Stove tile micro-exhibition opens in Moldova
A micro-exhibition from the series “Exceptional Pieces from the Collections of the Museum of the History of Moldova” will be accessible to the public at the Palace of Culture starting December 10, bringing into focus a medieval “film frame”: the stove tile with a bestiary scene, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.
“In a modern era in which the stove is seen as an outdated heating device, recent research brings back into discussion the major role it once played—not only as a functional object, but also as an artistic support and vector of cultural memory. Decorated with ceramic tiles called cahle, medieval stoves became true works of art dominating the interior of a home, filled with symbols, stories, and elements of identity. Geometric, vegetal, heraldic, or zoomorphic motifs, along with scenes inspired by fables, chivalric epics, or religious writings, present on these ceramic tiles, reflect the complexity of medieval Romanian culture,” representatives of the Museum of the History of Moldova said in a press release.
According to the institution, the museum’s collections include a notable tile discovered in Iași, at the former St. Sava Monastery. Dated to the late 16th century, the piece depicts a bear playing the bagpipe, a bovine beating a drum, and an animal with a wolf’s body dancing with handkerchiefs.
“The scene may be interpreted as an illustration of the popular belief that animals speak and behave like humans on New Year’s Eve, or as a representation of a traditional folk theatre with masks. Some interpretations also suggest a possible satirical allusion to the medieval iconography of the ‘Mocking of Christ,’ where human characters appear dancing wildly and playing instruments with harsh sounds. Such pieces indicate that the medieval stove was more than a source of heat—it represented a space of memory and artistic expression. The firelight animated the ceramic scenes, turning winter evenings into a unique visual and narrative experience,” the press release adds.
The micro-exhibition “A Medieval Film Frame: The Stove Tile with a Bestiary Scene” will be open to visitors between December 10, 2025, and March 1, 2026, in the spaces of the Museum of the History of Moldova. It can be visited with a standard museum ticket, between 10:00 and 17:00, Wednesday through Sunday.
“Through the preservation and study of these pieces, the Museum of the History of Moldova helps bring into the present a vanished world—still alive in the memory carried by objects. The tiles remain essential testimonies of medieval creativity and of the unique way in which people of the past combined the functional with the beautiful,” emphasized Andrei Apreotesei, manager of the Palace of Culture – National Museum Complex ‘Moldova’ Iași, quoted in the release.
