851)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. X [XXV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Keywords: Polish painter Korneli Szlegiel, Maria (Lupu) Radziwill, frescoes of the Three Holy Hierarchs Church, historical and cultural heritage.
Abstract: This article is an attempt to critically review the visual documentation regarding the Vasile Lupu time that are of great interest for the Romanian and Polish historiography. We tried to compare some fragments from the life of Maria (Lupu) Radziwill with her preserved visual images. The groundwork of this scientific approach are illustrated sources of the epoch, in particular the frescoes in the Three Holy Hierarchs Church of Iași, which have been renovated during 1880s, and the portrait created by Szlegiel in 1851 that preserved the original images of the church frescoes before their renovation. Our study substantiates the authenticity and singularity of the Korneli Slegiel's portrait depicting the royal family of Vasile Lupu for the reason that it preserves the original appearance of the 17th century frescoes. Unknown drawing made by Korneli Szlegiel was discovered in the Warsaw National Mseum (Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie) in 2015. The images were exposed to interdisciplinary research, being examined from a purely artistic perspective as well as a cultural and historical point of view. The data of this study might be the basis of a subsequent reliable restoration of frescoes of the Three Holy Hierarchs Church.
List of illustrations: Fig. 1. Three Holy Hierarchs Church of Iași in 1845 (J. Rey). Fig. 2. Iași press chronicle on the activity of the painter Korneli Szlegiel in Iași (1851). Fig. 3. Portrait of Vasile Lupu's family in the Three Holy Hierarchs Church of Iași, by Korneli Szlegiel, 1851 (The National Museum of Warsaw). Fig. 4. Vasile Lupu's family, the votive portrait in the Three Holy Hierarchs Church. Fragments of frescoes recovered in 1888 and preserved in the Museum of the Three Holy Hierarchs Church, the Gothic Room. Fig. 5. The image of Princess Maria Lupu (Radziwill) on a fresco of the Three Holy Hierarchs Church. Fig. 6. Portrait of Tudosca and Maria Lupu (Radziwill) on a fresco of the Three Holy Hierarchs Church recovered in 1888. Fig. 7. Portraits of Tudosca, Maria and Ruxandra from the Three Holy Hierarchs Church, reproduced by Korneli Szlegiel in 1851. Fig. 8. Portrait of Catherine the Circassian in the Golia Church. Fig. 9. Embroidered portrait of Tudosca (17th century) from the Museum of the Three Holy Hierarchs Church. Fig. 10. Votive portrait from the Three Holy Hierarchs Church painted in 1884.
Lilia Zabolotnaia
The destiny of woman in the history of Moldavia. Myths and realities about Catherine the Circassian – the second wife of the hospodar Vasile Lupu
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. VII [XXII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Mysteries, myths and realities regarding the testament of Maria (Lupu) Radziwiłł
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. IX [XXIV], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie Chișinău, 2015
Lilia Zabolotnaia
The bounds of the private in the life of Antiochus Cantemir: Myths, speculations and realness regarding his secret family in Paris
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XIV [XXIX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
The strength and weakness of Alexandra Osipovna Smirnova-Rosset (on the history of the origins of one of the women of the Pushkin era)
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. XII [XXVII], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
Lilia Zabolotnaia
Marriage institution during middle ages: obstacles and prohibitions. Exploration of historical anthropology and comparative studies
Tyragetia, serie nouă, vol. V [XX], nr. 2, Istorie. Muzeologie
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 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.
31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
