Russian Crafts and Souvenirs
Shopping for Slavic Arts and Handicrafts in Russia
A guide to the different types of Russian handicrafts available to travelers in the Russian Federation, From gzhel to matroshkas to khokhloma.
When searching for an appropriate souvenir of your stay in Russia, it is important to know just what it is you are looking at, and what it's called. Russian handicrafts come in a wide, and ever-widening, variety, but the most common traditional forms are described below. Hopefuly you can make your trip to the bazaar a bit more successful, and tell folks back home just what you bought them, and why.
Khokhloma is the name for the beautiful golden, red and black painting on wooden figures and dishes. Its traditional origins are in the Nizhniy Novgorod region of Russia, which, with its dese forests, naturally lent itself to this type of craft. The most common types are turned bowls, cups, plates and saucers, which are then varnished with linseed oil and delicately painted. The craft receives its name from the village of Khokhloma, where many of its masters resided. It is suggested that the floral patterns and techniques originate from medeival painting of gilt on wooden structures and interiors. The wooden objects re first impregnated with caly in water, then impregnated with linseed oil and dusted with aluminum poweder before being painted and varnished. Note: These objects are decorative, and generally should not be used for eating.
Gzhel is the blue-on-white porcelain which gets its name from a major ceramics center located 50 kilometers to the southeast of Moscow. The village is mentioned for the first time as a major center of pottery-making in the 14th century. The region rose to fame in the 18th century. The decorations are generally simple, folk designs, with the most common color being a dark blue on a white background.
Samovars have occupied an honored place in the Russian home for centuries. The Samovar plays a central part in the traditional Russian style of tea-drinking. The traditional samovar (the name comes from the Russian words (sam, meaning self, and varit, meaning "to boil") consists of a large metal container with a faucet and a pipe running through the center. The pipe would be filled, traditionally, with fuel, and the water kept constantly hot. A teapot sat on top filled with zavarka, a concentrate of tea that would be added to the boiling water from the main vessel, at a ration of about 1/10. The first samovars were manufactured in 1810 in Tula. Production has since spread throughout Russia, but Tula is still famous for its samovars. Samovars come in all shapes and sizes, and there are modern electric variants as well. There is an enormous variety in ornamentation, from the unornamented to complex designs in brass, silver, bronze, and iron. Some are even plated in silver and gold.
Lacquer Painting. Russian lacquer boxes are famous worldwide for their accomplished miniature painting technique, featuring intricate scenes often based on Russian cultural themes such as fairy tales, historical scenes, sketches of peasant life, and battle scenes. Usually made of papier mache, they take their name from the multiple layers of laquer, often red and black, applied inside and out. Particularly prized are laquer boxes from Fedoskino, Mstera, Palekh, and Kholui, all of which have their own unique styles.
The Russian Matroshka, king of Russian handicrafts, is so popular that it has its own article.
In addition to these major staples, Russians also excel in the manufacture of shawls, wooden toys, (some of which date from medeival times!), Lomosov porcelain, and icons. In Moscow, the Ismailovo Bazaar, reached via the Partizanskaya station of the Moscow Metro, is an excellent place to shop for Russian goods from inexpensive to high quality.
