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The lacquer miniatures are painted in schools, specialising in this art form, in the central Russian villages of Kholui, Palekh, Fedoskino and Mstiora. The schools have their roots in icon painting, but today often depict animals, folk tales, landscapes and scenes from village life with each village demonstrating its own distinctive method of painting and style The boxes are either hinged or have detachable lids and the inside is painted in its characteristic red. Click on a picture to view a larger image then use your browser's back button to return. |
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The lacquer boxes are painted in the central Russian villages of Kholui, Palekh, Fedoskino and Mstiora. Here, magical scenes are created in exquisite detail, keeping alive the rich repertoire of Russian folk stories, historical legends and tales of national heroes. Each village boasts an art school, a museum, workshops and studios. The artists believe that the spirit of place is all-important and that the quiet beauty of the village feeds their work. They train for five years to qualify in their unique skill. The roots of the Russian Lacquer Miniature lie in the ancient tradition of icon painting. It was also influenced by the introduction of papier mache from Germany, and by lacquering techniques from the Far East. Each box requires months of preparation by dedicated craftsmen. The papier mache is ‘slow-cooked’, then turned like wood to the desired shape. The artist paints freehand; if tempera is used, this means layer upon layer of paint for depth and translucency. Gold leaf is used for fine detail and borders. Finally, 7-12 coats of lacquering and polishing bring the box to a glossy and durable finish. FOUR SCHOOLS: The art of PALEKH is iconic, with stylised figures, fantastic landscapes, and an austere black background. KHOLUI is dynamic and colourful, with many swirls of wind and water. MSTIORA is more pastoral, with subtle, muted colours. These three schools use tempera paints, whereas FEDOSKINO, the fourth, uses oils. It also often uses an underlay of mother of pearl, or gold leaf, creating an inner luminosity in the work.
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