Russia, with its birch bark baskets, nesting dolls, and gilded icons, could seem exotic, even strange, to Westerners. Although the Iron Curtain has long since fallen, many American collectors remain unfamiliar along with her broad number of crafts and treasures.
For hundreds of years on end, wood, so ample in this land of dense forests, was commonly fashioned into utilitarian, home objects. Each winter, when bitter snows blanketed the fields and winds swept the woodlands, peasants traditionally exchanged their plows and reduce-saws for blocks of wood and carving knives at their firesides. For long months, by the dim light of their smoky cabins, they patiently turned out wooden plates, bowls, spoons, and ladles. These with time and inclination might have painted their handicrafts.
By the mid-17th century, expert craftsmen in Khokhloma (pronounce this by clearing your throat twice, then rhyming with “coma”), a trading put up in the Nizhny Novgorod area, alongside the mighty Volga River, had gained fame for creating a singular, ornamental wooden lacquer ware.
Perhaps khokhlomas, as Khokhloma’s creations themselves got here to be identified, were inspired by Russia’s traditional religious works of art.
Based on some sources, khokhloma’s traditional colour combination, red, black, and gold, as soon as held deep religious significance. Within the Jap Orthodox Church, they clarify, vivid shades of red representing beauty, black representing grief that cleanses the soul, and gold representing heavenly light once embellished sacred church vessels and icons. True, solely clergy and wealthy nobility may afford to personal such costly artworks, which featured gold-haloed saints set against shimmering gold leaf backgrounds.
However because of their similarity, a woodsman or laborer, eyeing his first red, black, and golden khokhloma purchase, will need to have felt as if he owned a bit of heaven. Although he doubtless ate from his plainer pieces every day, he most likely used his most interesting khokhlomas solely on special occasions, like christenings, marriages, and non secular holidays—if at all.
Creating khokhloma was, and nonetheless is, an intricate, time-consuming craft passed down from generation to generation. First, artisans seasoned blocks of linden, beech, or birch, then either carved them with knives or turned them on lathes to create traditional home items. After drying them in kilns, they primed them with liquid clay to seal their pores. Then they fired their creations again. Next they hand rubbed them several times with uncooked linseed oil till they turned glossy. Finally, they coated this stuff with particular metallic powder, and fired them up yet again. When khokhlomas emerged from the kiln, they glistened with golden (or occasionally silver) coloration like high-quality metal ware. Yet khokhlomas do not contain a bit of metal. To additional gild the lily, expert artists then adorned these shiny implements with traditional red and black geometric patterns or highly stylized flowers. Then they finished them with coats of clear lacquer.
By the twentieth century, curiosity in khokhloma had waned dramatically. Russia’s 1917 October Revolution, nonetheless, heralded a national revival of the country’s folk arts, together with khokhloma. Through the Twenties and ’30s, artisans banded collectively into cooperative associations, adopting trendy tools and methods, like replacing tin with aluminum powder and replacing linseed with artificial oil. In the past, khokhlomas had easily cracked, crazed, chipped, or dulled by means of years of use. With at the moment’s improvements, however, even delicate ones, as soon as deemed suitable only for ornament or festive events, are durable enough to be used yr round.
Within the 1960s, the Soviets, to encourage production, based khokhloma factories, one close to Khokhloma village and one other in close by Semyonov. Between them, 1,000 artisans preserve this craft’s secret techniques and traditions for future generations, producing domestic items, furniture, and souvenirs. Even today, crafting a khokhloma can take anyplace from two to 4 months, relying on the intricacy of its design and its size. Since each is hand painted, each is certainly one of a kind. Because Russians hold master artists in high esteem, the Soviet Union, in 1979, issued postage stamp honoring khokhloma craftsmen and their art.
Most modern khokhlomas, to increase buyer attraction, feature themes drawn from nature. Luscious-trying strawberries, red and black currants, cherries, rowanberries, and raspberries, all a-swirl with grapevines are favorite choices. So are khokhlomas rich with gilded green leaves and orange berries, although they break with traditional colors. As we speak, khokhlomas are available a thousand shapes and sizes, together with egg cups, honey pots, trinket boxes, mugs, goblets, cutting boards, and salt boxes.
As years go by, khokhloma continues to realize in popularity. Few vacationers go away Russia with out tucking a khokhloma souvenir or two in their suitcases. Khokhloma designs adorn t-shirts, decorate world class racecars, and even grace the tails of a number of British Airways Boeing 757s. Sets of in style khokhloma spoons, inexpensive and broadly available even within the U.S., make unusual presents or putting decorative accents for dining areas or kitchens. So do khokhloma trays, tea sets, spice units, serving dishes, and candle holders. Delicate memento boxes or fetching brooches make fine, comparatively low cost personal gifts. All-inclusive eating sets, which include serving bowls and platters in varying sizes, could, however, command hundreds of dollars. Larger, more intricate pieces, like khokhloma swan-bowls, chairs, beds, benches, and children’s table and stool sets, naturally are even more costly.
Russians, true romanticists at heart, embrace khokhloma’s magnificence and history as one. Practically each household in Russian boasts glassed cabinets stuffed with khokhloma tea cups, saucers, and serving dishes. Lots of their treasures, like brightly lacquered borsch ladles, vodka shot glasses, bread basins, diminutive bowls and spoons for having fun with jam, and caviar sets, replicate typical Russian culture. There are even khokhloma toy balalaikas, beloved folks stringed instruments, available on the market.