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#Exhibit of the Month

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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.


Virtual Tour


Exhibitions

"Centenary of the Constitution of Unified Romania (1923 - 2023)"

December 6, 2023 – January 20, 2024

The "Centenary of the Constitution of Unified Romania (1923 - 2023)", the first fundamental law that legislated the state organization, as well as the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens on both banks of the Prut, will be celebrated in Chisinau, in the framework of a thematic exhibition of documents and photos organized by the Constitutional Court of Romania and the National Museum of History of Moldova.

The opening of the exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of 1923 will take place at an opening organized on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 11:00, at the National Museum of History of Moldova, with the participation of representatives of the Presidency of the Republic of Moldova, the Parliament and of the Government, of the judges of the Constitutional Court of Romania and of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova, as well as of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and the State University of Moldova.

The exhibition can be visited between December 6, 2023 and January 20, 2024, in the Union Hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova, and within the exhibition, the original copy of the Constitution from 1923, as well as the Romanian Constitution from 1866, with the support of the event's institutional partners: the Presidential Administration of Romania – the Cotroceni National Museum, the National Bank of Romania and the Bucharest Metropolitan Library.

The Constitution of 1923 was adopted by the Assembly of Deputies and the Senate, meeting as National Constituent Assemblies in the Parliament of Bucharest, in the meetings of March 26 and 27, 1923, being promulgated by King Ferdinand through Royal Decree no. 1360 of March 28, 1923 countersigned by the President of the Council of Ministers, Ion I. C. Bratianu, and 14 ministers, and was published in the "Official Gazette" no. 282 of March 29, 1923.

Romania and the Republic of Moldova are therefore united, not only by history, faith, language and common traditions, but today they share a unique moment in their constitutional and state history. For Romania and the Republic of Moldova, the Constitution of 1923 is the common democratic constitutional legacy that preserves for future generations, on both banks of the Prut, common constitutional roots and shows them a common European future.

Considering its importance for the common constitutional history, the Constitutional Court of Romania, the guarantor of the supremacy of the Constitution, declared by the plenary decision of January 18, 2023 - the Year of the "Centenary of the Constitution of Unified Romania" and organized on this anniversary occasion, an Assembly solemn at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, on March 27, 2023, with the participation of the President of Romania, the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, the Prime Minister and members of the Government of Romania, the judges of the Constitutional Courts from Bucharest and Chisinau, the representatives of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the representatives of other religions and the diplomatic corps.


 




Independent Moldova
Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic
Bessarabia and MASSR between the Two World Wars
Bessarabia and Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Period between the Two World Wars
Revival of National Movement
Time of Reforms and their Consequences
Abolition of Autonomy. Bessarabia – a New Tsarist Colony
Period of Relative Autonomy of Bessarabia within the Russian Empire
Phanariot Regime
Golden Age of the Romanian Culture
Struggle for Maintaining of Independence of Moldova
Formation of Independent Medieval State of Moldova
Era of the
Great Nomad Migrations
Early Middle Ages
Iron Age and Antiquity
Bronze Age
Aeneolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Palaeolithic Age
  
  

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#Exhibit of the Month

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...

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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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

 



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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC

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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.
©2006-2025 National Museum of History of Moldova
Visit museum 31 August 1989 St., 121 A, MD 2012, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova
Phones:
Secretariat: +373 (22) 24-43-25
Department of Public Relations and Museum Education: +373 (22) 24-04-26
Fax: +373 (22) 24-43-69
E-mail: office@nationalmuseum.md
Technical Support: info@nationalmuseum.md
Web site administration and maintenance: Andrei EMILCIUC