Clay toys.
Clay toy - special kind folk art: the direct function did not always play a significant role in it. With the exception of some whistles and rattles intended for certain play actions, many stucco and painted figurines were performed for entertainment, looking at, and in the 19th-20th centuries even as household decorations, like porcelain figurines. Prominent researcher of Russian folk art V.S. Voronov called the toy "a small household sculpture" and rightly noted its "internal impracticality", which, in his opinion, only unfettered the creative imagination of the masters. He believed that the creators of toys themselves "often felt in them much more content than the momentary joy of childhood." Folk masters expressed in them their ideas about the world, nature, people. With minimal material and technical effort, they created expressive images, which still impress with a peculiar combination of plastic art and painting. One of the researchers correctly noted that "toy pottery was not a simple craft, but the work of a peasant, where he, as an artist, solved the problems of form and content."
In St. Petersburg, you can enjoy a clay toy in the Russian Museum, which has a large and diverse collection. There is also the most famous Dymkovo toy, and Kargopol, and Filimonov, and Tula, and others. All of them are similar, but still differ from each other: the nature of the painting, the plot, the modeling technique. Each has its own character, its own energy, which the author put into it.
The earliest works exhibited in the museum date back to the 19th - early 20th centuries. Some of them were in the museum even before the formation of the department of folk art - in the historical and household department. The main part, which included very rare specimens, came in 1938 from the Handicraft Museum. In subsequent years, the collection was replenished mainly with products of Soviet masters. Toys were purchased from the authors during the expeditions.
The history of Russian clay toys.
The history of Russian clay toys begins in the distance of centuries. But the pages that have come down to us are very fragmentary. The oldest toys on the territory of our country were found by archaeologists among the objects of the II millennium BC. These are clay axes, dishes, rattles. In Slavic burials of the 6th-8th centuries AD. figurines of skates and rattles were found. Whistles (skates, birds, rams), rattles, fragments of human figures found on the territory of ancient Russian cities - Kiev, Novgorod, Ryazan, Moscow, Kolomna, Radonezh, Dmitrov, Zaraisk, etc. date back to the X-XII centuries. All these are fragmentary, often broken specimens of toys, which make it possible to judge not so much about their artistic merits, but about the age of origin and the method of manufacture. The toys were molded by hand from lumps of clay and fired; some show traces of painting and painting.
Archaeological works of the 1940s-1950s in Moscow, in Zaryadye and on the territory of the former Goncharnaya Sloboda, gave a lot of new information for studying clay toys of the Middle Ages. Several hundred toys of the 14th-17th centuries were discovered here, which for the first time made it possible to get acquainted in detail with their mass production. Among the numerous fragments and fragments of figurines, whole specimens have been preserved, testifying to the high skill of Moscow toy potters.
The plots of these toys are quite diverse: traditional horses, whistle birds, rams, rattle balls, bear figurines. Almost the main feature of the clay toy is already fully manifested in them - a generalized and expressive image-type created by the simplest methods of sculpting the main parts of the figure with two or three characteristic details. At the same time, the features of reality, life authenticity are either exaggerated and sharpened to the point of grotesque, or poeticized, which in both cases deprives the images of everyday life. These features - primordial and main in folk art - in the toy received a special breadth and freedom of embodiment. The very purpose of the toy allowed the master's imagination to be distracted from everyday life, to enhance and modify real features.
The toys of old Moscow are molded from the same red clay as the crockery. Most of the toys are molded in parts, from separate lumps of clay, which were joined together, and the seams were carefully smoothed out. Many toys are solid, but there are also hollow ones, with holes for whistling or with pebbles placed inside, like in rattles. The fashioned toys were dried, and then some were hardened to a dark brown color, like figurines of bears, while others were covered with a layer of white clay mixed with lime (the so-called engobe) and fired. Engobe was decorated with figures of people, horses, birds, rattles. It was applied in spots and circles or completely over the entire surface, and then, as if on the ground, they painted or performed the simplest ornaments in the form of stripes, circles, crosses and ovals. The finds of archaeologists in Moscow testify that already in the 16th-17th centuries clay toys were works of developed folk plasticity.
Clay - the material is fragile and short-lived. Despite the large-scale production of clay toys, obvious even in Moscow in the 16th - 17th centuries, few of them have come down to us, since they easily broke, broke and left with generations of people. Therefore, in the collection of the Russian Museum, clay toys are represented mainly by works of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Oryol clay toys.
In the collection of the Russian Museum there are several toys from the village of Pleshkovo, Livensky district, Oryol region (see Appendix 1, Fig. 1.). They were made in the 1960s by the craftswoman Alexandra Mikhailovna Ivanilova, who adopted this art from her mother. Ivanilova's favorite characters are ladies, horsemen, cows, roosters, and all of them are whistles. The toys are rough and primitive in terms of modeling and painting, but they have a special expressiveness that makes it possible to recognize the hand of this craftswoman. Cow Ivanilova of squat proportions, on thick short legs, with an elastic smooth body, underlined chest. Throwing head with raised and flattened horns; eyes and nose - holes pierced with a stick - give the image a comical expression of proud stubbornness.
The figurine of the lady is small in size. Its shape is close to cylindrical, somewhat narrowed in the middle - to indicate the waist. The left hand, pressed to the body, is lubricated separately. The right one, as if raised in an indefinite gesture, is at the same time a whistle hidden in the body of the figurine. Three holes on the flat face represent the eyes and mouth. The small head is surrounded by a row of teeth, which means a braid laid in a ring. On the lady's dress white background clay rhythmically laid spots of dark red, lilac-brown and blue-blue. Scattered among the spots are oblique crosses with circles at the ends. Both in pattern and color they are close to the typical ornaments of peasant cube heels. The painting is done with aniline paints plucked with a goose quill or home-made ones - from plant leaves, grated brick, diluted ink. The paints easily lay on the surface of the toy and partly absorbed into the pores of the slightly burnt clay.
Skopinsky clay toys
Vyrkovsky clay toys
Abashevo clay toys
Kursk clay toys
Kargopol clay toys
Filimonovo clay toys
Tula clay toys
Dymkovo clay toys
Thus, the Russian Museum presents a diverse and large collection of Russian clay toys, which allows you to learn about the variety of forms and representations of this craft in different regions of the country, trace the history of the development of clay toys and simply enjoy this wonderful kind of folk art.
Many works of individual masters are presented in the museum; they can be used to characterize the style of the author, his influence on the toy of the region in which he worked. The collection of Dymkovo toys of different masters is especially widely represented. There were many famous craftswomen in this region: Anna Afanasyevna Mezrina, Elizaveta Aleksandrovna Koshkina, Elizaveta Ivanovna Penkina and others. The museum presents their works of different periods, subjects. There are also toys created in a creative union. One of these is the famous "Controversy". This clay toy is the largest in the museum's collection.
A special pride of the museum is a collection of toys from Tula. The Russian Museum has the largest collection of this toy. Here are presented not only young ladies with umbrellas typical for Tula, but also a horsewoman, nuns and other clay toys.
The collection of Abashev toys is interesting. The museum presents the early works of masters - these are toys-whistles covered with glaze, simple in shape. The works made later are presented mainly by the work of the master T.N. Zotkin, who provided strong influence for a clay toy price Abashevo | These are completely different toys - fantastic animals, painted with dark saturated colors.
Thus, the collection of the Russian Museum shows us a clay toy - as a special kind of art, which has its own directions, plots, forms, and has a special charm. The exposition of the museum reveals before us wonderful world Russian clay toys. This wonderful world of kindness and warmth, which the masters of this business have invested in their creations.
Russian clay toy museum.
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Presentation on the topic: Folk clay toy
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Clay toy - a special kind folk art. It is intended not only for the game, but serves to decorate everyday life. Images of toys are quite simple, original and expressive. Clay toys are a special kind of folk art. It is intended not only for the game, but serves to decorate everyday life. Images of toys are quite simple, original and expressive.
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The most famous of the clay crafts of Russia. It is distinguished by an extremely simple and clear plastic form, a generalized silhouette, and bright ornamental painting on a white background. The most famous of the clay crafts of Russia. It is distinguished by an extremely simple and clear plastic form, a generalized silhouette, and bright ornamental painting on a white background. This craft originated in the settlement of Dymkovo, which is near the city of Vyatka (now Kirov). There are excellent clays and river sand suitable for ceramic craft.
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The whitewashed toy signs. The pattern is strictly geometric, consisting of combinations of stripes, cells, circles, round spots. The whitewashed toy signs. The pattern is strictly geometric, consisting of combinations of stripes, cells, circles, round spots. Usually the painting is built according to the following scheme: a person with a slightly convex nose has round red cheeks and a mouth, black arches of eyebrows above the points of the eyes, black or brown hair. The nature of the clothes is yellow, blue, green, red, crimson, black. In addition to the bright and original painting, the Dymkovo toy has a gold leaf finish.
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Filimonov toy - Russian art craft, formed in the Odoevsky district of the Tula region. According to local legends, the village was named after the potter Filimon, who discovered deposits of high-grade clay. Filimonovskaya toy is a Russian art craft, formed in the Odoevsky district of the Tula region. According to local legends, the village was named after the potter Filimon, who discovered deposits of high-grade clay. To this day, the Filimonovo toy is characterized by elongated shapes and a major, unusually bright painting of a solid color, with alternating colored stripes of scarlet, crimson, yellow and green. The craft of toys arose on the basis of local pottery in the middle of the 19th century. At the beginning of the XX century. died out and was restored in the 1960s.
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The main type of products is whistles of traditional forms (various birds, a lady, a rider, a horse, a bear, etc.). They are characterized by elongated proportions associated with the plastic properties of the local "siniki" clay. When fired, the clay gives a white surface, on which a colored painting with characteristic rhythmic stripes is applied. The main type of products is whistles of traditional forms (various birds, a lady, a rider, a horse, a bear, etc.). They are characterized by elongated proportions associated with the plastic properties of the local "siniki" clay. When fired, the clay gives a white surface, on which a colored painting with characteristic rhythmic stripes is applied.
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Unusual bright toys, decorated with geometric patterns of crimson, yellow, blue and green, were very different from the already well-known Dymkovo ladies, water carriers and horsemen. They became a revelation not only for many lovers of Russian art, but also for most specialists. In their silhouettes, shapes, ornaments, a thousand-year tradition can be traced. They are very similar to the clay figures of the 10th-11th centuries found by archaeologists during excavations in Kyiv. But, perhaps, most of all, Filimonov's toys resemble, both in terms of modeling and painting, ancient Greek terracotta sculpture. Unusual bright toys, decorated with geometric patterns of crimson, yellow, blue and green, were very different from the already well-known Dymkovo ladies, water carriers and horsemen. They became a revelation not only for many lovers of Russian art, but also for most specialists. In their silhouettes, shapes, ornaments, a thousand-year tradition can be traced. They are very similar to the clay figures of the 10th-11th centuries found by archaeologists during excavations in Kyiv. But, perhaps, most of all, Filimonov's toys resemble, both in terms of modeling and painting, ancient Greek terracotta sculpture. A few samples of old Filimonovo products (mid-19th century - early 1930s), which are now in the collections of only a few museums, allow us to judge that the period from the middle of the 19th century to the end of the 20s of the 20th century was the heyday for the Filimonov craft . The modern Filimonov toy in museums and private collections is mainly represented quite widely by the works of the late 1950s - 1970s.
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Kargopol toy - Kargopol, Arkhangelsk region. Kargopol toy - Kargopol, Arkhangelsk region. The production of the toy accompanied the ancient pottery trade in the Panfilov volost of the Kargopol district. Unlike pottery, making toys in the 20th century did not interrupt. In the craft, the most traditional types of Russian toys are preserved - female figures, images of animals. In recent decades, genre scenes have become widespread. The Kargopol toys are characterized by colorful painting on the previously whitewashed surface of the figures. Currently, attempts are being made to restore the Kargopol pottery.
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The production of toys developed within the ancient pottery industry in the Volga villages. The extinction of pottery led to the separation of the toy into an independent craft, which became famous in the 1930s. The Abashev toy is characterized by bright oil painting, which developed in the 1930s, and special sculptural techniques in the depiction of animals, often with a fabulous appearance. The production of toys developed within the ancient pottery industry in the Volga villages. The extinction of pottery led to the separation of the toy into an independent craft, which became famous in the 1930s. The Abashev toy is characterized by bright oil painting, which developed in the 1930s, and special sculptural techniques in the depiction of animals, often with a fabulous appearance. In Abashev, the blank of the toy is covered with solid bright paint, which is then complemented with silver or gold. This technique ("animation") gives the toys an individual, very souvenir character. Therefore, Abashev's blanks, from the point of view of their toy value, are certainly more interesting.
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The methods of decorating Gorodets whistles have also survived to this day: molded toys are arranged in close rows on boards and dried in the shade for several days. Then they are fired, and after firing, each figurine is painted with sonorous enamel paints - in red, orange, yellow, green, blue colors. The entire body of the toy is covered entirely with one color. Horns, ears, hooves, the end of the tail - a whistle, in birds - scallops, are silvered with aluminum paint. After that, several spots are applied with a poke with enamel paint, but of a different color (red spots on a yellow background, milky white on red, etc.). They continue to paint toys “under Khokhloma”. The methods of decorating Gorodets whistles have also been preserved to this day: molded toys are arranged in close rows on boards and dried in the shade for several days. Then they are fired, and after firing, each figurine is painted with sonorous enamel paints - in red, orange, yellow, green, blue colors. The entire body of the toy is covered entirely with one color. Horns, ears, hooves, the end of the tail - a whistle, in birds - scallops, are silvered with aluminum paint. After that, several spots are applied with a poke with enamel paint, but of a different color (red spots on a yellow background, milky white on red, etc.). They continue to paint toys “under Khokhloma”.
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The main characters, including domestic animals and birds, a bear, riders and ladies, are typical for any folk toy. But in Skopin, as elsewhere, purely local techniques for arranging figurines, their modeling, and decorative design have developed. Skopinsky toy is original and original, they are not inferior to others. The main characters, including domestic animals and birds, a bear, riders and ladies, are typical for any folk toy. But in Skopin, as elsewhere, purely local techniques for arranging figurines, their modeling, and decorative design have developed. Skopinsky toy is original and original, they are not inferior to others.
For many centuries, children in various parts of the world played with clay dolls, horses, animals, toy dishes, whistles.
There are toys that are interesting for both children and adults. They have artistic value. That is, they are valued, for example, paintings painted by artists. Such toys are not born in factories where machines churn out owls day after day, exactly the same, like a million twins, Barbie. No, to create them, you need the hands and soul of a person. Therefore, each has a parent - a master or craftswoman and a homeland - the only place on earth where a toy was invented and made.
A clay toy was found by archaeologists during excavations along with pottery. Making toys from clay was not the main industry, but a passing one. The author will get tired of the main work, take a piece of clay, and even blind something like that, some kind of trifle for his own amusement. Only later did clay toys become a commodity. They began to be made for spring fairs, while while away the long winter evenings making whistles, horns, horses, ladies, riders and other toy army.
DYMKOVSKIE TOYS.
Russian art craft, which arose on the basis of local pottery traditions. The name of the toy comes from the settlement of Dymkovo, a district of the city of Vyatka (now the city of Kirov), where the production of toys was already at the beginning of the 19th century. acquired an independent meaning. The craft had a family organization - women and girls sculpted the toy, timing its production to the spring fair. The emergence of fishing in Vyatka, apparently, arose in ancient times. Many researchers associate the production of clay whistles with the Vyatka spring holiday>. A holiday that has pagan roots and is dedicated to the sun. The participants of the holiday whistled into clay toys and exchanged painted clay balls. The cult significance of the holiday was lost long ago, but the ritual itself was preserved.
In the middle of the 19th century under the influence of urban life and porcelain plastics, the Dymkovo craft develops its own style. If the zoomorphic whistles associated with the pagan ritual retained archaic features for a long time, then other products turned into a kind of porcelain figurines: young ladies in dresses with crinolines, ladies in capes with umbrellas, gentlemen, soldiers.
By the end of the 19th century the production of clay toys was completely replaced by cheaper and more technologically advanced plaster castings that imitated porcelain products. The revival of the craft is associated with the names - A. A. Mezrina, a hereditary craftswoman who retained the techniques of modeling and painting toys, and the artist A. I. Denshin, the author of the first monographs on the Dymkovo craft. In one of the books, he described in detail the complex technology of creating toys.
For production Dymkovo toys local red clay is used, thoroughly mixed with fine river sand. Figures are molded in parts, rolling the desired shape from clay lumps rolled into a pancake. Separate parts are assembled and molded using liquid clay as a binder. The traces of molding are smoothed with a damp cloth to give the product a smooth surface. After complete drying and firing, the toys are covered with tempera whitewash (previously, whitewashing was carried out with chalk diluted in milk). Previously, toys were painted with aniline dyes mixed with kvass on an egg, using sticks and feathers instead of brushes. The painted toy was again covered with a beaten egg, which gave shine and brightness to the faded aniline paints. Today, tempera paints and soft kolinsky brushes are used for painting. The use of a wide range - up to ten colors - gives the Dymkovo toy a special brightness and elegance. A strictly geometric ornament is built according to various compositional schemes: cells, stripes, circles, dots are applied in various combinations. The decoration of the toy is completed by rhombuses made of potal or gold leaf, pasted over the pattern.
Clay painted figures of people, birds, animals - real and fabulous - created by indefatigable imagination and kind, skillful hands of toy craftsmen from the former Dymkovskaya Sloboda, cannot be compared with any other toys - they are colorful, elegant, festive.
Vyatichi holidays were held every spring. And none of them could do without colorful colorful goods - clay toys - decorations of the fair. And the same as the current ones - nimble and playful, boys and girls vied with each other snatching sonorous whistles, rolling clay balls from hills, spinning on a carousel, nibbling nuts, candy, gingerbread. In the merry crowd of the holiday - and ordinary people, and important ladies, and brave soldiers, and balalaika musicians and harmonists! And the Dymkovo wizards vigilantly peer into each one, so that later they can turn everything they see into a clay toy, amazing in invention, coloring and subtle folk humor. This amazing toy is known far beyond the borders of our Motherland. Along with the famous matryoshka doll, foreign guests also take away a Dymkovo toy.
FILIMONOVSKIE TOYS.
A well-known folk craft is the village of Filimonovo, Odoyevsky district, Tula region, where they make an amazing clay toy. The village is located near deposits of good clay. As it is written in the old monastic books, even during the reign of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the potter Filimon, who made toys, settled. From him went pottery in those places.
The toys are funny, whimsical and at the same time simple in execution and very expressive. Filimonov's toys cannot be confused with any other. First, because of the color. The painting is bright, and mostly yellow, red, orange, green, blue and white colors prevail. The painting is done with aniline dyes ground on egg yolk or white. Traditional painting is a bright stripe, to which an ornament in the form of a Christmas tree, sun, berry, flower is added. The painting of toys is traditional: horses, cows, rams are painted with stripes, and figures of people are painted using all the elements in various combinations. The faces of the figurines always remain white, and only small strokes and dots outline the eyes, mouth, and nose. The painting is done not with a brush, but with a pen - each color has its own feather.
When you look at the Filimonov toys gathered together, a joyful mood involuntarily appears. Toys blaze with fire, shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. Small child, first of all, sees fun in the Filimonov toy, a fantastic image of the subject, which awakens his creativity. And where an adult thinks about the definition of the content of a toy, everything is clear to a child.
The plots of the Filimonovo toy are traditional - these are ladies, peasant women, soldiers with epaulettes, dancing couples, horse riders; from animals - cows, rams, with tightly twisted horns, a fox with a rooster and mysterious creatures, the prototype of which is difficult to determine. All toys have elastic bodies, long or short legs, elongated necks with small heads. Funny toys depicting long-legged and elongated soldiers in characteristic costumes.
Local peasants began to briskly trade in dishes at fairs and especially whistle toys in the form of funny striped animals and elegant dolls. Children were accustomed to the "clay" craft from early childhood. At the age of six or eight, girls in all the huts were already sculpting rooster whistles. They were right on their hands.
The Filimonovo toy can also be distinguished by its shape: in the lower part, each figurine is stable, we can say that it stands firmly on the ground. But then an elongated graceful form begins, with a flexible, refined neck and a small > head.
Since then, generations of toy craftsmen have changed many times in Fili. But the outlandish appearance of the animals they sculpted remained unchanged. And cows, and horses, and dogs, and rams - ki, and deer had strangely elongated necks. And they were also painted unusually - with bright multi-colored stripes. And yet, mind you - those toys, these toys were necessarily made "with a whistle." Everyone except the bear. The bear was always left without a whistle.
Why the masters made the necks of the animals long. There is a secret here. But there is also a key to it. He, just like in a fairy tale, is buried in the ground. But not far away, but in a quarry near the village of Filimonova, where they took special clay called "sinika" for toys. After firing, it became light pink and perfectly suited for painting with cheerful colors. The composition of the blueberry was very oily. So - soft, pliable, she easily stretched and seemed to ask for it herself. Blueberry figurines themselves turned out to be elongated, refined, elegant. Artists say it this way: the form is hidden in the material. Sinica is capricious clay, when it hardens>. The toy can tilt to one side, its shape is distorted. Therefore, while the toy dries, the craftswoman has to return to it several times and correct, >. And with each such > the toy stretches, lengthens, grace appears - Filimonov's style, which cannot be confused with another.
Researchers studying how our ancestors lived made the following assumption. The genealogy of the Filimonovo toy begins long before the time when the potter Filimon lived and the village of Filimonovo was built. Many centuries earlier, the Vyatichi tribe lived in these places. They also do things - whether whistle toys are made of clay. But not for children's fun, but for the performance of magical rituals in honor of their gods. If you know that the Vyatichi horse was considered a servant of the sun, it will become clear why our clay horses always have a lot of red and yellow stripes. After all, these are the colors of fire and light!
But where did the stripes come from? They also appeared randomly. You see: having girded the toy, the strips become rings, circles become kami. For our ancestors, the circle served as protection from evil spirits. In a moment of danger, it was necessary with a spell to quickly outline oneself with a line. It turned out a magic circle that evil spirits could neither cross nor open. A toy with the sign of a circle was an amulet - that protected a person from evil. The more circles on it, the more reliable the amulet. The magic sign has survived to this day, only it has become incomprehensible to us.
Vyatichi also used loud whistles against the evil force. If a person was dying, relatives before the first roosters whistled over him with whistles so that evil spirits would not steal the soul of the deceased. The belief that a whistle can frighten and drive away evil spirits from oneself held on for a very long time. Here in Filimonovo, the rule was preserved to make all toys with whistles.
And why wasn’t the bear entrusted with such an important task? The Vyatichi especially respected him, believed that they were descending from the bear, endowed him with divine power. They were afraid to offend him by equating him with other animals.
KARGOPOL TOYS.
Kargopol is an ancient Russian city surrounded by forest. Since ancient times, the inhabitants of this city and its environs have been engaged in pottery, made a clay toy. These toys were invented by Uliana Babkina, who lived in the village of Grinevo, not far from the city of Kargopol. Next to the bright, resonant colors of Dymkovo and Filimonovo toys, the plastic figurines of this northern region may seem harsh. However, this first impression is created due to the fact that the color scheme of the painting includes black, dark green and brown colors.
As for the plots, there are many funny images among them, fashioned simply, but with great warmth and folk humor. Images of people are given with a psychological characteristic, so the viewer can imagine the life and way of life of local residents: >, >, > etc. The Kargopol toy is also characterized by multi-figure compositions - funny troikas with riders in a sleigh, dancing figures, boat rides and many other scenes accurately noticed by the masters. Kargopol masters also like to depict animals, there are plots on the themes folk tales. The Kargopol toy is characterized by conventionality in the interpretation of the image in terms of shape, proportions and color. All figurines are somewhat squat, with short arms and legs, an elongated torso, a thick and short neck, and a relatively large head. Kargopol masters depict animals as thick-legged and sometimes dynamic.
Now masters bring yellow, blue and orange colors to revitalize toys. The main elements of the ornament are combinations of intersecting lines, circles, twigs without leaves, Christmas trees, dots and stripes. Sculpt toys in parts. The basis of the figurine is the torso, which, together with the head, is attached to a pre-sculpted skirt. To depict male figures, legs and arms are attached to the body in the form of rollers. Modeled products are dried for one to two weeks and fired in a kiln. Paint toys with tempera paints.
Apart from traditional way making clay toys, the Kargopol masters have their own, invented by them. It is called > toy: a ready-made, freshly baked figurine is dipped into a decoction of oatmeal. And the toy looks like it was not made of clay, but baked from warm bread. And you don't have to color it.
Kargopol is an ancient city in the Arkhangelsk region. Previously, it was a well-known large commercial and cultural center of the Russian North. Now these are reserved places where the original Russian culture, art and crafts are still preserved. This people loves and cherishes the traditions of antiquity, loves fairy tales and funny jokes, idolizes nature and its inhabitants, depicting them in clay.
The most common and favorite children in the Kargopolie were whistles - ducks. They sculpted them to noisy yars - stamps. Voiced ducks beckoned buyers to the Cathedral Square to the bell tower, where Kargopol potters usually laid out their unpretentious goods. Like all northern peasants, they grew bread and kept livestock. In their free time from agricultural work, they sat down at the potter's wheel. The manufacture of pottery provided additional means of subsistence, and only along the way they sculpted small funny figurines.
All clay figurines stored in museum collections and created today can be divided into two groups: archaic (symbolic) works and plot toys of the new time, more and more gravitating towards the repetition of nature. Kargopol people willingly mold animals and birds. The bear is especially revered: sometimes they blind him with a mirror, sometimes with a fish. Kargopol horses - with a playfully rounded neck, hares - with an accordion, sedate bearded men - with a pipe, accordion, bast shoes. There is a mysterious half-horse toy - half-man Polkan. This is a centaur - an image that came to us from the myths of ancient Greece. It originates from the deity of the ancient Slavs, whose name was Plikhan or Polekhan. The deity was related to the sun, and its name comes from the word >, burn brightly. A solar sign is drawn on Polkan's chest.
The figurine of a Kargopol peasant woman resembles in shape a stone woman - an idol, which archaeologists find on scientific expeditions. A female figure with a flat, imperturbable and calm> face, is the personification of the Mother of the damp earth, the main goddess - Nature. The cult meaning was lost over time, and the figures became more real, overgrown with everyday details and became the subjects of the game.
The best modern masters try to preserve and develop ancient traditions. However, now the craft is going through far from its best days, because the simplicity of the works of folk craftsmen is only apparent at first glance. It cannot be invented. Not everyone and not immediately opens up in its entirety the fabulous world of folk toys. Behind this simplicity is the experience of many generations of artists, their sensitivity to material, form, and color.
COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Dymkovo toy
Filimonov toy
Kargopol toy
Place of birth - small Motherland
Sloboda Dymkovo, the city of Vyatka,
(now Kirov)
Filimonovo village, Odoevsky district, Tula region
Grinevo village, Kargopol, Arkhangelsk region
Modeling material
Red clay thoroughly mixed with fine river sand
Particularly baya clay "sinika" (blue-black color), viscous, viscous
White clay
Making toys
Figures are molded in parts, rolling the desired shape from clay lumps rolled into a pancake. Separate parts are collected, decorated and > using liquid clay as a binder.
Sculpted whole. The toy dries, it is corrected, >, and with each such >, the toy stretches, lengthens.
Sculpt toys in parts. The basis of the figurine is the torso, which, together with the head, is attached to a pre-sculpted skirt, arms are attached in the form of rollers.
Nannies with children, water-carriers with buckets on yokes, ladies, hussars.
Figures of people, birds, animals - real and fabulous.
Ladies, peasant women, soldiers, dancing couples, riders on horseback.
Animals - cows, rams, goats, with twisted horns, mysterious creatures, the prototype of which is difficult to determine.
Multi-figured compositions: - funny troikas with riders in sledges, dancing figures, boat rides, animals, on the themes of folk tales.
Half-man - half-horse Polkan.
The presence of whistles
Ducks and lambs used to whistle, but now they don't whistle.
Everyone whistles except the bear
Don't whistle
Preparation for painting
After complete drying and firing, the toys were covered with a mixture of chalk and milk with tempera whitewash (previously, whitewashing was carried out with chalk diluted in milk).
During firing, the clay changes its natural color to white, with soft shades of gray, pink, yellow.
The figurine of the craftsman who is ready, just from firing, is dipped in a decoction of oatmeal. And the toy looks like it was not made of clay, but baked from warm bread.
Use of a wide range - up to ten colors.
Bright, and mainly dominated by yellow, red, orange, green, blue and white.
The color in the north is restrained, muted.
The color scheme of the painting includes black, dark green and brown. The color was diluted with white.
Previously, toys were painted with aniline dyes mixed with kvass on an egg, using sticks and feathers instead of brushes. The painted toy was again covered with a beaten egg, which gave shine and brightness to the faded aniline paints.
Today, tempera paints and soft kolinsky brushes are used for painting.
The painting is done with aniline dyes ground on egg yolk or white.
The painting is done not with a brush, but with a pen, each color has its own feather.
The painting was done with tempera dyes.
Ornament
A strictly geometric ornament is built according to various compositional schemes: cells, stripes, circles, dots are applied in various combinations. The decoration of the toy is completed by rhombuses made of potal or gold leaf, pasted over the pattern.
A bright strip, to which an ornament in the form of a Christmas tree, the sun, a berry, a flower is added.
Combinations of intersecting lines, circles, twigs without leaves, Christmas trees, dots and stripes.
clay toys
Made by Gileva O.L.
Novokuznetsk
Tver toy…………………………………………………...8
Filimonov toy…………………………………………...9
Kargopol toy…………………………………………………10
Iconic meanings of toys……………………………………………..13
Appendix 1. Symbolism of toys: color and shapes
Appendix 2. Symbols in the Kargopol toy
Appendix 3. Symbols in painting toys
Appendix 4. Poems about clay toys
Appendix 5. Riddles
Annex 6. Didactic games
Appendix 7. We sculpt a clay toy (guidelines)
Dymkovskaya heat - a bird
Dymkovo animals
Modeling Filimonov toys
How to sculpt a clay whistle
Sculpting a Kargopol toy
Annex 8. Photos of clay toys
A toy is one of the brightest manifestations of mass culture, deeply vital and popular. From generation to generation, the traditions of crafts and the art of toys are passed on, ideas about life, work, and beauty are transmitted among the people. The toy is close to folklore, creates a sense of the peculiarities of Russian national folk art.
The oldest clay toys found by archaeologists in our country date back to the Bronze Age, to the 2nd millennium BC. These are small clay axes, dishes, rattles. Probably, these are cult objects. They found a clay toy in excavations of the 10th-17th centuries (Moscow, Ryazan) - whistles (horses, birds, figures of people). They are molded of clay, fired, sometimes decorated with painting and glaze.
It is known that the royal court under Alexei Mikhailovich bought toys in "Moscow at the auction". Toy production in the 17th and 18th centuries reaches great heights. Wealthy families ordered expensive toys, they were also bought for the royal family. In the book of expenses of Empress Catherine I for 1721, it is indicated: “Purchased in Moscow at the auction of various toys for the Empress Tsarevna Natalya Petrovna and the Grand Duke and Princess - 3 cows, 2 horses, 2 deer, 4 rams, 2 pairs of swans, 2 roosters, one duck , with her three children, a city with soldiers. For everything paid 4 rubles 9 altyn two money.
In the 18-19 centuries, the production of clay toys reached an unprecedented flourishing, the main buyers were ordinary people.
Toys were sculpted mainly by women and girls, starting from 7-8 years old. They did this in their free time from rural work - mostly in winter and spring before mowing.
Bright, cheerful, decided with the utmost clarity in plastic and color terms, naive (in the highest sense of the word) - a clay toy has a magical ability to decorate our life, bring warmth and joy to the decoration of a home.
A clay toy was found by archaeologists during excavations along with pottery. Of course, the manufacture of toys from clay was not the main industry, but a passing one. The master will get tired of the main work, take a piece of clay, and even blind something like that, some kind of trifle for his children or for his own amusement. Toys made by craftsmen were called "amusing", that is, made for fun, for fun. Only later did clay toys become a commodity. They began to be made specifically for spring fairs, while away the long winter evenings making whistles, horns, horses, ladies, riders and other toy armies. Entire families began to deal with toys, passing on the secrets of making, harvesting and firing clay from generation to generation. Each master developed his own style, his own manner of modeling and designing products. Toys differ in the manner of modeling, in what kind of clay is taken for the product. Toys, whistles from greasy clay are best molded. This clay is used for Filimonovo toys. For the blue-black color she was nicknamed blueberry. In general, toys are molded from the clay that is in the area.
Paganism did not go into oblivion, but the indirect was preserved in folk crafts, including in toys. The toy was a kind of model of the world, in which the basic ideas of the peasant about nature and man were laid. Children who helped their parents sculpt and paint toys adopted the value system from their ancestors.
The toy has always been an element of folk life. A house without toys was considered unspiritual. There is such a sign: when children play a lot and diligently, there will be profit in the family, if toys are carelessly handled, there will be trouble in the house. They believed that toys protect children's sleep (until now, according to the ancient custom, children are put to bed with their favorite toy). Playing with dolls for girls was especially encouraged among the people, since the doll was also considered a symbol of procreation. They believed that toys bring a good harvest, especially if adult girls play with them. Toys create an atmosphere of kindness and love in the house, give skills for life and form the ability to communicate with people around the world. It is very important to make toys with your own hands, putting diligence and soul into them.
From time immemorial, every nation has its own toys, which reflected the social way of life, way of life, customs and customs, technical and artistic achievements.
Dymkovo toy (smoke)
In the 12th century, the lands of present-day Karelia and the Arkhangelsk region belonged to Veliky Novgorod. In 1174, the Novgorodians reached the Vyatka River along the rivers and founded the city of Khlynov at the mouth of the Khlynovets River. Later, at the behest of Catherine the Great, it was renamed and became known as Vyatka. The Novgorodians who founded the city took care of their customs and rituals, continued to sculpt clay gods, celebrate the holiday of the sun god Yarilo, and honor the goddess of the house in childbirth.
In Vyatka, the feast of the Panther was celebrated. On this day, the inhabitants of the city commemorated their ancestors in the morning, and in the afternoon they walked through the streets and whistled into small whistles molded from clay and brightly colored. Whistler dolls were sold here, on the street.
There was another ancient custom in Vyatka. On Sunday, after mass, young girls, dressed in their best clothes, went to the pond to fetch water. Suitors lined up along the road. This custom was also reflected in the work of Vyatka masters, clay figurines appeared water carriers: women in a large checkered skirt, a small apron with lace ruffles, a yellow sweater with frills, a bright crimson cap and beads in several rows, a bright green yoke with orange buckets on the shoulder.
Vyatichi honored the sun god Yarilo and depicted him as a two- or three-headed horse. On the chest of the horse was a circle with rays - a symbol of the sun. The goddess of the house, the Woman in Childbirth, was depicted as a strong and healthy woman. Next to the figurines of both gods, people depicted what they would like to have: figurines of pets or babies. Figurines of domestic animals were molded in a great variety: white horses, goats, rams, cows, pigs, painted with red, yellow, black, green stripes and circles. Gradually, the goddess in labor was transformed into the "Lady".
Over time, the toy families settled in their settlement Dymkovo across the river. Hence the name "Dymkovo toy".
The technology for making toys was as follows. In the warm season, red clay and fine river sand were brought to the farmstead. Clay was soaked, sand was added and thoroughly mixed. When the work in the field and in the garden ended, closer to winter, the whole family began to sculpt toys. Interestingly, only women took part in this work. Perhaps that is why male figures were most often depicted humorously. For example, a young man in a green cap and a red shirt, with a balalaika in his hand, rides a yellow pig; another fellow sits astride a goat and plays the harmonica.
They worked, as they used to say, in “factories”: one craftswoman makes a skirt, another a head, a third sculpts buckets, and then all this is assembled into one toy. Then, depending on the size, the toy was dried from 2 to 14 days in the air, in the shade. The dried figurines were placed in the oven and fired for three hours. Experience and skill were very important here. If you take the figurine out of the oven ahead of time, it may crumble, and if you overexpose it, then the primer will not stick. After firing, the figurines were lowered into a bucket with chalk diluted with milk. As a result, the figurines were covered with an even white layer, on which paints lay well. Painted with bright colors, smeared with egg white for beauty and durability and pasted over with gold leaf, the toys sold well at fairs and markets.
The Dymkovo toy is characterized by a simple geometric ornament, consisting of bright spots, circles, zigzags, stripes, ovals, rings. Characteristic for painting is a combination of large elements and small ones. Small elements adorn large ones - rings, circles, stripes - or crumble between them (dots, dashes, thin lines). Contrasting combinations of bright colors are often used - red, crimson, yellow, blue, green, applied on a white background.
A distinctive feature of the Dymkovo toy is generalization (individual elements of the toys are far from the real image: for example, the antlers of the Dymkovo deer resemble a bush, the beard of a turkey looks like a bunch of grapes), decorativeness and sharp expressiveness. Almost pagan symbols of distant times are preserved in traditional animal figurines, and tastes of the 19th century are preserved in the clothes of dandies and fashionistas.
General principles the art of the Dymkovo toy finds its own interpretation for each craftswoman. It manifests itself in the choice of theme and plot, characterization of characters, in the features of plasticity, favorite color combinations.
Tver toy
The city of Torzhok, Tver region, is the birthplace of the Tver toy, or, as it is also called, Kalinin (after the former name of the region), Torzhok.
Galina Alexandrovna Klimovskaya revived the craft in the city of Torzhok, her works are in the museum of the city of Tver. On the basis of the found toys, modern toys were created - birds (geese-swans, ducks preening their feathers, proud roosters and modest hens), animals (dogs, foxes), as well as female figurines, one of which was named "Novotorka".
Toys are static, but sometimes the head is turned, different posture. Birds are proud, beautiful, decorative.
Birds are decorated with moldings and then painted.
The toy is molded from brown clay, which is the background of the painting. The white color stands out especially: dots-droplets - pearls, strokes of different sizes and shapes, which are superimposed in two or three layers. A large stroke is decorated with smaller strokes of a different color and a dot. The painting adorns the bird's chest, tail, wings, a scallop, a tuft stand out.
The combination of colors is different - it is blue, blue, yellow, orange, red, dark red, brown, green, a little black and main color white, pearls - white dots. In the decoration of the toy, one color should be repeated three times. The combination of dark and light colors is taken into account when drawing up the pattern: if the stripe is dark, then the decoration is light.
Filimonov toy
This is a bright, cheerful whistle toy, which was made by women and children as fun in the village of Filimonovo, Tula Region. According to local legends, the village was named after the potter Filimon, who discovered deposits of high-grade clay here. The characters of toys are diverse: they are elegant ladies and soldiers, horsemen, animals - deer, sheep, cows, horses, birds. Unlike other clay toys, Filimonovskaya has elongated proportions of figurines with a small head.
The toys are mostly large, but there are also very miniature ones. Mysterious ladies in long skirts, graceful, slender, stroll with an umbrella, with a child or with a whistle bird, dance with a gentleman. Generalized images: a wide skirt, a thin waist, narrow shoulders, rounded arms, a small cone-shaped head that merges with a mannered little hat. Earrings are carefully crafted. Plot compositions are often created: “A soldier feeds a chicken”, “Milkmaid with a cow”, “Bride and groom”, “Bear looks in the mirror”, etc.
Whistle animals have prominent ears, a ram's horns have round curls rolled up, a cow has large horns, bent upwards for a large moon, and a deer has a tree. This distinguishes one animal from another. Otherwise, the figures of horses, goats, dogs are the same: a torso intercepted at the waist, turning into a long neck with a small head - either these are animals, or people are mummers.
The clay is plastic, greasy, dries quickly and becomes covered with cracks, which are smoothed out with a wet hand, gradually stretching the torso of the figurine.
The painting is similar to cursive writing: fast uneven lines, strokes of different thicknesses and color intensities that preserve the movement of the hand. The faces of the ladies and gentlemen are depicted with dots, strokes. The figurines are decorated with geometric elements: strokes, crosses, dots, spots, circles, triangles, as well as twigs, star rosettes. The details of the painting can be deciphered: a circle is the sun, a triangle is the earth, fir trees and sprouts are a symbol of vegetation and life. All these patterns remind us of the connections between man and nature.
The painting is bright, sonorous, aniline paints. The pattern is written as if in jest. The white color of the clay after firing is used as a background. The solid color of the jacket of the lady, the soldier, the bird alternates with colored stripes. Animal horns are shaded with bright strokes. White is combined with crimson, green, yellow, less often with blue and purple. For strength and shine, the painted places are coated with protein. Toys are good and funny.
Kargopol toy
Previously, this toy was sculpted in the village of Grinev, and now in the city of Kargopol, Arkhangelsk region, there is an enterprise of folk art crafts "Belomorskie Uzory".
Each potter made a toy for his children. The toy is expressive, interesting, peasant, conveys the folk life of the Russian North. It retained something of the ancient idols.
These are peasant stocky figurines of people, as well as figurines depicting animals and birds. Female figurines with a child in her arms, with a basket, a bird, busy with household chores. They wear wide skirts, sweaters with large buttons, various headdresses - kokoshniks or hats, and beads around their necks. This is a lady, a peasant woman, a nurse in an old dress.
Men with full beards are depicted in long caftans, decorated with large buttons, a cap or cap on their heads. Everyone is depicted in action: busy with work (bast shoes weaving), walking with a basket, playing the harmonica, sitting in an armchair.
The image of animals is typical for a folk toy - a horse, a cow, a deer, a ram, a goat, a dog with a bone in its teeth, a hare with a carrot, a bear - the owner of the forest.
The most mysterious image is Polkan, a mighty hero with the body of a horse (centaur).
Narrative compositions depict scenes from village life: gatherings, boat rides, dancing couples, a quadrille, a village holiday, etc.
They sculpt red clay toys: first they make the upper body and a large head on a thick neck, then the torso is connected to the legs in a male figure or with a skirt in a female one, then hands, headdresses and various objects are stuck. The joints are smoothed out, and the figures become solid.
The firing field in the kiln and the whitewashing of the figurines are painted. The color scheme is muted, northern. The painting is characterized by soft colors - gray, pink, green, lilac-blue, turquoise, brown, yellow, orange, red, the gamma is restrained.
The geometric ornament consists of straight and oblique crosses, transverse stripes, strokes, concentrated ovals, spots, teeth, which are rhythmically applied to the surface of the toy. This is not just a pattern, but symbolic signs, ancient traces of the cult of the sun and earth. Figures - Kargopolki as if posing in silent importance.
Iconic meanings of toys
Lady with a child (with a whistle)
Keeper of the hearth, associated with the cult of fertility.
Holds the child with one hand. The secret of childbearing
with which a woman is endowed, this is a powerful force,
identified with the power of the fruitful earth. How
the earth multiplies the grain, so the woman multiplies the family
human. Painting: vertical stripes - sign
falling rain, wavy lines - the earth, drunk
rain; spots are signs of grain, double crosses are solar signs (sun). "Mother - Cheese land" is the land that can give life to all living things.
equestrian
Horseman - a sign of the sun and sky, one of the main 
meanings of a rider on a horse - the sun making the journey
across the sky in a chariot.
Goat, cow
A sign of fertility, it contains the grain spirit of the field.
Hence the belief - at the sight of those swaying from the wind
a goat (cow) in a wheat field, a “rye” one in a rye field, etc.
Bear
“Knowing where the honey is” is not the name of the beast, but a sign of mystery, 
accessible only to the initiated. Our bear
ancestor, ancestor, symbol of power and fertility.
Deer
Deer is a sign of the sky, a successful marriage and abundant 
life. In addition, the deer is a sign of the Slavic goddesses.
Women in labor - mothers and daughters who give birth to all living things.
Ram
The ram is a sign of wealth, nobility and vitality. 
Bird, rooster
The bird is the personification of spring, warmth, sun. 
The main meaning is a talisman.
The rooster is a sign of the resurrection of nature, awakening
earth, dawn, a sign that has acquired an independent
soul life. The main meaning is a talisman. In old times
asked for help in conspiracies: "Far Far Away
lands, far away from the seas, from behind the blue sea a cockerel flew in, pecking at that servant of God all sorts of ghosts, slander, all sorts of demonic, maternal thoughts. Forever and ever. Amen."
Mermaid
Mermaid is a mysterious bird with a female face. 
A mermaid among the South Russian Slavs is not a woman -
a fish, and a woman is a bird. vegetation spirit,
flew over the fields, guarded the harvest, lived on
trees. Let us recall from A.S. Pushkin: “There are miracles,
there the goblin roams, the mermaid sits on the branches. It is also associated with water - it is responsible for dew and rain.
Duck (duck)
Duck is a sign of a good harvest. "Where the duck went - there 
rye is thick, ”the people said. The main meaning is
amulet. In Russian folklore, good heroes protected
himself from trouble, having mastered the bird's language and turning around
bird. With the help of a whistle and a magical clay bird, magicians, magi and sorcerers drove away evil spirits.
Russian trinity with horses "Rook"
A kind of "Russian trinity". According to Slavic 
legend, the daughter of the sun god Surya - the wife of the brothers -
Ashwin twins (literally - horsemen).
The main purpose is to help people.
Russian trinity with birds (chickens)
Right, left birds - the sun rising and setting 
morning and evening dawn. On the right spring is red, on the left -
Russian clay toys have been part of the life of the people for many centuries. The art of making such gizmos and the traditions of the craft were passed down from generation to generation. These seemingly trinkets are the embodiment of the beauty, work and lifestyle of the Russian people.
clay toys
On the territory of our country, archaeologists have found the most ancient clay toys dating back to the second millennium BC. They were rattles, various utensils and small clay similarities of tools. During the excavations, toys of a later origin were also found. They had a cult significance and were made in the form of figurines of people, birds, horses. These toys were created by means of subsequent firing in a kiln. Sometimes they were decorated with paintings and covered with glaze.
The history of clay toys developed rapidly. Its production in the 17-18 centuries. grew rapidly. Figurines began to be made specifically for sale at spring fairs. Clay is a plastic and soft material. It was suitable not only for the formation of dishes. All kinds of whistle toys, images of people, birds, animals, rattles (rattles) and much more were sculpted from it. Each master had his own style and manner of modeling, and under Alexei Mikhailovich, the royal court willingly began to buy such gizmos as souvenirs and gifts.
At that time, clay toys sculpted everything, from small to large. They did this for the most part in the autumn-winter season, when there was plenty of time free from rural worries. And to this day, the folk toy made of clay does not lose its relevance. Created in all sorts of variations of shape and color, it has a magical ability to bring comfort, warmth and good mood into the house.
Folk clay toy: differences in origin and manufacturing method
Toys can differ in the composition of the clay taken for crafts, and in the manner of modeling, characteristic of a particular type of product. Images are best molded from oily clay. It is mainly used for the manufacture of Filimonov toys. Each product is characterized by certain shapes and colors, which depend on the type of clay found in a particular area and its plastic properties.
Clay toys, made earlier, represent a special branch of pottery, which has survived to this day. Expressiveness and simplicity are the main criteria for sculpting these products by folk craftsmen.
Russian ceramics from Kargopol, Dymov, Filimonov and others are very famous. They have spread to many countries of the world.
Clay toy Kargopol: the history of the revival
These crafts owe their name to their place of origin, the city of Kargopol, Arkhangelsk Region, or rather, the villages around it. It was there that at first the peasants created toys from the most accessible material in these places - clay.
The history of the revival of this craft is quite interesting. In relation to other types of craftsmanship, the revival of which was organized in Soviet times, the art of the Kargopol toy in Russia at some point was practically lost. However, some samples of products managed to be preserved and brought to our days thanks to Ulyana Babkina. She was able to give a second life to the once extinct type of craft. Clay toys, photos of which are presented below, reflect the whole individuality and features of their places of origin.
Features of the appearance of the Kargopol toy
Kargopol handicrafts, in comparison with their other relatives, are distinguished by their rather archaic appearance. Nevertheless, they are quite recognizable by their type, style and painting.
Plots are divided into 2 categories:
- Narrative toys that demonstrate the rural lifestyle, as well as recreating fairy tales. The theme can be completely different - "Laundry Girl", "Fishermen", "Three Horses" and the like.
- Ancient types - all kinds of animals, polkan (a man with the body of a horse), beregina (a woman with pigeons in her hands).
The most important ritual theme of these toys is the "mother woman", the prototypes of which are the life-giving forces of the "mother - damp earth" and the sun. A favorite image among the Kargopol masters is the female figurine "Bobka".
Modern masters can come up with new plots with the preservation of signs of the Kargopol toy. This only multiplies the already rich abundance of images of such crafts.
If you follow all the traditions, the painted toy is a whitewashed figurine, decorated with different colors, but without any gloss and unnecessary details. Despite the variety of colors, shades, including bright ones, look rather muted. Face painting is quite simple.
Inherent Patterns
The painting of clay toys is quite simple, but it takes its origin from ancient times. Here you can see rectangles, ovals, rhombuses, strokes, stripes, specks, oblique crosses. The paint set mainly consists of brown, ocher, black, green, brick red and blue. Silver and gold paints are added less often.
Clay whistles: their meaning and beliefs
As children's fun, clay toys-whistles began to be perceived relatively recently. Earlier, during the time of the pagan gods, these figurines were worn magical meaning. They were used to scare away evil spirits.
The Pinega conspiracy says that the toy is capable of luring diseases onto itself. Various whistles had the same purpose. They were often sculpted in the form of various animals and birds, which, in general, were the traditional theme of Russian folk toys.
In the Tula region, there were beliefs that whistles could remove damage from a person and return it to the one who sent it. These or other types of figurines could get rid of various ailments. As a rule, they were placed opposite the window to protect the child from evil and disease.
In the 19th century, an ancient ceremony was held in Vyatka with the use of a toy whistle, designed to expel evil forces and attract good ones. This holiday was called "Svistoplyaska" or "Whistle". These days, adults and children whistled into clay whistles, indulged in dancing and fun.
What is the individuality of clay crafts?
Looking at all the works of early and modern masters, including foreign ones, one can see an abundant variety of whistle crafts. It depends on many factors, including the birdie - a tool for piercing a hole in a toy. All tools are almost the same in length - from 80 mm to 100 mm. However, the cross section can be very diverse - round, oval or rectangular.
The birdie of each master is his personal tool, made by himself, so everyone has a different technique, and the result, accordingly, differs from others. Nevertheless, methods for making whistles are known absolutely without any devices, where only hands are used.
The value of crafts in the modern world
Making clay toys is an individual process for each person. Such classes in school circles are very useful. With their help, you can arouse interest in and love for world culture in children, develop hand motor skills, artistic taste, train perseverance, perseverance and patience.
Properties of clay applicable for making toys
It is easy to guess that clay toys, including whistles, are made of clay. In its natural form, it can be found in various colors, but usually after firing it changes its color to white or red. Therefore, they began to call her "white-burning" or "red-burning".
Clay deposits
Red-burning clay is the most widespread. It is usually found on the banks of lakes and rivers, ravines and slopes. It can also be found on construction sites when digging trenches.
But you should know that natural or living clay is not always suitable for making crafts, as it often contains all kinds of impurities - small stones, sand, and the like. Clay with a sand content of up to 5% is called "fat", and one in which the proportion of sand reaches 30% is called "lean".
To make a high-quality whistle, you should take material of medium fat content (10-15%).
Preparation of material for work
Clay dough, or ceramic mass, is a mixture that has passed a certain technological process, after which it is ready for the manufacture of pottery. On an industrial scale, special machines are used for this - presses, screens, ball mills, etc. But to make it in a small amount, the whole process can be simplified.
Technology stages:
- Pick up clay in a quarry. A small lump of material should be pre-fired in a kiln to ensure it is fit for the job.
- Spread the lumps on a clean surface and dry.
- Next, crush them and remove the existing impurities of chips, stones, blades of grass, etc.
- Add water to the crushed mass at the rate of three parts of liquid and one part of clay. Mix the solution thoroughly.
- Let the mass settle until the heaviest part (stones with sand) settles to the bottom. The remaining clarified water should be carefully drained.
- Scoop out the middle layer of clay and immerse it in a plaster bath or bucket.
- Allow the mixture to dry to a thick dough, then during operation it will not stick to your hands.
- Knead the clay to remove excess air bubbles.
- The quality of the material can be checked as follows: roll up a tourniquet with a diameter of 15-20 mm, bend it slowly in half. If the place of inflection remains smooth, without cracks or practically without them, then this mass is suitable for making whistles.
- For reliable preservation, place the resulting mass in a plastic bag and close it tightly. In this form, clay can be stored for several months. In a dried lump, you can add a small amount of water and knead it thoroughly.
If your plan is to make just a couple of whistles, try to use the material available to you without the above pre-treatment. Clay from some deposits is already ready for use. If it is not possible to prepare the material in the listed ways, then it can be purchased at enterprises engaged in the manufacture of ceramic products, in art shops or online stores.
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