ZHOSTOVO LACQUERED TRAY

Zhostovo black lacquered metal trays painted with rich colorful flower ornaments represent one of the most famous Russian arts and crafts, Zhostovo painting, developed in the village of Zhostovo, Mytishi District of the Moscow Region.

The handicraft of painted metal trays appeared in the mid 18th century in the Ural, where metallurgical factories of the Demidovs were located (Nizhny Tagil, Nevyansk, Verkhneivinsk (now Novouralsk), and only in the first half of the 19th century the trays started to be made in villages of Moscow Province, such as Zhostovo, Troitskoe, Novoseltsevo, and others.

Soon the Moscow handicraft took the lead Soon the Moscow handicraft took the lead. Zhostovo painting owed a lot to the Lukutins lacquered miniature on papier-mâché, produced in the nearby Fedoskino. Presently production of metal trays with lacquered painting is concentrated in Zhostovo Village of the Moscow Region and in Nizhny Tagil.

Widespread motifs of Zhostovo painting are bouquets and still-life compositions, flowers, vases, and garlands. By their function trays can be divided into two groups: those for household use (to serve food, or to put a samovar on) and just for decoration. Trays can be of round, square, octagonal, oval, combined, or some other shape.

Then Zhostovo masters paint trays freehand, without use of stencils or samples, totally relying on their own fancy. Painting is usually made against the black background (sometimes it can be red, dark blue, green or silver), and the artist works on several trays at once. T

The ornamental design is applied with liquid gold (gold powder diluted in transparent varnish or turpentine) or white paint with varnish, which is dusted with aluminum powder.

Each tray created at the Zhostovo Decorative Art Manufactory is painted by hand, has several layers of authentic Zhostovo painting and is signed by the artist.

Flowers and fruit is the most natural subject for a Zhostovo tray Flowers and fruit is the most natural subject for a Zhostovo tray. In the dawn of the 19th century some artists would travel to other areas and sketch flowers that caught their eye. Returning home they would share sketches with other painters. As a result first Zhostovo flowers didn't look quite realistic and it became traditional for this place to paint flowers that looked absolutely alive yet slightly differed from any flower grown on Earth.

fruits, berries and birds

Zhostovo hammered trays are created according to the old tradition of hand smithery. Hammered trays owe their configuration, size and proportion to the artistic feeling of a smith.

Guitar-like, round, octangular and rectangular shapes of a hammered tray is what Zhostovo borrowed from Nizhny Tagil in the 19th century. Zhostovo smiths perfected and diversified them. Also the idea of carved handles and smooth curves at the border of a tray belongs to Zhostovo masters of smithery.

Every hammered tray which was created at the Zhostovo Decorative Art Manufactory has got its own special number. Quality of a hammered tray is endorsed by a certificate. The certificate also contains the name of a smith who created a tray and the name of the artist who painted it.

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From the first half of the 19th century there were workshops producing painted lacquered trays in several villages of Moscow Province. Zhostovo factory originated from the workshop opened by the Vihsnyakov brothers in 1825. In 1928 several artels, established on the basis of workshops after the revolution, merged into one - Metallopodnos (i.e. metal tray) – which was later, in 1960, transformed into Zhostovo Factory of Decorative Painting. Starting from 1938, future Zhostovo tray painters underwent in-plant training at the factory.

Today Zhostovo painting is applied not only to metal, but also to papier-mâché, ceramics, glass and even leather.

http://www.zhostovo.ru/

Rostov Finift’ – Russian Enamel Painting

From time immemorial Rostov Veliki was famous for its architecture, icon-painting, frescoes, and bell-ringing, and from the mid 18th century enamel painting (finift) flourished here. Rostov finift’ is painting on enamel with enamel paints.

Enamel came to Old Rus from Byzantium (together with Christianity, in the 10th century), and so the Russian name of enamel - finift’ - is derived from the Greek finftis, which means ‘bright, glittering’. It is the radiance, brilliance, and unfading colours that attract to finift’: the painted designs shine in the milk-white enamel surface as if oozing from its depth.

Painting on enamel, being a very complicated decorative art, has always been esteemed on a par with precious stones. Finift’ technique is used for creating jewelry, icons, miniature portraits, coats of arms, and other luxury. Painting on enamel boasts literally everlasting purity, luster and transparency of colours. It is not subjected, unlike other kinds of painting, to ruinous impact of light, dirtying, and moist and temperature differences.

As for painting on enamel, a comparatively late technology of artistic enamel, it appeared in Russia in the late 17th century. This original technology was invented by the French jeweler Jean Toutan in the 17th century. He invented refractory paints which are applied with a brush on enamel surface and then dried and fired to secure.

Art enamel at all times valued at jewels, and today is recognized as a leading art painting of the XXI century.

The year 1900 saw the opening of a Rostov finift’ school that launched painting on enamel of jewelry. In 1960 Rostov Finift Factory producing hand-painted enamels was founded. Nowadays it has grown into a large-scale enterprise, with its production having the call in the international market.

Sources: http://finifty.ru/