From origins to the present day...
Nowadays, Gzhel is usually understood as a type of Russian folk art - ceramic products painted in a special style. A feature of Gzhel painting is the use of three primary colors: white, which makes up the background of the product, and blue and light blue, which are used to make the drawing itself. Gzhel dishes and other Gzhel products are well known not only inRussia, but throughout the world.
Few people know that initially Gzhel was the name given to an area located in the southeast of the Moscow region. Residents of villages and villages located in this area were excellent masters of pottery art. And only in the distant future one of the most famous types of folk craft received the name of the area.
One of the reasons for the development of this particular craft was the high-quality Gzhel clay. After all, as you know, initially a certain type of activity appears exactly where the material is. The development of pottery in the Gzhel area began in the 4th century BC. In the 14th century, the Gzhel land became the center of ceramic production in Rus'. It was there that ceramics were made for the Grand Duke Ivan Kalita himself.
Production expanded, new technologies appeared, and mskill of potters. At the beginning of the 18th century, the production of porcelain products was mastered, and the so-called “semi-faience” was also produced. It was his craftsmen who painted it with blue paint, which later became a symbol of Gzhel products. Initially, golden tones, fashionable at all times, prevailed in the coloring of porcelain products.
Unfortunately, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the industrial crisis in Russia also had an impact on folk art. The production of ceramics was re-established only in the middle of the last century. It was then that the organized artel “Forward, Ceramics” developed a new design - blue painting on a white background. The products were made from porcelain, and the paint base was high-temperature cobalt. It was on the basis of this artel that the Gzhel association was created, which actually brought together the best masters of this art. At the end of the 80s, the leading artists of the factory were awarded the Repin State Prize “For achievements in the revival, formation and development of the art of Gzhel, in the creation of a modern style of Gzhel porcelain with underglaze cobalt painting.”
The art of the people and their creativity invariably reflect their identity and spiritual wealth. One such widely known Russian folk craft is Gzhel. The unsurpassed art of filigree painting on clay products and the peculiarities of the design allow us to confidently call Gzhel the heritage of Russia. This folk craft with a long history is still very popular today. Gzhel not only pleases the eye with its unique and intricate ornamentation, but also immerses you in a mysterious and intriguing fairy-tale world.
History of Gzhel and its origins
The name of this folk craft is associated with the village of Gzhel, located in the Moscow region. This place is very picturesque, but not fertile. For a long time, the residents of this village tried to engage in agriculture. However, their time was wasted. All the failures were associated with a huge layer of white clay that lay almost on the surface. After it became known about the high quality of this clay and the fact that it makes excellent porcelain, a folk craft associated with the production of various pottery products was born. Local craftsmen created not only dishes, but also children's toys. The first pottery products of this area have been known since 1320.
Gradually, the original drawing, unique painting and amazing originality of Gzhel became very popular, and individual workshops merged into large productions.
There is an opinion that at first this folk craft was called “zhgel”, and then for ease of pronunciation they switched to the word “Gzhel”. The very name of the village meant “burn.”
Features of the Gzhel fishery
The difference between Gzhel and other folk crafts, which allows us to confidently call it a unique, distinctive, inimitable and original part of Russian artistic creativity, is the unusualness of the painting and, of course, handmade work. The main feature of Gzhel is a pattern in blue tones on a snow-white background and a pattern representing a complex floral pattern. Thanks to the contrast of cobalt paint and a white background, a unique brightness of color is created, which invariably attracts the eye and makes you admire the master’s work again and again.
In addition, the design is applied under the glaze and only then the product is fired. Cobalt is one of the few paints that can withstand oven temperatures of 1300 degrees.
Variety of Gzhel shapes
Gzhel products are distinguished not only by a huge variety of designs and original ornaments, but also by a wide selection of shapes.
The world of Gzhel is represented by such objects as:
Tea pairs
Services
Flower vases
Teapots
Sugar bowls
Jam sockets
Samovars
Souvenirs
A wonderful and unusual gift in addition to the above are: damask, plaque, kumgan.
Shtof is a tetrahedral-shaped vessel with a short neck and a stopper. In the old days it was used to store strong alcoholic beverages. The plaque, made using the Gzhel technique, is a painted decorative plate and serves as an excellent interior decoration. Kumgan is a vessel with a narrow neck, thin spout, handle and lid. Previously, it was used to wash hands and feet, and now, thanks to the masters of Gzhel, it is a wonderful and memorable gift.
Gzhel is also represented by a rich variety of souvenirs. Among them are figurines of animals, heroes of folk tales, snowmen, fish, nesting dolls, etc. Some of the products are dedicated to representatives of various professions, made in the form of the first leaf of a calendar, or have the shape of a bell.
Method of manufacturing Gzhel handicrafts
Creating products for Gzhel requires from the master extraordinary precision, painstakingness and an incredible flight of imagination. The dishes can be made of porcelain or majolica. The difference is that porcelain is white clay. It is more fragile and thin. Majolica is made from red clay and is more durable.
The entire manufacturing process can be divided into five stages. These include:
Creating a blank
Preparation for painting and first firing
Control and rejection of products
painting
Second firing
The preparation process involves creating a porcelain or majolica mold from clay according to the artist’s sketches. This preparation is made on a pottery wheel, but not with your hands, but with special tongs. After the plaster mold is ready, liquid porcelain mass is poured into it, which gradually hardens. Gypsum absorbs moisture well, so porcelain hardens quickly.
An important feature of creating Gzhel is that all elements of the dishes, from handles to relief patterns, are made in different forms. This requires special care and attention from the master.
The next stage is preparation for painting. It includes polishing the product and firing it.
In order for the design to lie smoothly and neatly, each product is first cleaned with a special knife and polished. This process is carried out manually. Then the attachment points of various parts of the product are washed away, and the remaining irregularities are smoothed out using a foam roller. After this, the product is sent to the kiln for firing, which lasts about eight hours.
After firing, it is necessary to monitor the quality of the product and the presence of defects in it. They are identified using a fuchsin solution. This substance accumulates in the uneven surfaces of porcelain and turns bright red. Thus, unevenness or poor-quality joints in the product become visible. Next, imperfections are removed by roller sanding or washing. If the defect cannot be eliminated, the product is sent to scrap and melted down.
After this, painting begins. Each master has his own unique method of applying patterns and signs his work at the end. Then, the supporting parts of the product are treated with paraffin. To do this, the master manually dips the dishes into a bath of hot paraffin. Then, the product is dipped in glaze and sent for a second firing. It lasts quite a long time, eighteen hours. It is thanks to underglaze painting that the color saturation remains the same for a long time. Such products can be washed not only by hand, but also in the dishwasher.
Thus, each stage of the work is performed manually. Such work is very painstaking, therefore, mostly women work in Gzhel factories.
After firing, the product takes on its final form and is subject to subsequent packaging.
Features of Gzhel painting
The uniqueness, grace and incredible beauty of Gzhel products are given by the peculiarities of their painting. These include:
Snow white background
Deep blue pattern
Surface glazing
Diverse and complex floral patterns
Handmade
The use of only two colors and the uniqueness of the images make it possible to create unique masterpieces of folk art, therefore, there are no two identical products from Gzhel.
The pattern of the future product is first carefully thought out, and only after that is applied to the porcelain surface. Ancient masters applied the drawing immediately, without a preliminary sketch. They drew their inspiration from nature or from pictures of folk life. Painting is done with a solution of cobalt oxide, which after firing acquires a deep blue color. It is applied with special squirrel brushes.
There is another type of painting in the Gzhel style, which is called majolica. Its peculiarity is that not one color, but five, is applied to the snow-white surface.
Many centuries ago, Gzhel masters tried to reflect in their art their vision of the world around them, pictures of urban and rural life, inexplicable natural phenomena, their thoughts and fantasies. Based on this, the general style of painting can be divided into three main groups:
Ornamental
Vegetable
Plot
The ornamental pattern is original, unusual and a certain association can be traced in it. The most common ornamental patterns are: drops, tendrils, blades of grass, pearls, combs. In addition, a checkered pattern is traditionally applied along the side and border, which is a chain of blue squares.
The plant pattern is considered classic for Gzhel. It is usually quite stylized, but you can always distinguish one plant from another. Most often, craftsmen depict berries, blades of grass, cuttings, and flowers on Gzhel products. Garlands of berries on porcelain can easily be intertwined with ears of wheat or a riot of floral patterns. At the same time, gooseberries can be easily distinguished from currants.
Often ornamental painting is combined with a floral pattern.
The plot drawing was one of the first to appear. It presented pictures from the life that surrounded the master. It could be beautiful landscapes, fun fairs, sleigh rides, colorful natural phenomena.
Modern masters of Gzhel
Thanks to the creative heritage left by the ancient masters of Gzhel, their modern followers were able not only to revive this great folk craft, but also to introduce into it notes of modern art, features of life and the originality of the views of the present time. At the end of the 19th century, modern Gzhel began to gain popularity, however, they painted mostly simple figures and the design was not as intricate as that of the ancient masters. Gradually, porcelain sculpture and decorative vases began to be mastered, and new original types were added to the traditional Gzhel pattern.
Thus, thanks to modern masters, there was a revival of Gzhel, it acquired new interesting techniques, exciting plots and a special style. Now these products are widely in demand all over the world and are an integral part of Russian folk art.
Gzhel was and remains an unsurpassed symbol of the enormous creative imagination and highest skill of the Russian people. This craft is a kind of history book, which carefully preserves the imprint of the time in which it was created, immerses us in a world full of incredible miracles and unique colors, and tells about how our ancestors lived. However, the popularity of Gzhel lies in the fact that it is capable of displaying pictures of modern times, helping people to look at themselves from the outside, to see how beautiful and amazing the world around them is.
Elena Ulimova
Porcelain teapots, candlesticks, clocks,
Animals and birds of unprecedented beauty
The village in the Moscow region has now become famous.
Everyone knows its name - Gzhel.
Proud in Gzhel inhabitants of the heavenly blue
You will never meet such beauty in the world!
The blue of heaven, which is so dear to the heart,
The master's brush easily transferred it to the clay.
Each artist has his own favorite pattern
And each of them reflects their dear side.
HER grass is silk, her flowers are spring
And the magical skill is worthy of admiration!
Drink wonderful tea from these cups with roses
Greet your guests on this joyful holiday with a warm heart! "If a bird soars over Gzhel, you'll see: on the dry lands, pine trees stand like light forests, in the lowlands spruce grows in thickets, birch and aspen islands are interspersed with cheerful spots among the dark needles, and in the forests there are fields like bald patches in thick fur.
If you dig in the ground like a mole, you'll find out: land Gzhel skinny, are of little use for arable farming - sand and clay. And although the peasants sow rye, oats, buckwheat and millet, they reap meager harvests. Good in Gzhel Only the potatoes will be born, large and crumbly.
And a person passing by will be surprised to hear how they praise Gzheltsy their homeland and call it mother. Sometimes it can't stand it stranger:
Why are you boasting? What is your Gzhel mother? I've been to the black earth side, right there.
But Gzheltsy they wave their hands at the stranger, they won’t let you finish - all in one voice:
What you don't know about, keep quiet. We feed not on earth, but on clay.
And the stranger will be silent and unaware to him: How do people feed on clay?”
A. V. Peregudov "In those distant years"
What's happened Gzhel.
The land of the porcelain miracle,
And all around him are forests...
Gzhel- an ancient village on the river bank Gzhelki, located in the Ramensky district of the Moscow region, 60 km from Moscow. The richest clay deposits are located here and potters have lived here for a long time. The village got its name from the word "zhgel", i.e. "burn" or "burn"- all these are words from the vocabulary of ancient potters. It is interesting that the population here is mainly Old Believers. In some villages, ancient Old Believer churches have even been preserved. Remember Boyarina Morozova in Surikov’s painting, her two-fingered sign of the cross. This is how Old Believers are still baptized, including in (O) Gzhel. Old Believers still live there.
The churches are incredibly beautiful, for some reason experts call this architectural style "Byzantine". They are strict and laconic, but very Russian. We passed by on the way blue-white miracle - decorated chapel Gzhel tiles. I saw this for the first time.
Gzhel- name of the folk « blue and white» craft, ceramic center of Russia. Under "roof" Gzhel are located, except for the village of the same name, and other famous pottery villages (listing as I go): Troshkvo, turn right - Glebovo and Fenino; Rechtsy, again to the right - Novo-Kharitonovo, Turygino, Bakhteevo, Metkomelino; to the left - Volodino, Zhirovo, Ignatyevo, Karpovo, Kuzyaevo, Kolomino - in general there are about 30 of them. It’s interesting what’s right speak: not to go "V Gzhel» , A "in Gzhel» .
Gzhel parish in. 18th century in one of the revision tales it was described So: “The land is sandy, the bread is mediocre, the mowing is the worst, the forest is wood-burning, the peasants make a living by making different types of dishes and services...”
Your understanding Gzhel I can also express it in three words - clay, craftsmen and a special painting technique.
History of the fishery.
It all started with clay. Nature itself has endowed this terrain: here it is Gzhelsko-Kudinovskoe deposit of fatty refractory clays. It is underground, and on its surface there are small hamlets and villages. But how much do our handy people need - there is clay, there are hands - that’s great! Since ancient times, potters, potters and potters lived on this clay land, that is, everyone from young to old in this area was engaged in pottery. They dug the clay themselves. This is a difficult and dirty business. They dug with holes or "pipes". Digging was done by peasant men with their sons, or later by artels. Everyone wanted to attack "lived". The clay lies in layers; between the clay layers there are layers of sand that reach "several fathoms thick". There are several types of clay. The first layer is simple red clay - "Shirevka"; Further "fur"- yellow, medium quality; and at the very bottom the best thin white clay - "soap", which is used to make porcelain and earthenware.
Go ahead and dig down to some good clay with a shovel. "Furs" They dug up that matter too. They brought him home and put him in a barn. There, on their knees, they moistened it with some water, kneaded it thoroughly, and beat it with their hands. Next, the master turned the potter's wheel, put a piece of clay and something from under the skillful hands comes out: milk jugs, plates, bowls, honey pots, kvass pots and kumgans - jugs that look like a bird, with a curved spout and a handle-tail.
When the master finished his work, he called his apprentice sons and clerk daughters. The boys helped pour glitter glaze over the stucco molding. The girls were coloring. Then all the dishes were carried to firing or "zhgel" into a big furnace - technology! - and before, after all, grandfathers boiled a pot in fatty cabbage soup for gloss. It’s clear that in addition to household utensils, daddy the potter also sculpted clay waxwings and figurines for the kids’ fun. The peasants sacredly protected the secrets of crafts and painting from their village neighbors and passed them on by inheritance. This is how family dynasties were created "grinders", "scribe", and the most businessmen realized the cherished peasant dream - "f-a-abriku" opened.
The fishery is very ancient. Archaeologists dug up shards in this area and were surprised - not only did the colors not fade, but the craftswomen depicted not just conventional grass, but meadow fescue or bentgrass, not just leaves, but fern leaves, not just tendrils with berries, but - "amazing" discovery made by archaeologists - “this image resembles strawberries”. Well, of course, we thought that the ancient Russians slurped cabbage soup with bast shoes.
In the 17th century The Pharmacy Decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich the Quiet was issued, so that “not to give this clay anywhere, but to keep the clay for pharmaceutical work and henceforth the clay from Gzhelskaya to have the volosts and transport the same to the volosts by the peasants, such as clay will be needed in the pharmacy order.” Gzhelsky for this reason, peasants were never serfs - after all, all Gzhel together with the peasants, it was assigned to the Pharmacy Prikaz specifically for the purpose of making utensils. Royal letter!
In the 18th century Mikhailo Lomonosov, who searched for the secret of porcelain and studied Gzhel clays, wrote: “There is hardly anything in the world that is purest and without any admixture, which chemists call a virgin. What is our Gzhel, which I have never seen more beautiful in whiteness.” Yes and it happened: under Peter I here "looked for" clay for bricks, and under his daughter Empress Elizabeth - for the first porcelain factory in Russia. Classmate of the great Mikhaila, chemist Dmitry Vinogradov "washed" the Germans with their Meissen porcelain - I finally figured it out "Chinese" the secret of porcelain and brought from Gzhel clay, from which Russian porcelain products were first made.
Well, what about the peasants? In the 19th century there are fewer and fewer individuals, more and more people work in cooperatives or have saved up for their own tiny factories. Gzhel bloomed and smelled! According to the 1871 census in 16 villages Gzhel was: 11 shops, 15 drinking houses, 11 taverns, 5 inns and 88 industrial establishments. Gzhelsky peasant families came out "to the people"! Life was in full swing!
Gzhelskaya painting is considered underglaze, i.e., a simply fired shard is painted first, so after applying the design, the product is dipped into the glaze, and then sent back to the oven for a second final firing at t -1350. There the glaze becomes transparent like glass, and the cobalt changes color.
"Lingerie"- This is a porcelain form without painting.
"Cover"- this is the blue painting itself on a white background.
Gzhelskaya painting is divided into three types. The main thing is grass, cereals, berries, twigs, leaves, bouquets and garlands of flowers. In addition to roses, poppies, dahlias, lilies, peonies, asters, carnations, and daisies are depicted. Their form is a little conventional. This is a plant painting.
Ornamental. First of all, these are checkers - several rows blue- white squares along the side and a belt-laying along the side too. Artists also painted famous Gzhel nets -"combs"(in the form of spruce, "droplets", "pearls", "antennae". Apply the design using a hard bristle brush. "marbled". It fills the space inside, for example, wavy lines, or a star, a circle at the bottom of a plate.
Plots. This is nature and the seasons. These are scenes of city life, rural landscapes and everyday life, etc. These are characters from Russian fairy tales: Blue birds, Polkans, Sirin birds, various Mermaids, Bayun cats, etc.
Blue-eyed dishes –
Vases, teapots and dishes –
It shines brightly from there,
Like native heavens.
Gzhel rose. "The ABC of strokes".
Originally, back in ancient times Gzhel was colorful, the dishes were painted with bright colors, and the flowers were not blue, but yellow, red and green. Gzhel After all, it has never been a luxury item. Gzhelsky jugs for mash and milk, kvass, kumgan-birds, bowls for stew were intended for simple working people and taverns. Therefore, the palette of the three main colors of the rainbow fit perfectly into the still life of a peasant table: a loaf of bread fresh from the oven, a jar of warm milk fresh from the cow, wooden spoons and patterns on bowls and mugs pleasing with the natural beauty of colors. In the beginning. 20th century these cute little flowers did not coincide in any way with the geometry of the revolutionary red banners and five-pointed stars. Yes and "dispossessed" What difference does it make to the consumer what the prison in the Siberian taiga is made from?
Therefore, the old rustic three-color bouquets were replaced by blue Gzhel rose.
Now the corporate color Gzhel paintings - juicy blue, bright blue, cornflower blue, the color of sky and water. Cobalt is a fashionable paint in the city, but Gzhel masters, not shy about new blue fashion, they still make multi-colored dishes for themselves. It's clear. A rustic bouquet begs to be sniffed, but a blue rose keeps its distance. Young lady!
Speaking of the colored paints used to paint "Old Russian" Gzhel- majolica is green (copper salts, yellow (antimony salts, cherry (manganese salts). The blue one is clear - cobalt salts. The basis for everything is white enamel. This Gzhel"five-flower".
U Gzhel residents have their secrets how to make, say, a rose exactly Gzhel rose.
The main secret is the strokes. A smear is a birth sign Gzhel.
* The main trick is the correct ratio blue and white or a combination of “the whiteness of the snow-covered fields of the Moscow region and transparent blue clear sky».
** Another rule is that each subsequent stroke is different from the previous one. First, paint is applied thickly to the brush. Next, with different pressure, lay out the flower with a brush. The first strokes are the most juicy, but as they decrease they become lighter. Round flower petals are either clear or soft "blurry". This is how multi-petaled flowers are drawn. After firing, the flower becomes cornflower blue of blue color.
*** "Brushstroke with shadows". The paint is applied to one side of the brush and applied with a slight circular turn, i.e., rotated around the handle. In the thicker part of the brush there is more paint - the stroke is dark, towards the middle of the paint there is a little less - the stroke is lightened, and the thin tip leaves a very light trace. This creates a multi-colored three-dimensional rose or leaf.
"The ABC of strokes" complemented with other elements. The thin tip of the brush is used to paint the stem, tendril-curls, veins on the leaves or shading. Sometimes by blue colors are drawn with thin golden lines and strokes, which seem to indicate contours. But this is a matter of taste. You can't edit!
Let's imagine that we Gzhel artists. Let's draw a rose.
narrow medium-wide brush. We turn it around the cutting, then apply broad strokes from the middle of the flower blue and cyan paint, i.e., as if we are building up the petals with broad strokes. Happened? Yes, we are almost professionals! Although, to comprehend "The ABC of strokes" artists take about ~5 years.
IN Gzhel created a stepwise training system. Future cadres are still sitting in sandboxes in kindergarten, but they are already working on them - teaching kids how to sculpt and lay out with a brush Gzhel rose;
schools with an artistic bias undergo industrial practice; and the most gifted enter the Gzhelsky institute or college and improve their skills in postgraduate courses in Moscow.
Another one Gzhel secret: the style of painting is very similar, or one might say almost identical, to the patterned inserts in Old Believer handwritten liturgical books.
* N. I. Bessarabova
*** A. B. Saltykov "The ABC of strokes"
GZHEL
Colloquial name for pottery produced in the area villages Gzhel Moscow ( cm.) region, and one of the famous Russian folk arts and crafts.
Gzhel has long been a center for the production of pottery from high-quality local clay. In the 17th century The first handicraft workshops producing dishes appeared here. In the second half of the 18th century. began producing majolica products. Miniature dishes and small decorative sculptures (white horses, riders, birds, dolls) were painted with purple, yellow, blue and brown paints in a unique folk style. The paints were applied with a brush. The motives for this painting were decorative flowers, leaves, and herbs.
At the beginning of the 19th century. The production of porcelain, faience and semi-faience began in Gzhel. The shape and painting of porcelain and earthenware products retained the characteristic features of folk ceramics. From the second half of the 20s of the XIX century. products began to be painted predominantly with blue paint.
Currently, the enterprises of the Gzhel Association, located in the village of Turygino (near Gzhel), produce porcelain tableware, decorative sculpture, etc. Gzhel masters continue the traditions of folk art. Products are still painted by hand. Modern Gzhel porcelain and earthenware are characterized by blue painting on a white background, a wealth of shades of blue. The painting is dominated by floral patterns and images of flowers. The dishes are often decorated with sculptural elements. Decorative sculpture most often represents images of animals and scenes of folk life.
Dishes. Gzhel:
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Decorative sculpture. Gzhel:
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Russia. Large linguistic and cultural dictionary. - M.: State Institute of Russian Language named after. A.S. Pushkin. AST-Press. T.N. Chernyavskaya, K.S. Miloslavskaya, E.G. Rostova, O.E. Frolova, V.I. Borisenko, Yu.A. Vyunov, V.P. Chudnov. 2007 .
Synonyms:See what "GZHEL" is in other dictionaries:
GZHEL- And; and. collected Products of folk art ceramics with rich blue painting on a white background // A separate product. ● By the name of the village of Gzhel, where this craft originated. * * * GZHEL GZHEL (Gzhel ceramics), ceramic craft products... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Gzhel- a village in the Moscow region, to the southeast. from Moscow. Gzhel ceramics are widely known: kvass, plates, toys with multi-color painting and sometimes with molded figurines. The industry in the surrounding area has reached a high level of excellence. level in the 2nd half of the 18th century, in ... Geographical encyclopedia
GZHEL- GZHEL, and, female, collected. Products of folk artistic ceramics [after the name of the village of Gzhel, where the corresponding craft arose]; such a separate product. | adj. Gzhelsky, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
Gzhel- Gzhel, and (settlement) and Gzhel, and (product; also collected) ... Russian spelling dictionary
Gzhel- and. Name of the locality. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova
GZHEL- GZHEL, a village in the Moscow region. Railway station. Ceramic enterprises (Gzhel ceramics). Pottery reached a high artistic level in the 2nd half of the 18th century. majolica (kvass, plates, toys, etc.), with multi-color painting, ... ... Russian history
Gzhel- noun, number of synonyms: 2 city (2765) ceramics (18) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary
Gzhel- Gzhel, a village in the Moscow region, in the Ramensky district, railway station. Ceramic enterprises (production of Gzhel ceramics). Pottery has a long tradition. He reached a high artistic level in the 2nd half of the 18th century... Dictionary "Geography of Russia"
Gzhel- ... Wikipedia
Gzhel- and, f. Type of porcelain. Gzhel fashion is now blooming in Moscow. This is also porcelain, thick-walled, as if “country”, made in a small factory at the Gzhel station near Moscow. [Literary newspaper, 1980, 42] ... Small academic dictionary
Books
- Gzhel - Russian pearl, M. G. Averyanova. At a distance of 50-60 km southeast of Moscow, in the Ramensky district, along the Yegoryevskoye Highway, there are two dozen beautiful villages and hamlets merging with each other. Gzhel is the name of one of…
In contact with
Since Gzhel is an ancient center for the production of porcelain, earthenware and earthenware, back in the 19th century there were attempts to connect the incomprehensible name of the area with its specialization:
Politikaner, CC BY-SA 3.0The dishes are burned, hence the whole production is called zhgel, a word that turned into Gzhel due to the commoner’s ability to rearrange consonants.
Later, when the fishery became especially important and attracted most of the local workers, the name of the production was transferred to the area most occupied by it.
Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0 It is clear that this explanation is completely unfounded and represents a typical false etymology.
A little history
Gzhel has long been famous for its clay. Widespread mining of different types of clay has been carried out since the middle of the 17th century.
In 1663, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich issued a decree “to send clay suitable for apothecary vessels to the Gzhel volost for apothecary and alchemical vessels.”
Messir, CC BY-SA 3.0 At the same time, 15 carts of clay from the Gzhel volost and
“It was ordered to keep that clay for apothecary affairs: and from now on, the sovereign ordered that clay from the Gzhel volost to be obtained and transported to the same volosts by the peasants, as clay will be needed for the Apothecary Prikaz.”
In 1770, the Gzhel volost was entirely assigned to the Apothecary Order “for alchemical utensils.” The great Russian scientist M. Lomonosov, who appreciated the Gzhel clays, wrote such sublime words about them:
“... There is hardly any earth in the world that is the purest and without any mixture, which chemists call a virgin, except among the clays used for porcelain, such is our Gzhel... which I have never seen with a more beautiful whiteness...”
By 1812, there were 25 factories producing tableware in Gzhel.
Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0 Among them, the most popular were the factories of Ermil Ivanov and Laptev in the village of Kuzyaevo. According to the signatures on the remaining products of famous masters: Nikifor Semyonovich Gusyatnikov, Ivan Nikiforovich Srosley, Ivan Ivanovich Kokun.
Products
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, and miniature dishes were painted with purple, yellow, blue and brown paints in a unique folk style. The paints were applied with a brush. The motives for this painting were decorative flowers, leaves, and herbs.
Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0 After 1802, when light gray clay was found near the village of Minino, the production of semi-faience arose in Gzhel, from which many kvass pots, jugs and kumgans were made. Since the second half of the 20s of the 19th century, many products were painted only with blue paint. Semi-faience was distinguished by its rough structure and low strength.
Distinguish from fakes
Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0 Job author's.
Over the years, the brand name changed its appearance. Products with a mark in English were exported.
Russian Handicrafts Guide, CC BY-SA 3.0 Colored Gzhel
Few people know that initially it was not blue, but multi-colored Gzhel that was typical.
Al Silonov, GNU 1.2 This type of painting was practiced in the 17th-18th centuries. The delicate pattern is distinguished by its grace. Nowadays, only a few masters master this type of Gzhel painting.
Colored Gzhel
Production of Gzhel in our time
After the collapse of the USSR, Gzhel was the only arts and crafts enterprise in the Gzhel region. New times have brought new troubles. Gzhel-inspired products appeared.
In the Gzhel region alone, about thirty enterprises producing counterfeits arose, and about seventy in Moscow, the Moscow region and other regions of Russia. Only in recent years have several enterprises begun to produce truly artistic porcelain products.
But there still continues to be a certain confusion with the choice of products from these and other enterprises, which are still often linked to the Gzhel association itself and its trademark.
Main production centers of Gzhel:
There are several more independent enterprises, the name of which contains the toponym “Gzhel” - “Sin Gzhel”, “GzhelGrad”, “Star of Gzhel”, “Gzhel-Malachite”.
Photo gallery
WHERE CAN I BUY?
You can view, select and purchase the best Gzhel products in the online store “RUSSIAN CRAFTS”.
Name meaning
The broader meaning of the name "Gzhel", which is correct from a historical and cultural point of view, is a vast area consisting of 27 villages united in the "Gzhel Bush".
It is located approximately 60 km from Moscow. Now “Gzhel Bush” is part of the Ramensky district of the Moscow region. Before the revolution, this area belonged to Bogorodsky and Bronnitsky districts.
Gzhel toys
Until the middle of the 18th century, Gzhel made pottery that was common for that time, made bricks, pottery pipes, tiles, as well as primitive children's toys, supplying Moscow with them.
It is believed that the number of toys produced at that time must have amounted to hundreds of thousands of pieces per year.
The secret of porcelain
Around 1800, in the village of Volodino, Bronnitsy district, peasants, the Kulikov brothers, found a composition of white earthenware. The first porcelain factory was founded there around 1800-1804.
Pavel Kulikov, its founder, learned the technique of making porcelain while working at the Otto factory in the village of Perovo. Wanting to preserve the secret of porcelain production, Kulikov did everything himself, having only one worker, according to legend, two potters. G. N. Khrapunov and E. G. Gusyatnikov secretly entered Kulikov’s workshop, copied the forge (an oven for firing products) and took possession of clay samples, after which they opened their own factories.
The Kulikov factory is remarkable in that it originated the Gzhel porcelain production.
Renaissance
Only in the mid-20th century did the restoration of the fishery begin in Gzhel, which recently celebrated its 670th anniversary. In the 1930s and 1940s, almost half of all porcelain and earthenware enterprises in Russia were concentrated here.
In the post-war years, the artist N. I. Bessarabova and the scientist A. B. Saltykov participated in the restoration of the fishery. Bessarabova is considered the founder of the modern Gzhel style.
Famous artists
N.I. Bessarabova taught her students to make “a wide brushstroke with tonal color transitions from dark blue to light blue, almost white” on the products.
Already at that time, one could see inscriptions on products symbolizing one or another event in the life of the country. For example, “30 years of the Komsomol” or “1948 USSR”. Among Bessarabova’s students is the artist T. S. Dunashova, known for her skill in “flower painting.”
Artist N. B. Kvitnitskaya is working on creating small sculptures: “Grandmother and Granddaughters”, “Birdwoman”. N. B. Kvitnitskaya. "Grandmother and granddaughter."
The artist L.P. Azarova creates dishes of large shapes, decorating them with moldings. For example, on the hangers of the kvass there are figures of roosters ready to pounce on each other. The lids of the teapots are decorated with flowers. All her products, despite their beauty, retain their everyday purpose.
Distinguish from fakes
First of all, you need to pay attention to the markings, which are always applied under the enamel, which means they cannot be erased.
It is indicated on it either with the manufacturer's logo or the name of the craftsman, if Job author's.
And, of course, even with an inexperienced eye you can notice the difference in the drawing: a real artist always writes down the details, uses many techniques, while a few blue strokes are carelessly applied to fake products.