#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.

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Publications

Library „Tyragetia"

Ana Boldureanu

Ottoman Coins in Moldova from 1512 to 1603

Series Biblioteca “Tyragetia” XXIV, Chișinău, 2013. 191 p. ISBN 978-9975-80-773-9.

The monograph is dedicated to the peculiarities of penetration and circulation of Ottoman coins in historical Moldova during 1512-1603. The study covers the period of strengthening the country's dependence on the Ottoman Porte (1512) and the establishment of Ottoman suzerainty (1538) and lasted until the early years of the 17^th century when after massive devaluation of Ottoman akches the quantity of Ottoman coins in the market of Romanian principalities has significantly reduced.

The source basis of the work includes the Ottoman coins of 1512-1603 discovered in the area of medieval Moldavia as well as those from regions, which were under direct Ottoman jurisdiction, like Akkerman or Bender. There is used Ottoman numismatic material found by researchers until 2007, including a number of older findings reviewed in the light of modern science and personal research on some unpublished hoards and isolated finds. Most of the materials analyzed and included in the study are from collections of the Chisinau museums: the National Museum of History of Moldova, the Museum of Archaeology of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova and the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History. There were also included Ottoman hoards and coins from Romanian collections, which have been explored by the author due to the kindness and goodwill of heads of institutions and curators. There were used original materials from the collection of the Numismatic Cabinet of the „Vasile Parvan" Institute of Archaeology, was revised the structure of the Arsura hoard (Vaslui County) owned by the National Museum of History of Romania in Bucharest, were identified some objects from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova in Iasi, Barlad and from the Museum of Vaslui County.

The work is divided into six chapters, some of which are divided into subchapters. Issues of coins are presented in a classical order: the gold coins, than the silver ones and, finally, made of a simple metal.

Chapter I contains the history of research; there are highlighted the main stages and studies dedicated to Ottoman coins that circulated in medieval Moldavia. Chapter II presents the development of the Ottoman monetary system from early mangirs emitted during the rule of the founder of the Ottoman Empire - Osman to the early 16^th century. Chapter III examines gold coins (altyns); there are presented typology and chronology of these issues as well as the analysis of stages of penetration and circulation of altyns in historical Moldova and the list of findings. The next chapter describes Ottoman silver coins (akches and dirhams). There are given types of akches and their chronology, already known or proposed by the author, presented separately for each sultan: Selim I, Süleyman I, Selim II, Murad III and Mehmed III. There were highlighted several distinct stages of penetration of akches into Moldavia based on political and military events in the region. The list of silver issues includes isolated akches and dirhams as well as hoards of these coins. Chapter V presents Ottoman copper coins and silver counterfeits and imitations. The study showed the existence of local production of fakes and imitations of Ottoman akches. There is presented the catalogue of such findings in Moldova.

The last chapter includes an analysis of the role of the Ottoman coins in Moldavian economy in the 16^th century.