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Easter Eggs

 

 

Overview

For over 70 years, producing Easter eggs was considered an illegal religious activity in the Soviet Union.  Historically however, Russians maintained a long tradition of giving Easter eggs to each other as a way of professing faith in Christ’s resurrection.  Within the last decade, wood, stone, porcelain, and lacquer eggs have once again began to depict the symbols and saints belong to the Christian faith. 

 

Porcelain eggs

In the early 1700s, Peter the Great’s penchant for European culture invariably led porcelain to be introduced into Russia.  However, creating porcelain was considered a national trade secret at the time. After years of experimentation, a Russian named Dmitri Vinogradov learned to create porcelain as well.  Within a year of his discovery (1749), he had already created the first porcelain Easter egg, initiating an artistic trade that would last until the early 20^th century.

 

Under the auspices of Russia’s Imperial Porcelain Factory, between 40 and 50 porcelain Easter eggs were created every year for the Russian royal family. Received as gifts, these eggs were then put on display underneath icons, suspended in cages by a ribbon.  The extensive craftsmanship required for production (6 weeks worth of effort) continued to ensure that each would be valued in its own right. 

 

By 1802, the Imperial Porcelain Factory was producing nearly a thousand eggs annually.  When porcelain technology became widely known (about the 1820s), private porcelain factories began porcelain egg production as well.  By the second half of the 19^th century, high demand for ceramic products led porcelain factories to begin mass producing porcelain eggs.  Eventually, more the 3000 porcelain eggs were being produced by end of the century.

 

Unfortunately, the need to fulfill production quotas encouraged many handicraft artists to sacrifice quality for quantity. Nevertheless, porcelain eggs continued to exhibit high-quality artistry.  Their high cost, (relatively) limited production, and exclusive clientelle enabled artists to compete for quality rather than production.  Indeed, by the turn-of-the century, roughly 300 eggs received by the royal family displayed intricately painted Easter scenes (such as The Resurrection), though floral and ornamental patterns were far more abundant.  Many displayed the tsar’s monogram as well.

 

Though floral compositions are still popular today, porcelain eggs displaying religious themes/ saints are increasingly in demand.  Companies well-known for producing porcelain eggs today include Daki, Aksinya, and Feniks

 

 

Wooden Eggs

Wooden eggs are either polished like a mirror for painting (commonly depict icons, geometric designs, or biblical scenes) or carved in all-over fashion. For craftsmen living in remote, rural villages, creating and hiding Easter eggs was fairly easy during the Soviet era.  Today, several styles exist:

 

Mstera (or Mystyora)

In 1874, the Tyulin brothers, renowned icon painters from the village of

Mstera, began painting wooden eggs with well-known Biblical scenes (the Descent into Hell).  Their archaic yet colorful painting style was accordingly known as Mstera, long favored by Russia’s Old Believers (Orthodox Russians who did not agree with 17^th century reforms conforming to the Greek Orthodox Church) for iconography. The effort and skill required for creating such eggs kept them reserved as gifts for important visitors only.

 

The exterior composition typically display gold borders upon a bright red background. If known, the gift receiver’s patron saint was painted on the backside, opposite the front composition.  Miniature Easter eggs commonly display iconography on the front.  A pure gold interior is revealed when the egg’s two halves are opened.  This iconographic painting style can frequently be found on lacquer box compositions as well.

 

Polkhovsky Maidan

Craftsmen  from Polkhosvky Maidan, a backcountry village located southwest of Nizhny Novgorod, paint wooden eggs in red, yellow, and dark blue.  Their bright colors are delineated by India ink and frequently display floral or pagan motifs (sun, horse, bird symbols).  Though Polhovsky Maidan craftsmen are best known for producing inexpensive nesting dolls in the same style, their wooden eggs also display archaic pagan symbols similar to those found on Ukrainian Pysanki eggs.

 

Khokhloma

Primarily employed for bowls and spoons, the Khokhloma style is also evident on painted wooden eggs. The style traditionally combines red, black, and gold to depict plant ornamentation, berries, and blades of grass.  Overlay painting is often used with these forms, allowing for some background transparency (esp. with gold). In contrast, black background can be excised as a vegetative pattern, revealing a golden silhouette (and the reverse may occur as well).  A more in-depth description can be found in this essay.

 

Khotkovo Carving

Since the early 20^th century, Khotkovo craftsmen (working not far from Sergiev Posad) have been known for their distinctive Abramtsevo- Kudrino woodcarving style.  Invented by VP Vornoskov, this style employs curving contours against a recessed background in order to create an all-over floral pattern. 

 

Bibliography
Dymkovskaia igrushka. Planeta. Moscow. 1970.

Hilton, Alison. Russian Folk Art. Indiana University Press. 1995

Ovsyannikov, Y.Russian Folk Arts and Crafts 1968

Pronin, Alexander. Russian Folk Arts. Barnes. 1975