The Rossi Wing

Gzhel Ceramics, Kholmogory Bone Carvings, North Russian

Niello and Lacework of the 20th Century

Room X brings together ceramics from Gzhel, bone carvings from Kholmogory, north Russian niello and lacework.

Between 1945 and 1949, with the help of local masters, A. B. Saltykov (an expert on Russian ceramics) and N. I. Bessarabova (an artist from Moscow) revived the historical folk craft of Gzhel ceramics. They addressed the artistic traditions of the Gzhel faience of the nineteenth century, producing porcelain with handmade underglaze cobalt designs. Gzhel majolica has been undergoing a revival since late 20th century.

The works of the masters of Kholmogory carved bone reflect the age in which they were made (1940s–1990s).

The twentieth century was the time of lacework’s greatest development in various parts of Russia. A special place among them belongs to Vologda and the villages of Zakhozhye in the Kirishi district of Leningrad Region. In the 1930s and 1940s, these regions engaged in active quests for ornamental motifs and subjects expressing the new Zeitgeist. Compositions depicting tractors, aeroplanes, parachutes and stars constituted an entire age in the history of Vologda lace, reflecting the realities of Soviet life with subtle mastery. E. D. Zvezdina (1900–1983), a master from Kirishi, created a unique panel called Cavalry. Depicting border guards on patrol, this was the first time that a modern multi-figured composition with a subject was depicted in lace.

Alongside intimate household objects, the masters of Vologda lace also created many large-scale works in the twentieth century. One of the finest examples is the Singing Tree panel by V. N. Yelfina (1930–1998). The unique tablecloth I Will Treat You To Rowan Berries by hereditary mother and daughter lace-makers V. D. Veselova (1919–2006) and N. V. Veselova (born 1952) is dedicated to A. Y. Yashin, a poet from Vologda.

The Peacocks panel is created with the help of lace embroidery. This work is a product of the unique centre of stitch embroidery in the village of Kresttsy in Novgorod Region. The craft of embroidery has existed there for over one and a half centuries, decorating clothing, table and bed linen with white embroidery on thinned linen.

Ever since the eighteenth century, a major centre of inlay work on silver has existed in the town of Veliky Ustyug in Vologda Province. The art of niello in Russia dates from the earliest days of Kievan Rus. The works on exhibition mostly date from 1950s to 1970s. Silver powder cases, boxes, wineglasses, jewellery sets, bracelets, brooches and rings were decorated with patterns of northern grasses and flowers, hunting scenes and popular panoramas of north Russian towns.