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.
The journal asks authors to pay attention to the following aspects:
- temporarily does not publish materials of researchers from the Russian Federation (according to the decision of the Scientific Council of NMHM of 19.12.2022);
- the journal does not publish materials that may be considered plagiarized;
- for publication are only accepted novel, previously unpublished materials. The author is obliged to inform the editorial board if submitted article was submitted for publication in other journals or if there is an already published modified version of the same article;
- the editorial board is taking consideration of the fact that submitted for peer review and publication materials are confidential. Unpublished material will not be used under any circumstances by the editor, reviewers or publishers for personal purposes or any other purpose;
- we encourage all authors to be respectful and to be guided by academic fairness in articles containing criticism of colleagues. Otherwise, the editor reserves the right to reject or edit the material to meet these requirements;
- analysis and review of materials by the editorial board of the journal focuses exclusively on scholarly value, clarity of presentation and scholarly ethics requirements. The process of accepting articles for publication excludes all discrimination based on sex, age, race, religion, nationality or any other discriminatory criterion.
Structure of the journal
The journal has the following sections:
I. Studies
II. Materials and research
III. Reviews and book presentations
Upon need, two other compartments are added: Tribute and In memoriam
Instructions for authors
Contributions should be submitted in Romanian, Russian, English, German, French.
The volume of the manuscripts shouldn’t exceed 100,000 signs, (approximately 2,5 ens), including bibliography, summaries and illustrations.
The texts of the contributions should be submitted as digital copies: Microsoft Word; Times New Roman (with diacritics specific to the text language); Font size 12; Spaсe 1,5.
Articles should have keywords (5-7 words) and summaries (max. 1500 signs) in three languages: Romanian, Russian, English (German or French).
Plates (illustrations) should be provided in clear graphic (GRAYSCALE, format TIF, JPG – minimum 300 dpi and higher) and should respect the maximum size of page mirror (16×23,5 cm or 7,5×23,5, including the legend). Each object on the plate will be numbered using numbers (if necessary letters), using font Georgia, font size 10. Illustrative material must also be accompanied by a list of illustrations (Microsoft Word, Times New Roman, font size 10) with a comprehensive legend in Romanian, Russian, English (German or French).
Bibliographic notes should be presented in original, inside the manuscript text: (Teodor 2005, 172, fig. 7/4-6; Müller 1953, 123, Abb. 15/4-6; Петров 1999, 15, рис. 3/4-6).
Explanations, comments and references to archive and museum funds will be made at the footer (continuous numbering).
References to illustrations (figures) from text should be done in parenthesis, in short, according the following example (fig. 2/7; Abb. 2/7; рис. 2/7).
Bibliography should be presented in alphabetical order at the end of the text.
Citation of monographs:
Boardman 1988: J. Boardman, Grecii de peste mări. Colonizarea greacă și comerțul timpuriu (București 1988).
Козуб 1974: Ю.I. Козуб, Некрополь Ольвiï V-IV ст. до н.e. (Киïв 1974).
Citation of articles published in collections of scholarly articles:
Behren 2005: Claudia von Behren, Sklaven und Freigelassene auf bosporanischen Grabreliefs. In: (Ed. V. Cojocaru) Ethnic Contacts and Cultural Exchanges North and West of the Black Sea from the Greek Colonization to the Ottoman Conquest (Iași 2005), 167-194.
Ванчугов 1981: В.П. Ванчугов, Поселение позднего бронзового века Ялпуг-IV в Нижнем Подунавье. В сб.: (Отв. ред. П.О. Карышковский) Памятники древних культур Северо-Западного Причерноморья (Киев 1981), 91-102.
Citation of works published in periodical editions (journals, yearbooks etc.):
Postică 2005: Gh. Postică, Complexul monumental din piatră din secolul XV descoperit în citadela Orheiului Vechi. Revista Arheologică S.N. I/2, 2005, 371-387.
Рехо 1973: М. Рехо, Атическа рисувана керамика в тракийския погребален контекст. Наблюдения върху съдовете, открити в България. Aрхеология 31/2, 1973, 11-19.
Citation of materials published in volumes of symposiums and scholarly conferences:
Trohani 2004: G. Trohani, Aspects concernant des rituels de fondation chez les geto-daces. Tracians and circumpontics world. Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Thracology, Chișinău-Vadul lui Vodă, 6-11 september 2004, II (Chișinău 2004), 332-337.
Бибикова 1972: В.И. Бибикова, О доместикации лошади на Юго-Востоке Европы. Матерiали XIII конференцiï Iнституту археологiï АН УРСС, Киïв, 1968 (Киïв 1972), 106-110.
If abbreviations are used in text and bibliography, a list of abbreviations should be attached in the end.
Data about the author is attached at the end of the text: name, surname; academic degree; position; institution; address; telephone, fax, e-mail.
Deadlines
To facilitate the timely issue of the journal please respect the deadline for paper submission – March 1 of each year.
Taxes
The journal does not charge for processing and editing articles. Authors receive a copy of the journal in which the article was published without any charge.
Copyright
The journal allows authors to hold and keep copyrights on articles without restrictions.
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.