#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles (paftale) are an almost indispensable element of traditional women's dress in the Southeastern European area, particularly in the Balkans, and have been in use over a long period, from the 14th to the 20th century.
The word pafta is of Turkic origin-possibly entering the language via Iranian influence-derived from the Persian word bafta, meaning "woven," which evolved in Turkish to signify "plate." Today, the term is used in nearly identical forms in Romanian (pafta), Bulgarian (пафта), Serbian (пафте), and some Aromanian dialects (pafta), designating functional and ornamental clothing accessories used to fasten belts, girdles, or sashes, crafted from various materials and decorated using different techniques.
The three buckles decorated in the polychrome enamel technique, preserved in the collection of the National Museum of History of Moldova, belong to the South-Danubian tradition and are dated to the late 19th - early 20th century.

Each buckle consists of two identical trapezoidal parts, their surfaces divided into three roughly equal registers, adorned with stylized vegetal motifs forming a metal lattice into which enamel is poured. The two parts extend into sharp angles at the ends, forming a triangle with the edge of the last decorative register, similarly ornamented. The enamel used to fill the floral motifs is black, turquoise, white, orange, green, yellow, and burgundy. The entire decorative field is framed by a beaded border.

On the reverse, both components retain a copper band riveted along the edge, used to fasten the ends of the belt. The fastening system, made by interlocking the hinges of the two parts and secured with a movable pin attached by a chain to a clasp fixed on one of the buckle pieces, is concealed by a rectangular plate (riveted with three pins to the body of the piece), with narrow edges ending in sharp angles, decorated in the same style and technique. Additionally, it features three circular settings with notched edges bent inward to hold centrally placed red and green glass paste. These settings are framed by a radiant, notched band.

The symbolism of the color palette encodes meanings and symbols, chosen for their believed magical powers. Red has always represented love, affection, and protection against curses and the evil eye; white symbolizes purity and spiritual and physical cleanliness; blue is symbolically associated with infinity, morning, new beginnings, and transformation; green represents destiny, hope, prosperity, balance, and rebirth, being linked to nature's revival each spring and to life itself.

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Opening of the exhibition Romanian Jewelry Week - Chisinau 2023

18-31 August 2023

On August 18, 2023, the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the opening of Romanian Jewelry Week, a special edition of the event that marked an important stage in the collaboration between Romania and the Republic of Moldova in the field of contemporary jewelry. This innovative initiative, organized by Assamblage in partnership with NMHM, was made possible thanks to the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Program, a program to support cultural projects of international impact.

At the opening of the event, prominent representatives of the cultural and diplomatic community spoke, Eugen Sava, General Director of NMHM, Valentina Buzămurgă, founding member of Assamblage, Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Moldova, Monica Babuc, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute at Chisinau and David Sandu, curator of the exhibition.

The National Museum of History of Moldova will host for two weeks an impressive and captivating exhibition in which more than 50 renowned artists and designers from Romania and around the world have brought together exceptional works of jewelry art. This exhibition includes not only the presentation of jewelry, but also special activities such as openings, guided tours, conferences and workshops, all aimed at the general public.

Among the exhibiting artists and designers were international personalities in the field of jewelry, coming from various countries such as Romania, Republic of Moldova, Italy, USA, France, Portugal, Germany, Ukraine and South Korea. Also, two capsule exhibitions organized by Slovenian Jewelry Week and Legnica Silver Festival in Poland added value to the event, offering a wider perspective on contemporary jewelry creation.

The event was possible thanks to the joint effort of the organizers, Assamblage and the National History Museum of Moldova, and financial support from the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Program.

Special thanks to the media partners for their support in promoting the event: Radio Guerilla, Aici a Stat, Curatorialist, Curatorial.ro, Dreamingof.net, Designist.ro, ELLE, Empower Artists, Feeder.ro, Festivalier, Igloo, IQAds, Lost in Jewelry Magazine, Femeia, Modernism.ro, Revista Atelierul, Revista Golan, The PR Station, The Institute, Zeppelin, Zile și Nopți, Călătorii cu Gust și TVR Moldova.

#Exhibit of the Month

Buckles Decorated in the Polychrome Enamel Technique

Opening of the exhibition Romanian Jewelry Week - Chisinau 2023

18-31 August 2023

#Exhibit of the Month