Dishes with Khokhloma painting: features and types

Khokhloma painting is especially attractive. You can peer into the characteristic red and gold intricate curls and wonderful natural motifs for a very long time. Dishes with such a painting fascinate with its appearance, while it is not only smart and colorful, which makes it a wonderful souvenir, but also very practical.

The word "khokhloma" came into circulation thanks to the name of the settlement, which was also a significant trade center of the 17th century not far from Nizhny Novgorod. According to one version, the Khokhloma painting appeared due to the influence of the Old Believers, who, as a result of persecution, came to the region of Nizhny Novgorod, bringing with them the traditions of icon painting and the creation of book miniatures with a set of peculiar symbols and painted patterns. At the same time, local craftsmen created high-quality cookware and kitchen utensils from wood.

According to another version, golden motifs were used in the design of kitchen items even before the arrival of Old Believers in the region of Nizhny Novgorod. Tableware containers and spoons in local villages were painted "like tin" - with the use of tin powder, which gave things after processing an elegant look.

The heyday of painting fell on the XVIII century. Wooden tableware, painted in a special way, was in demand on the market. It spread not only across Russia, but also went to the countries of Central Asia, India and Persia. In Arkhangelsk, colorful, practical things for table use were eagerly bought by the Germans, the British and the French.

However, after a time, when mass dishware production was established in Russia, handmade items for kitchen use, even with an original pattern, were not held in high esteem, since factory items cost much less money compared to piece goods.

The Khokhloma painting acquired its rebirth in the 20s of the last century. Then they began to form special schools for processing wood and creating a unique Khokhloma painting. Masters of their craft have taken part in numerous international competitions.

A sign of the Khokhloma style in decorating various kitchen items is the use of gold, red and black colors. Orange and yellow are also actively used. Much less common is the color azure, which gives a feeling of pacification. Sometimes you can find dishes with a predominantly green color. For painting, oil paints are used that can withstand the firing temperature.

The painting is applied thanks to the top or background writing. Horse means applying a pattern in black or red on a gold background.

Khokhloma ornaments are very characteristic and recognizable both in motives and in the manner of drawing.

• Grass. Blades of grass are applied with flowery lines, intricately intertwining with each other. The additions are images of small berries and spikelets.
• Floral pattern. Drawn with broader strokes than in the previous case. Thanks to this, petals are obtained. They are complemented by images of berries arranged around the stems.
• Gingerbread pattern... The ornament fits into a geometric shape - a square, a rhombus, a circle.
• Kudrina - an ornament made of golden curls, which in many respects determines the style of Khokhloma. Often large branches with leaves are depicted in gold, acting, for example, as a border along the edge of the product.

Painting is inseparable from other stages of tableware creation, since the basis for drawing the picture is important, as well as further processing of the object, which allows you to preserve the drawing during use and give it artistic completeness. It is no coincidence that the dishes are coated with a waterproof solution before applying the image. Then - with oil, for example, linseed, due to which smoothness and glossy shine are achieved. After that, there is a tinning stage, when aluminum powder is applied to the surface, which makes it possible to achieve a mirror shine.

At the end of processing, the items are placed in an oven at a temperature of 150 degrees and kept there for 4 hours, so that a golden-bronze film forms on the surface - a characteristic feature of Khokhloma painting.

You can buy, order from a master or paint in the Khokhloma style with your own hands, a variety of dishes for their purpose. It can be just a pair of tea or a whole set of many items with characteristic patterns:

• beer hall;
• wine;
• for dessert;
• for spices;
• for the first courses.

Popular painted in the spirit of Khokhloma:

• plates and spoons;
• trays;
• jugs;
• cups;
• candy bowls and fruit bowls;
• sugar bowls;
• buckets;
• teapots.

Some people form their sets from individual items, focusing on certain patterns, which are the center of the composition on specific specimens.

• The most natural looking dishes with Khokhloma painting, made made of wood. The tree itself is very light, but after processing it becomes heavier and acquires Khokhloma golden-honey shades. A painted wooden plate or a pair of tea with this pattern is quite practical.
• More common for dishes in our century are porcelain and ceramics. It is convenient to paint on porcelain because the surface of the material is smooth. The drawing is beautiful and neat. Even very small objects can be made from porcelain.
• Ceramic tableware good because it keeps warm like a thermos. At the same time, decorated with Khokhloma, it looks festive on any table.
• Khokhloma painting they also decorate glassware - jars, glasses, jugs and other vessels.

Khokhloma paints are mainly autumn shades. Connoisseurs of the appropriate palette will find in dishes with characteristic motives the freshness of a Russian autumn day. It is no coincidence that many are striving to enrich the house with objects with such a painting. The table, lined with crockery with a Khokhloma pattern, looks royally.

For painting in the Khokhloma style, see below.