Gzhel painting
History of Gzhel painting
Gzhel- one of the traditional Russian centers for the production and painting of ceramics. Historically, this is a vast area, consisting of three dozen villages and villages, united in the "Gzhel Bush", which is located about 60 km from Moscow along the Bolshoi Kasimovsky tract. IN modern times Gzhel volost is part of the Ramensky district of the Moscow region.
The Gzhel craft has been known for about 700 years, but in fact, no one knows when it arose, because the first mention of Gzhel was found in the will of Ivan Kalita dated 1328. The Gzhel volost is located on loamy non-chernozem lands, therefore, from ancient times, mainly pottery masters settled here. For a long time they made dishes from white clay. Even the name of the village was associated with the word “burn” (they burn clay, burn it, clay burners), because clay products were necessarily fired.
Gzhel has long been famous for its clay. Wide booty different varieties clay was carried out with mid-seventeenth century. In 1663, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree “Send clay suitable for apothecary vessels to the Gzhel volost for apothecary and alchemical vessels.” Then, for the pharmacy order, 15 carts of clay from the Gzhel volost were delivered to Moscow and “it was ordered to keep that clay for pharmacy business: henceforth, the sovereign ordered the clay from the Gzhel volost to seize and carry the same volost to the peasants, what kind of clay would be needed in the Apothecary order ". In 1770, the Gzhel volost was entirely assigned to the Pharmaceutical order "for alchemical dishes." The great Russian scientist M.V. Lomonosov, who duly appreciated the Gzhel clays, wrote such sublime words about them: “... There is hardly any land the purest and without admixture anywhere in the world, which chemists call a virgin, except between clays used for porcelain, such is our Gzhel ..., which is nowhere I have not seen whiteness more excellent ... ".
Until the middle of the 18th century, Gzhel made the usual pottery for that time, made bricks, pottery pipes, tiles, as well as primitive children's toys.
The end of the 18th century was the heyday of the Gzhel majolica*. Here they start to release "black polished" (smoky) ceramics And “anted” (glazed) dishes. By 1800, there were 25 factories producing pottery in Gzhel. After 1802, when light gray clay was found, the production of semi-faience arose in Gzhel, from which kvass, jugs and kumgans were made in large quantities. Since the second half of the 20s of the XIX century, many products were painted only with blue paint. Semi-faience was characterized by a rough structure and low strength.
*Majolica- these are products with a colored porous shard, covered with white enamel, on which, before or after firing, painting is applied with liquid or thick enamel paints. This concept also includes ceramics with colored glazes on a faience white or colored shard.
At the beginning of 1804, the Kulikov brothers found the composition of the white faience mass and founded the first faience factory. Then one of the Kulikov brothers, Pavel, learned the technique of making porcelain, invented his own forge (kiln), developed recipes for clay mass and set up Gzhel porcelain production.
The second quarter of the 19th century is the period of the highest artistic achievements of Gzhel ceramic art. In an effort to obtain fine faience and porcelain, the owners of the factories constantly improved the composition of the white clay mass.
C mid-nineteenth century, many Gzhel factories fall into decay, the production of ceramics is sharply reduced. The development of capitalism in Russia led to an industrial crisis. Folk art quickly degenerated and at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries came to complete oblivion.
Only after October revolution and the nationalization of factories in Gzhel, the restoration of the fishery begins.
In 1929, the first artel was created in Gzhel under the name "Forward, ceramics." After some time, several more artels were formed, which later merged into the Art Ceramics enterprise.
Already in the 1930s and 1940s. almost half of all porcelain-faience enterprises in Russia were concentrated here.
In 1972, the Gzhel Association was created, which included all small industries located in neighboring villages. Creative groups developed new samples and new forms of products.
Gzhel painting technology
Russian painter B.M. Kustodiev said that Gzhel teapots and cups bloom with “magical blue flowers.” And indeed, the famous blue flowers, leaves and buds on a white background are an exceptional Gzhel tradition that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The original style of painting with cobalt (blue paint) uses thirty different shades, from an almost transparent light blue to a rich dark blue, but the color shades appear only after firing, when raw, the cobalt design looks grey-black.
It's hard to believe: really
Just two colors? Miracles!..
That's how artists from Gzhel
Heaven is applied to the snow!
L. Kulikova.
Gzhel is traditionally painted with blue paints. The blue color looks best against the background of white glaze and when fired, it acquires an unusual radiance.
art system Gzhel writing techniques were fixed in individual handwriting, peculiar manners of performers. Using the same set of pictorial elements in their work, master artists create their own individual, recognizable painting plot: a bouquet or individual flower, architectural landscapes, animal and vegetable world, images of people.
Important feature in the Gzhel painting of blue and white porcelain - picturesque start. Great importance in painting technology, it is given to the movement of the brush, capable of creating many subtle gradations of blue. Used in painting wide brushstroke with its transitions from sonorous, rich blue to washed out blue. In combination with a white background, the pattern creates an openwork pattern on the surface of the product: in the center there is a bright, large spot - an image of a flower, and around it there is a light scattering of twigs with leaves and berries, curls, tendrils, barely distinguishable, fading into the whiteness of the background. The petals of the flower, made in one rounded stroke with shadows, fold into a lush, rounded bowl. Small dots-stamens are scattered in its white middle. The gradation of blue color gives the petals a bulge, as if the flower is molded from petals-lobules. Garlands of flowers coexist with a mesh ornament made with a thin brush. Grids can combine the alternation of thin and wide lines, interspersed with dots.
The main elements in the technology of Gzhel porcelain painting are the so-called brush stroke "chiaroscuro" (stroke with shadows), chintz, brush stroke with one brush, as well as secondary ones: grids, hatching, curls, layering, antennae, etc.
smear with shadow
Brush stroke with shadows, has a large tonal range: from deep and dark tones to very light and light. Paint is applied to the surface light products circular turn. There is more paint in the thickened part of the brush - the brush stroke is dark, saturated. Towards the middle, the stroke includes various shades of blue. "Smear with shadows" forms a dense surface of blue, contrasting with a white background. In this case, the ratio of white and blue flowers. The white background becomes the second color, it is as active as the cobalt painting itself.
In the technology of Gzhel painting there is a concept "painting with one brush" when each subsequent brush stroke differs from the previous one in tonal saturation. The saturation of the blue color changes depending on how the paint typed on the brush is spent: the first strokes are juicy, but as the paint decreases, they lighten. Then paint is again drawn onto the brush - the strokes sharply increase, and then weaken again. Each petal is distinguished by the saturation of blue color, and in general, a single-color image receives a rich tonal sound, which gives the painting a special softness.
Also in the technology of painting, there is a technique for using a thin, jewelry ornamental pattern in painting. "sitchik" when not the whole brush is included in the work, but only its thin tip. The traditional motif of Gzhel painting - birds and roosters, is interpreted as an ornament. The tail may be associated with lush flower with petals of various sizes and tonal saturation, the body is a bud with wavy edges, the neck, and the chest are teardrop-shaped petals. Artists and painters, creating their works and decorating them with paintings, take stories and scenes from the surrounding nature.
No less significant are the secondary elements included in the pictorial compositions: light swirling tendrils, spiral curls, dotted and dashed fillings, various strokes, linear layering, narrow belts of a simple geometric ornament, geometric nets. Additional elements give the pictorial composition a peculiar rhythm.
The art of creating highly artistic porcelain products acquired a complex, spatial, picturesque sculptural character. Now artists consider themselves entitled not to be limited by the functionality of products, but strive to create emotionally rich products that can not only decorate, but also transform our life. Painting and form form a single whole in the figurative solution of each product. Obeying the form, the painting complements it, giving the product greater solidity, highlighting the details, emphasizing the shape, enlivening the stucco details, sometimes complementing what was left unsaid in the plastic.
Gzhel painting technology involves only one paint - cobalt, which then acquires the characteristic Gzhel blue color. She is diluted with water. Patterns are written on the surface of the product, and then it is covered with glaze. They write on porcelain with strokes, lines, and the ornament includes leaves and flowers. Draw fast. The strokes lay flat. It seems, at first glance, that they are all the same color. But after the oven, the pattern acquires many shades and tones, giving originality to the products.
Gzhel - folk craft in the form of porcelain products with painting. hallmark such products is a cobalt pattern on a snow-white background. This craft got its name from the name of the village of Gzhel in the Moscow region, where it actually originated.
In the Gzhel region, starting from the 17th century, clay was widely mined. Local clay was highly valued and considered one of the best. In 1663, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree on the extraction of clay in the Gzhel volost for the manufacture of medical vessels.
The history of fishing in Gzhel begins in the 18th century. The range of products of Gzhel masters was very large: dishes, bricks, tiles and even children's toys. Gzhel supplied Moscow with all this. alone clay toys craftsmen made hundreds of thousands a year. The demand for products was great.
Each master owned his own style of painting, and the product displayed his idea of the world around him. The fishery was also greatly influenced by the tastes of buyers. IN mid-eighteenth century, pottery in Russia begins to develop rapidly, but no one succeeds in competing with Gzhel masters.
The Gzhel craft reached its highest historical flourishing in late XVIII century. At this time, craftsmen who made jugs, kumgans and kvass reached a special skill. The master had to have great patience and high painting skills, as it was done on an unfired product, which was covered with white enamel. In addition to dishes and clay toys, small majolica plastics were made in Gzhel. Most often these were scenes from Everyday life- soldiers, peasant women, ladies and men, busy with their own affairs. Everything was done in a simple and intelligible, but very expressive form.
For several decades, Gzhel craftsmen also made painted stove and fireplace tiles. The history of fishing in Gzhel can be traced by surviving samples. Products of Gzhel masters are presented in the largest museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Items kitchen utensils- jugs, mugs, kvass, large plates, masters painted flowers, birds, trees and architectural structures. The drawings show an excellent understanding of their decorative purpose. For painting used blue, green, yellow colors in brown lines. Dishes made and painted by Gzhel craftsmen were necessarily supplemented with figures of animals or people. Jugs, kumgans, teapots became part of the plot composition. The handle of such a jar could be made in the form of a branch, and the spout in the form of a bird's head. There was no point in looking for similarities between each element of such a composition and reality, since the master embodied his vision of the world in them.
In 1802, light clay was found near the village of Minino, after which the production of semi-faience began in this region. They made jugs and kvass from it. However, these products looked rough and were short-lived due to the fragility of the material. From the second half of the twenties of the 19th century, blue colors began to prevail in Gzhel painting.
IN early XIX century in Bronnitsky district was found White clay, suitable for the manufacture of porcelain, after which the first porcelain factory was built in the village of Volodino. The founder of this factory, Pavel Kulikov, learned the secrets of porcelain production at the factory in the village of Perovo. According to evidence, in order to keep the technology of porcelain secret, Kulikov was engaged in the production himself, with the help of two potters and one worker. From this small enterprise, porcelain production in Gzhel began to develop.
In 1812, twenty-five factories for the production of porcelain tableware were already in operation. The factories of Laptev and Ivanov in the village of Kuzyaevo are especially popular. Many masters left their brand or signature on the products, so the names of the masters Kokun, Srosley, Gusyatnikov have come down to us. From porcelain, factories produced toys in the form of birds and animals, as well as figurines with scenes of Russian life. Products were covered with white glaze, on which a pattern was applied. Painters used blue, yellow, purple and brown paint, and the drawings were in folk style. Flowers, leaves, grass are the main motifs of Gzhel painting.
Over time, the demand for porcelain increased, which contributed to the growth of production. Meanwhile, the production of traditional Gzhel majolica was declining. Gradually, porcelain and faience became the basis of the Gzhel craft. The time of Gzhel's economic prosperity is coming, handicraft workshops become small factories.
The range of manufactured products is also expanding. Now, along with jugs, kumgans and dishes, they began to produce cups, milk jars, teapots, oilers, inkwells and candlesticks. All products continue to be painted with multi-color drawings. Gzhel masters complement table sets with plot sculptures. Despite competition from large porcelain factories, Gzhel's products were in demand due to the preservation of the folk character of art in it and the touching naivety of the depiction of scenes from the surrounding life.
Starting from the second half of XIX century, Gzhel painting acquires a restrained character, now only cobalt blue is used for it. Blue drawing on a white background, enhanced with golden contours - new stage development of Gzhel art. Late XIX century becomes the period of the highest prosperity in the history of the Gzhel craft. At this time, they are improving technological processes manufacture of earthenware and porcelain. Since the middle of the 19th century, the porcelain production of Gzhel has been concentrated in the hands of the Kuznetsov brothers. With coming Soviet power factories were nationalized and production fell into disrepair. The restoration of the Gzhel craft began only in the middle of the 20th century.
Alena Chuprina
Master- class for educators (fine art) on this topic « Gzhel blue fairy tale» .
Location: MDOU d / s No. 10, Podolsk.
The target audience: Educators of all groups of MDOU d / s No. 10.
Number of participants: 11 people.
Goals: boost professional level teachers.
Tasks: - acquaintance of educators with the history of fishing Gzhel;
Familiarization with the tools and features of applying paint when painting Gzhel;
Professional development teachers;
Formation of a positive emotional background, psychological rest.
Equipment: white album sheets, brushes of different diameters and purposes (thick round, medium pointed (for sticking, thin contour, blue gouache on the palette, cups of water, a board for showing a drawing sample, sample drawings.
Gzhel
A simple pattern of shades of paint,
White clay, porcelain - the attributes of a fairy tale!
Like a child's hand on pieces of clay
I painted blue pictures in three strokes.
Cups round sides painted in rings,
In petals and clouds - tiles for the stove,
Blue lace, cobalt frost,
As if a blizzard had swept curlicues of lines.
I stuck blue figures for the game,
For fun kids, hares and whistles.
Hidden in the lightness of the stroke is the secret of the miracle - clay.
Ancient craft lives in Russia for centuries.
Generations masters of white and blue Gzhel -
Magicians of two colors, our Botticelli!
Lesson progress: Dear colleagues, Gzhel - village, whose name has become a recognizable symbol of unique art and folk skill. Also gzhel called highly artistic porcelain products produced in these places, painted with cobalt on a white background.
Clay is mined in the village, which is used to make dishes. Initially, from Gzhel clay created apothecary vessels, according to the decree of 1663, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich "in Gzhel volosts for apothecary and alchemical vessels to send clay suitable for apothecary vessels.
The history of fishing begins in the 18th century. Masters of Gzhel they made ordinary dishes, bricks, tiles for stoves, children's toys. All this was in demand in Moscow (it was not far to deliver and the quality was very good). Craftsmen made from clay everything that the hostess needed in everyday life - jugs, bowls, plates, kvass, etc. All this splendor was painted in the Majolica style
The work required a lot of patience and craftsmanship - painting did not allow amendments and alterations, as it was carried out on a soft, unburned shard, covered with white enamel. Gzheltsy they also produced separately small majolica plastics, which often reflected typical scenes of their life, compositions filled with humor, soldiers, peasant women, fashionistas and dandies engaged in various affairs. The plots were expressive and intelligible, conquered by the clarity of ideas, the naivety of their creators - simple craftsmen. Many samples are now kept in the collections of the Hermitage, the State United Vladimir-Suzdal Historical, Architectural and Art Museum, the Ostankino Palace-Museum of the Art of Serfs, the Saratov State Art Museum. A. N. Radishchev and many others.
painting vessels were complemented by sculptural figures of people, birds, and animals. This method opened a wide path for fantasy masters. Jugs, kumgans (vessels, teapots turned into a kind of sculpture. Their handles took the form of branches, and their spouts ended in a bird's head. Each element was not a copy of a real motif. It was ingeniously processed into a decorative form. All these motifs masters performed with a good understanding of the decorative nature of the drawings, boldly introduced blue, yellow, green colors in brown lines.
By the way, products for industrial and household purposes were also manufactured here, such as sewer pipes for Moscow streets.
Around 1800, in the village of Volodino, Bronnitsky district, the pottery of Pyotr Kulikov was opened, where porcelain was first created. In order not to declassify the production of the miracle of wonderful porcelain. Kulikov worked at the pottery himself and had two workers to help him. This factory is famous for the fact that it went from it Gzhel porcelain and not clay.
By 1812 in history Gzhel There are already 25 factories producing dishes in the fishery. Among them, the most popular were the factories of Ivanov and Laptev in the village of Kuzyaevo. According to the signatures on the remaining products are known master H. Gusyatnikov, I. Srosley, I. Kokun. In addition to dishes, they made toys in the form of birds and animals and decorative figurines on themes from Russian life. Shiny white horses, riders, birds, dolls, miniature dishes were painted with purple, yellow, blue and brown colors in a peculiar folk style. motives murals were decorative flowers, leaves, herbs. painting is complicated that the paint is instantly absorbed into the shard and nothing can be fixed.
From porcelain began to make oilers, milk jars, cups, inkwells, candlesticks, tea caddies. multicolor carpal painting in combination with gold adorned tea sets, flower vases.
History of blue, cobalt Gzhel began only in the 1940s. Gzhel art fell into decline and seemed to be forgotten forever. But, after the Second World War, one of Gzhel craftswomen production presented at the All-Union Exhibition their works, painted in the familiar blue and white scale, using cobalt gray, which becomes poignant blue when fired. At the plant, the works were accepted without enthusiasm, but at the exhibition they received the highest recognition - the Ilya Repin Prize. From that moment began the story familiar to all Gzhel - blue fairy tale.
(Drawing technique major elements was received on Master- teacher's class Gzhel state university, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, member of the International Union of Artists Korshunova Irina Viktorovna)
To begin with, we need to learn how to properly draw paint. Important! We paint with only one side of the brush, do not turn it over. To do this, take a thick brush and moisten it in water, squeeze it on the edge of the cup and move "Push" draw next to the paint, so one side of the brush picks up more paint than the other.
Exercise 1. Stripes.
Having collected paint, we draw a strip from ourselves.
Exercise 2. Leaves up and down
After picking up the paint, put the brush in parallel top sheet and with light pressure, round the stroke up or down.
Exercise 3. Petal down.
After picking up the paint, we put the brush parallel to the top sheet, with light pressure draw a line down, slightly to the side and raise the brush.
Exercise 4. Petals right and left.
Having typed paint, we put the brush perpendicular to the top sheet and with light pressure, round the stroke to the left or right.
Exercise 5. Rosan
With the help of the studied elements, we collect roses.
With a thin brush and a brush for priming, we draw up and complete the drawing.
Exercise 6 - decor elements Gzhel and ornaments, which uses painting.
IN Gzhel painting various ornaments are used from lines, stripes, colors, dots, etc. Let's try to reproduce them or come up with something of our own. To do this, we will use a priming brush and a thin brush.
Well, here we have finished our Master Class, let's look at the work, evaluate them, what turned out better, what was worse, what elements were more difficult?
Now it is obvious that learning to draw elements Gzhel painting is not so difficult, years and years of hard work, thousands of repetitions are important in order for the skill to grow into skill. How are you teachers, be able to teach children blue and white murals, lovely Gzhel fairy tale. Thanks!
Making Gzhel porcelain .
Many craftsmen who were trained at the Grebenshchikov factory in Moscow worked in Gzhel. Possessing extensive experience in pottery, supplementing it with new skills, Gzhel craftsmen quickly learned how to make majolica and began to produce similar products at home. They made elegant dishes, decorative kvass, kumgans, rukomoi, cracker mugs, dishes, plates and many other kitchen utensils. All dishes were painted with ornaments made in green, yellow, blue and violet-brown colors on a white background. As usual, a bird was located in the center of the picture, which was then supplemented by conditional trees, twigs, less often architectural structures.
Raw materials for gzhel
products.clay is It is the main type of raw material for the production of ceramic products, due to its fire resistance and plasticity. IN this case plasticity - the ability of clay to take any shape that the master wishes, and retain it after firing.
To obtain a high-quality final product, in addition to clay, other components are added to the composition of the mass, such as:
- Quartz sand
- Nephelinsyenite
- Perlite
- feldspar
The main methods of manufacturing Gzhel ceramics: Thanks to these additives, it becomes possible to regulate the plasticity of the ceramic mass, density, fire resistance.
Molding - made from ceramic mass by the hands of a master on lathe, or in an automated way - using ready-made templates on machines of various designs.
Casting in plaster molds - a liquid ceramic mixture (slip) is poured.
Then the product is dried in natural conditions, and when the required strength is reached, they proceed to the next operation - the mandrel. 
In the process of mandrel, the seams and irregularities are rubbed with a soft damp sponge, the missing parts are glued to the product: handles, spouts. Then the product is dried in special drying chambers.
In the photo above: a German firing chamber in the firing shop.
The next process of manufacturing a ceramic product is firing, as a result of which the product acquires strength. The firing process is performed twice:
Waste firing - at a temperature of 850-950 degrees for porcelain and majolica, 1200 degrees - for faience. After salvage firing, the product is covered with glaze (a thin glassy film that makes the product waterproof and decorative).
Poured firing - 980-1050 degrees for majolica, 1400 degrees for porcelain, 1200 for faience. At this stage, the applied glaze is fixed on the product.
The process of making Gzhel porcelain is shown in most detail in the film Blue Bird "Gzhel":
Interesting facts about Gzhel:
Gzhel art has existed for quite some time. Almost every person who managed to visit the Gzhel art exhibition took away a lot of positive impressions from there. And we offer you Interesting Facts about the art of Gzhel and everything connected with it.
Contrary to popular belief, Gzhel can be not only white and blue, but also green and white, black, red and white, and even multi-colored;
1.The traditional blue and white Gzhel is not originally Russian - these shades are borrowed from the Dutch;
2.Traditional colors - a combination of blue and white, by no means native Russian, but borrowed from Dutch culture
3. Each product is signed only and exclusively by hand
4. White and blue painting is obtained in an unusual way: first, the products are painted with cobalt oxide (it has a black color), then covered with glaze white color and put in the oven. After that, the cobalt is restored and acquires the same sky-blue hue, while the glaze becomes transparent - this is the secret of the miracle;
5. During the last firing, the gzhel is significantly reduced
ABOUT GZHEL PORCELAIN FACTORY
Gzhel f 
The history of the harfor plant dates back to 1818, when a small factory for the production of porcelain utensils and sculpture started operating in Novokharitonovo.
Now it's the most large enterprise in Russia for the manufacture of traditional porcelain with hand-painted cobalt, where hundreds of hereditary craftsmen work.
The assortment of the plant includes more than 600 items of teapots, kumgans, sugar bowls, oilers, caskets, candlesticks, vases, lamps, clocks and other household and decorative items. Over the past decades, a team of technologists, artists, production masters has been formed at the Gzhel Porcelain Factory, who, carefully preserving old traditions, use advanced methods in production technology. Constant improvement of product quality, variety of assortment, introduction of technological innovations, high artistic level, volume of output - made the Gzhel Porcelain Factory one of the leaders among the Gzhel producers of traditional porcelain with hand-painted cobalt.
The Gzhel Porcelain Factory is a regular participant in exhibitions and reviews of folk art crafts in Russia.
bike
The famous Gzhel porcelain appeared at the end of the 18th century. It was very expensive and was in honor of merchants and nobles. With the same reverence, Gzhel gizmos were treated in Soviet times. The secret of this fine production in the period of origin was owned by literally a few. Masters, fearing competition from local potters, strictly kept their secrets. The owner of the plant even specially hired a mute master so that he could not give out secrets to the side. The peasants are simple
Such folk craft as Gzhel painting originates from the 17th century. The emergence of the craft was caused by a vital necessity. Several villages were built on clay lands. From doing Agriculture they got a meager harvest. Pottery was a separate source of income, but the products had to be embellished in order to increase the attractiveness and demand for the product. Local craftsmen began to use drawings with animal figures and plant contours. Thus, the inhabitants of 27 villages who began to earn In a similar way, united.
The place in the suburbs was named Gzhel. The painting of the first pottery was made using multi-colored shades: red, green, yellow, purple, blue. The objects themselves were made of colored clay, resulting in Gzhel majolica. With the advent of new types of material with other qualities, faience began to be made. But when a special clay of a surprisingly white color was found, the craftsmen began to make porcelain and paint products only with blue paint, which marked the beginning of the history of such folk craft as Gzhel painting, which the whole world knows about.
Manufacturing technology
It has remained unchanged for 200 years. Basic production conditions: special clay, cobalt paints, glaze primer applied in a special way, high-temperature firing at 1400 degrees Celsius. And now the product, which is decorated with Gzhel painting, is ready. Of particular difficulty is the application of cobalt paints. The fact is that before the firing procedure they are all dark in color, without shades, the master must feel what the result will be. It comes with experience. The craft requires attention, precise drawing, and patience. All items are hand painted. One wrong smear - the product is subject to rejection. Therefore, professionals, masters of their craft, are engaged in such a craft.
The heyday of the craft
The greatest rise in Gzhel art falls on the reign of Nicholas 1. Perhaps this was due to the fashion for everything Russian that reigned in the country after the victory over Napoleon. Masters of Gzhel made household items at the European level. Their porcelain services, figurines, household trifles could freely compete with domestic analogues. Products were often compared and are being compared with Kuznetsov, Imperial, Popov, Gardner porcelain. They are absolutely on the same level in terms of quality and craftsmanship. main feature lies in the fact that Gzhel painting has retained its isolation from European standards and the depth of the Russian soul.
"Old" craft - a new take-off
In our time created
