Pavlovsky Shawls
History
Until the early-1800s, Russian silk and cashmere-type shawls were labor
intensive and costly to produce. Indeed, few Russian citizens could even afford
such shawls (see Merlina Shawls). In
the 1830s however, the newly invented Jacquard Loom made decorative shawls much
more affordable by substantially cutting production costs. In the 1840s, production costs declined
further when block printing was introduced (replacing woven shawls). No longer
associated with European aristocracy, decorative shawls became a popular item
among the growing middle class.
Capitalizing on these trends,
textile-manufacturers Yakov Labzin
and Vasily Gryaznov
introduced aniline dyes and garish color combinations (pink, green, and blue)
to suit middle-class tastes. For better exposure, these innovations were
conspicuously displayed in large and luxurious floral designs. By the late 1860s, Labzin
and Gryzanov’s factory had captured the growing
middle-class market for woolen shawls. Within a few decades, they would capture
the silk market from their
Located in Pavlovsky
Posad, the Labzin
factory could readily employ various suppliers, buyers, and talented artists
from nearby
By the early 20th century,
the Labzin factory had created a nationwide
distributing network. A large and highly successful company, the Soviets
happily nationalized the enterprise when they came to power in 1917. Though civil war and raw material shortages
hampered production, within a decade the Pavlovsky
factories were producing several hundred shawls each year. Similar shawls would
be given awards at such international exhibitions as the
1939 World’s Fair in
After World War II, the Pavlovsky Posad factories were further centralized. The
reorganization presaged several modernization changes, including introducing advanced printing techniques to increase
production. In the late 1970s, Soviet authorities sought to again increase
production by introducing new equipment and modernizing factory procedures.
After the
Shawl Design
Like many decorative shawls, design
patterns must be strategically placed.
Set upon the shoulders, corners typically highlight a few large flowers
or several small flowers intertwined and arrayed in concentric circles (though
occasionally in star, oval, or a locket patterns as well). Throughout the shawl, roses or tulips maybe
commonly positioned among smaller posies and sprigs, bounded by a chain of lacy
openwork along the edges and a modest garland within the interior. Smaller
flowers or berries are sometimes depicted in the shawl’s otherwise vacant
center. To make the designs appear more naturalistic, Pavlovsky-artists
use chiaroscuro (light/shade contrast) to set the floral motifs in relief.
Floral motifs are incorporated with extravagant colors, producing an intense
contrast against the shawl’s dark background (generally dark blue, cherry,
violet, green or black). Silver filigree-like borders typically serve to frame
this background and bring the eye back to the center. Less conspicuously, the
shawl’s fringes and tassels are variously hand-knit to give a unique appearance
to each.
Design History
In the 1820s, the popular Empire-style
dress displayed a straight silhouette that called for a complementary long
shawl held up by the arms. Though this requisite combination helped popularize
shawls, the style began to fade in the 1830s.
Subsequently, women began wearing square-shaped shawls placed
about the shoulders, giving them more versatility and design options (allowing
for symmetric design). As shawls became
more affordable and popular, shawl designs progressed to became
much more variedcontinued to progress.
Until the early 1800s, traditional
Russian shawls typically imitated Indian and Turkish motif patterns (as a
highly detailed, flat ornamental design on a fully decorated background). As
the century progressed, Pavlovsky Posad artists increasingly incorporated floral motifs
into their shawls. Given the Russian love for natural beauty, it’s not
surprising such shawls eventually came to display a full range of florals, depicting red roses, dahlias, nasturtiums,
phloxes, dahlias, peonies, white lilies, and blue bellflowers.
By the 1870s, Pavlovsky
Posad shawl designers had become increasingly
self-confident. Floral artists were
inspired to enlarge upon designs from a variety of sources (especially Western
artists and historical sources). Floral motifs, while greatly favoring roses
and dahlias, continued to remain highly eclectic. Shawl-designers even employed
oriental motifs (i.e. Turkish lace instead of foliage) for filler and border
ornament. Likewise, interlacing and radiating buta
motifs (paisley) depicted in allover pattern became popular by late
century.
Nevertheless, floral designs retained
a near monopoly on shawls in the 20th century. And, except for
slight design variations, floral patterns seemingly appear to alternate every
few decades. Yet floral patterns can vary widely over time. For instance, during
the 1920s, shawls depicting larger flowers in contrasting colors of red, green,
dark, and blue became common. In
contrast, more dense and decorative flower compositions highlighting
black-and-white contrasts became popular during the postwar period. More
recently, the more subdued beige, yellow, brown and green colors have become
popular.
Dyeing and Coloring
In the 19th century,
textile dyeing remained a hereditary trade, handed down from generation to
generation. The skills required for dye
production made the trade more art than science. Though artistic intuition is
occasionally required, dye production and application have become a much more
scientific process.
To create a specific dye, the dyer
must know how to combine varying amounts of red, blue, and green (or yellow).
During the mid-20th century, the dyer imbued the typical shawl with
between 10 and 12 colors (though some shawls had more than 20). In the late
‘50s, a new film screen-printing process expanded the color range between 2 and
7 colors. Using this technique, the pattern’s photographic negative is
transferred to a fine mesh screen. Dye is then pressed through several such
screens, each acting as sieve for a particular design color. By using
successive screen applications, the floral design is reproduced color-by-color.
Among the several samples completed,
an Art Council (consisting of highly regarded artists and Ministry of Culture
officials) agrees upon finished designs.
Once a design has been selected for production, colorists attempt to
reproduce it using test dyes. After a correct color solution is found and
applied, the shawl is steam-treated to fix the dye and washed. Afterwards, the
shawl’s true coloring becomes apparent.
Each shawl proceeds through several
color variations, several of which may differ dramatically from the original
(selecting the final choice is hardly an exact science). Instead, colorists typically investigate
several color combinations before generating a harmonious color scheme. Though
floral color selections need not strictly relate to reality, the finished
product must not overly compromise the drawing’s naturalistic appearance.
Finally, before printing begins, the
shawl is treated with advanced plasma chemical technology (rather than harmful
chlorination) to resist shrinkage.
Printing
The printing technique chosen for production can influence the shawl’s final
color and composition. Specifically, production advances in textile printing
technology influence color reliability and design precision capabilities.
Likewise, any design application must be considered in combination with fabric
features, as the former will become an inseparable component to the
latter.
For ornate shawls, printing boards are frequently employed to create the floral
design in relief. These foot-long printing boards incorporate reverse design
patterns to impress specific colors/designs upon the shawl. This process
requires that each pattern board be carefully positioned upon the shawl to
create a professional, symmetric appearance.
Finally, copper or brass inserts are used to create fine lines and
details that otherwise would not transpose to cloth.
Before block printing, woven shawls took 18 months to complete. As block
printing progressed, shawls became both more popular and easier to come by.
Though still employed for complex, high-end shawls, block printing reached its
peak during the late 19th century. Besides metal plate
printing and roller printing (which creates the pattern raised in
relief), the automated mesh screen-printing mentioned above is also used. Pavlovsky shawls will continue to surprise and
delight as printing and design technologies attempt to keep pace with the
artist’s imagination.
Artists
Abolikhin, K.
Olshevskaya, Z.
Regunova,
E.
Dadonova,
I.
Ol’shevskaya, G.
Zinovyeva, K.
Slashcheva, N.
Bibliography
Olga, Gordeyeva. Russian Kerchiefs and Shawls
. Aurora Art Publ.
Leningrad. 1985.
Rudin, N.G. Pavlovsky
Shawls. Mockba. 1979
Akimovna, Galina. Russian Printed Shawls. "Sov. Rossi´i`a", Moscva. 1986,
http://www.moscow-guide.ru/culture/folkart/pavlovo
http://www.platki.ru/history.htm
(russian)