The Pastoral Household from Poiana Sibiului

     The pastoral household from Poiana Sibiului is a typical structure for wealthy shepherds from the area known as Marginimea Sibiului (the villages of Sibiu's periphery) and can be easily recognized as it is painted in a deep blue, locally called "Mândră Mărie", or “Proud Mary”. Blue had been for centuries the colour used exclusively in depicting the Virgin Mary in Greek and Catholic iconography, and it was a very expensive pigment. With the discovery of the industrial way of obtaining blue, it became much more accessible for other purposes. The colour pigment was brought from the Balkans by shepherds on their transhumance (seasonal migration). The intensity of the colour was a sign of wealth, a fact confirmed by the spectacular interior. 

     The best room, or the room for celebrating and presenting the household dowry, is laid out in perfect order. The room is richly furnished with pine objects made in rural and urban workshops. The walls are decorated with goblets, lithographs and photographs. Inside the house you can also see relatively newer products, modern in their time, such as the glazed tiled stove with blue trim on a white background, the painted clothes chest, with a drawer, lithographs and ceramic plates.