Dymkovo Figurines
History
Dymkovo, a small village near Kirov, is known for producing bright-colored ceramic
toys. Beginning in the 17th century, Dymkovo
villagers began making toys for their annual Svistoplyaska
(“whistle-dance”), a spring festival (May 23) near the
Dymkovo villagers created three types of
clay toys: balls, whistles, and dolls. The latter depicted pagan gods and
goddesses such as Roshaniza (‘Protector
of the Hearth’) and Yarila ( the ‘Sun-God’-
a two-or three-headed red horse).
Originally designed to symbolize fertility, Dymkovo toys were used by
villagers to socialize their young in pagan traditions. Nevertheless, by
advertising these clay figures as toys, the craft was saved from destruction
from the Orthodox Church in the 19th century.
Dymkovo clay toy production swelled in the
first half of the 19th century, employing 59 families by 1856. Their popularity would eventually give way to
cheap Plaster-of-Paris mould imitations, a turn that would all-but-destroy the
craft by the end-of-the-century. Fortunately, a Dymkovo
enthusiast named A.I. Denshin attempted to revive the
craft during the 1930s. Through scholarship and personal encouragement, his
efforts led Dymkovo craftswomen to receive a gold
medal at the 1937 World’s Fair in
Design
Dymkovo villagers created stylized figures to resist
the fragility found in more intricate clay-baked toys. To distinguish these
conventional forms, they painted them with fanciful colors and patterns. Dots, circles, and waves, once symbolizing
their sun-god, were now reinterpreted as being especially creative. Likewise, the toys themselves, formerly pagan
representations, were reinterpreted as folktale characters
By the early 19th century,
Dymkovo toys began to depict peasants grouped by
activity (farm work, merriment), often with humor or sarcasm in mind. For
instance, toys depicting wealthy ladies in wildly fashionable dress were meant
to poke fun at local villagers emulating Western fashion. Specifically, these
figurines were created in response to a local influx of exiled Polish
revolutionaries and Russian intellectuals during the 1830s and 40s. They continued to remain popular among
peasants as subsequent urban migration followed.
Production
Initially, sifted river sand and red clay are mixed to create a mixture
impervious to cracking when fired. However, the clay is mushed
and mixed with water until it becomes highly pliable. Centuries ago, villagers
would form and fire several thousand figures together. As the festival
declined, individual households began baking items for several hours in their
home stove. At its height during the mid-19th century, Dymkovo villagers produced at least 100,000 figures a year.
After baking, the red-clay is coated with
a milk-and-lime (or milk-and-chalk) mixture to create a sticky, even white
surface when dry. These toys are then cleaned and painted (primary colors plus
black and gold) by women and children during the winter months. Though a
household could produce several hundred toys daily, they soon began to work
throughout the year when demand increased.
Artists
Akimova, Olga; Baranova, Galina; Benoi, A.N.; Denshin, A.I.; Dobuzhinsky,
M.V; Koshkina,
Evdokia;
Koss-Denshina, Ekaterina; Kuzminykh,
Anna ; Machkevsky, Larisa ;
Mate, V.V
.
Bibliography
Dymkovskaia igrushka.
Planeta.
Hilton, Alison. Russian Folk Art
.
Ovsyannikov, Y.Russian
Folk Arts and Crafts 1968
Pronin, Alexander. Russian Folk Arts .
Barnes. 1975