#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. 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

International Collaboration

2015

Dr. hab. Elena Ploșnița, scientific secretary of the museum, participated between 22 and 27 February, 2015 at training on museum documentation in Warsaw and Gdańsk, Poland, organized and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland.

National Museum of History of Moldova in cooperation with the Department Europe-Asia of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin continued in 2015 (between May 29 and July 5) field archaeological research in the surroundings of v. Sofia, Drochia at the Eneolithic settlement "Petreni" (Cucuteni-Trypillian culture), dated with the 5th millennia BC.

MNIM was partner in project "Early urbanism in prehistoric Europe: the case of Trypillian mega-sites" initiated by the University of Durham, England and the Institute of Archaeology in Kiev, Ukraine. The project had final goal the organization of an international exhibition about the history of Cucuteni-Trypillian proto-cities, which was presented in all project countries. In Chișinău, the exhibition "Trypillian Mega-sites" was on display from September 9 to November 6, 2015.

Based on the agreement with the National Museum Complex "Moldova" from Iași, Romania, the exhibition "Heritage values from the collection of the Museum of Science and Technique Ştefan Procopiu, Iași" was organized at MNIM in the period from September 23 to October 26, 2015.

The National Museum of History of Moldova in collaboration with the Institute of Archaeology „Vasile Pârvan" from Bucharest, Romania, organized the 25th edition of the Symposium of Numismatics on October 29-30, 2015. The event was attended by numismatists researchers from Romania, Ukraine and Moldova.

MNIM has participated in the exhibition "Krieg - Eine Archaeologishe Spuresuche" (War - decoding archaeological traces), open for visiting from November 5, 2015 - May 22, 2016 at the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte in Halle, Germany. An international team of museums from Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic and Moldova participated at the organization of the exhibition. Our museum was present with 14 archaeological pieces from the Eneolithic period unearthed during research on the tumulus of Giurgiulești.

Mariana Sîrbu, researcher in the sector Archaeology and Ancient History, participated at the Autumn School for PhD students in ancient history and archaeology in Valea Alunului, com. Boșorod, jud. Hunedoara, România on October 3-11, 2015. The school was organized by the Educational Center of „Dacica" Foundation.

Dr. Natalia Mateevici, researcher in the sector Archaeology and Ancient History obtained a research fellowship for archaeological documentation at the Archaeological School in Athens in the period November 1 - December 1, 2015.

Mariana Vasilache, researcher in the sector of Archaeology and Ancient History, had an archaeological documentation visit at the Prehistoric Museum from Halle, Germany, part of project „Krieg - Eine Archaeologishe Spuresuche", November 1-10, 2015.

#Exhibit of the Month

MEISSEN Tea Set

2015

#Exhibit of the Month