On May 29, 2024, Muza, The Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, received a donation of 18 items from the private collection of the late Moshe Mintz, gifted in his memory by his nephew Yitzhak Lom.

Moshe Mintz (1940–2017), a connoisseur and avid collector of decorative arts, dedicated his life to acquiring pieces from a variety of fields, cultures, and periods, creating a rich collection that reflected his profound love of beauty and artistic expression.

As Yitzhak Lom shared with MUZA: “Moshe was born in Tel Aviv and was a unique individual, a kind-hearted man with a deep appreciation for art. He loved painting and was drawn to beauty. He was a collector at heart, captivated by the beauty of objects. His collection was not confined to a single field, genre or style, encompassing furniture and items of porcelain, glass, ceramics, wood and metal from around the world. Whenever he encountered a beautiful piece, he could not resist the urge to add it to his collection. Every item was chosen with passion and a genuine love for beauty, as reflected by the wide variety of pieces in the collection..”

The items donated to MUZA were carefully selected so as to enrich existing collections at the museum. The donation, which includes ceramic, porcelain, and glass items from Europe and the Far East, constitutes a significant addition to the MUZA collections. Among the most notable items are a number of lidded beer-drinking vessels – beer steins or tankards – crafted from different materials and originating from different regions and periods; a pair of glazed Art Deco ceramic vases and a sculptural pitcher from Belgium echoing an Art Nouveau aesthetic; and a ceramic soup tureen meticulously crafted to resemble a cabbage, complete with detailed leaves and vibrant glazing. The tureen belongs to an iconic dinnerware set designed by Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, the founder of the renowned Portuguese Fábrica de Faianças das Caldas da Rainha (est. 1884), a ceramics company whose roots go back 300 years in Caldas da Rainha, a spa town favored by the Portuguese royal family as their summer retreat.

We are deeply grateful for this donation in memory of Moshe Mintz, which allows us to continue preserving and presenting cultural and artistic treasures for future generations.