In 1951, the 'Slătineanu Collection' opened at No 3, Obedenaru Street. After crossing a garden bordered by big mosaic slabs, one reaches the building hosting the Collection. Two 18th century ewers warn the visitors that they will find numerous ceramic pieces indoors. The seven rooms on the ground and first floor display harmoniously various elements of very beautiful folk art: very old Romanian and foreign ceramics, icons on wood and glass, furniture from different countries, sculptures, sculpted wooden objects, weapons of all descriptions, rugs, paintings, etc. The Romanian rugs are unique and serve, just like the ceramics, as a source of inspiration for artists. The Romanian and foreign paintings blend harmoniously with the old icons, several engravings by great Japanese artists, by Rembrandt, and others, set a cheerful or serious tone among the exhibited paintings. The variety of objects on display is impressive. The ceramics collection is the most complete and diverse in the country. It is exhibited according to epochs and regions in order to emphasise the regional characteristics and its evolution in time. In display cabinets one can see shards found during archaeological research in various parts of the country. They are shown in such a way as to follow the evolution of the oldest Neolithic civilisations of the 26th century BC to the 18th century AD. The feudal ceramics from Moldova, Wallachia and Transylvania stand out. A rich collection of painted eggs beautifully arranged can be admired in glass cases. The furniture, generally rustic and foreign, dates from either the Renaissance or the 18th century. Objects of Romanian and foreign art, either Oriental or Occidental, are displayed in such a way as to enable a comparison between the various modes of artistic expression of various peoples, aiming to point out the fact that the Romanian items are fully comparable with the foreign ones.
by Plural magazine
