How did Gzhel come about
How did Gzhel come about
Gzhel - an ancient pottery area, in whichincludes 27 villages. It is located 60 km from Moscow on the bank of the river Gzhelki. There are found the richest deposits of clay, so for a long time there lived potters. Amazingly beautiful, blue-and-white ceramics Gzheli has long won world fame.
The first mention of Gzheli was found in writtensources for 1339 Judging by the information found, Gzhel was among the lucrative volosts and was the property of the great Moscow princes and kings. Beginning in the 16th century, potters from Gzhel began to bring to Moscow the remaining stocks of ceramic ware, as well as clay for potters from the Yauza Sloboda. They also visited local fairs, where they got acquainted with the paintings of masters from different parts of Russia. In the 70's and 80's. 18th century Gzhel turned into a Russian majolica manufacturing center. Great popularity throughout the country began to use the jugs, kvassi and kumgans made here. Some products were of an emphatically decorative nature. For example, a jug could be made in the form of a two-headed eagle, a mug for kvass - in the form of a lion with an open jaw. In addition to the dishes, the masters created funny figures of people and animals. In the mural of Gzhel majolica, mainly four colors were used: blue, green, yellow and brown. The products depicted fabulous teremas and magic grasses, rural landscapes and scenes from everyday life, birds and beasts. Most researchers believe that the tradition of painting products on a white background with cobalt, which gives a blue color after firing, appeared in Gzhel under the influence of blue-white Chinese porcelain . In the 19th century, Gzhel switched to the production of semi-faience, which was painted with cobalt and covered with transparent glaze. True, unlike porcelain, semi-faience is a rather crude material, from which thick-walled products are obtained. In the second quarter of the 19th century, thanks to the use of new materials and the improvement of the ceramic mass, the masters Gzheli began to create products made of thin-walled faience and porcelain decorated with a traditional floral and geometric ornament. Today the word "gzhel" evokes associations with fabulous beauty and subtle harmony of amazing blue-and-white items. Artists Gzhel create dishes of traditional forms, decorating it with stucco figures. Although the products retain their functional purpose, they are used mainly for decorative purposes. In addition, the tradition of making small plastic arts - individual figures of people and animals and whole decorative compositions - continues to exist.
