#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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Events Archive

Inauguration of the "Bessarabians in the Gulag" exhibition in GNAS

July 6, 2023

On July 6, the "Bessarabians in the Gulag" exhibition was inaugurated in the Great National Assembly Square, where the shocking testimonies of the victims of the Stalinist deportations from Bessarabia are exhibited. Two train cars, identical to those used for deportations, were brought into GNAS, giving the public the opportunity to get up close to this tragic part of our history.

The exhibition organized by the Government of the Republic of Moldova, in collaboration with the National Museum of History of Moldova, the National Archives Agency and the National Library of the Republic of Moldova, presents authentic and old images that illustrate the unfortunate fate of the deported people. One of the carriages hosts a thematic exhibition with pieces from the National Museum of History of Moldova, including a series of pieces that were part of the exhibition "Remembering childhood, the testimonies of Bessarabian deportees" inaugurated at the Arbor Culture and Arts Association in 2022, curated by Victoria Nagy Vajda. In the other carriage, the documentary film "Siberia in Bones" will be shown, which will be broadcast every day at 18:00 and 20:00.

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Sergiu Prodan, the Minister of Culture, emphasized the importance of bringing these wagons not only to the Government, but also to every locality in Moldova. He highlighted that these dramatic images represent the real lives of people and families who were brutally deported. The Minister expressed the wish that, within a year, the Ministry of Culture, with the support of the Parliament and the Government, would help the National Museum of History of Moldova in its efforts to provide support to every museum in the country and, where it does not exist, to establish at least one chamber of memory, so that every locality in the Republic of Moldova has access to this important page of our history.

July 6 marks the Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Stalinism, coinciding with the moment when the biggest wave of Stalinist deportations took place. On the night of July 5-6, 1949, the Soviet regime deported tens of thousands of Bessarabian peasants to forced labor camps in Siberia, confiscating their property. In the period 1941-1951, three waves of deportations took place, and historians' estimates indicate that the total number of deported Bessarabians would be between 80 and 120 thousand. Through this exhibition, we aim to bring to the attention of the public these tragic events of our past and to honor the memory of the victims of these inhuman atrocities.

The "Bessarabians in the Gulag" exhibition is open to visitors from July 6-30, until 21:00.