Earlier, in the section "Needlework" and the subsection "" we published the article "Modeling from clay", where we described some of the basics that relate to this process. And in one of the comments there was a request to tell in more detail about one of the varieties of methods of modeling from clay - about the Dymkovo toy. A response comment in view of the large amount of data turned into this article - “ Dymkovo toy - the basics of making". What, respectively, we will talk about further.
It should be said right away that the creation of a Dymkovo toy can really be mastered by hereditary masters from the village of Dymkovo, Kirov region, where these traditions were passed down from generation to generation and so on. So you will not find any special secrets in the article. But we tried to define the most basic foundations - so that anyone can take them and make a toy. Accordingly, if we succeeded / failed, please write reviews so that you can correct the material if necessary. Now let's get started.
Dymkovo toy - the basics of making are actually very simple. In short, all the ancient toys of this direction differed in one common detail: they could make noise: whistling, crashing, crackling, and so on. And by no means because our ancient ancestors liked to make noise (although this is also 🙂). So, it is believed that evil spirits do not like noise very much. Naturally, with the onset of spring, when the time for agricultural work comes, evil spirits are completely unnecessary in the fields and gardens. Whereas during the winter a lot of evil spirits have accumulated on the earth (winter in general, as they say, is the time of dark forces). And our ancestors tried their best to cope with these evil spirits. In particular, organizing holidays where it was necessary to make very loud noise, whistle, knock, and so on. The spirits were frightened by the noise and disappeared. The mission was accomplished.
The Dymkovo toy is one of the varieties of these noise instruments. So, the Vyatichi (a Slavic tribe from these places) had a tradition of the "Swistoplyaska" holiday. As the name suggests, the holiday is clearly noisy and anti-unclean. Respectively,
The origin and history of the Dymkovo toys are inseparable from the ancient festival of Svistoplyaska, to which their manufacture and sale was timed. The most ancient types of Dymkovo toys, probably, should include balls, or "balls" of a relatively small diameter (6-10 cm), hollow, with peas rolling inside, they emit the sound of a rattle, are beautiful in color combinations: rows of white are applied on a black background, red and lilac or white, blue and brown spots - peas.
In addition to the noise functions, rolling clay balls on the Swistoplyaska was a late modification of an ancient rite: a fertility spell - rolling eggs. The layer of Dymkovo toys, ancient in origin, is also made up of whistles, primarily made in the form of animals. These are small figures with characteristic features of an animal in front and a conical end in the form of a whistle in the back.
That is, the original feature of the Dymkovo toy is the ability to make noise, whistle. Today, "noisiness" is not an obligatory attribute of Dymkovo toys. But the colors and shapes of modern toys are preserved quite accurately.
Dymkovo craftswomen keenly noticed the peculiarities of clothing and, based on their observations, created images that were conditional in shape. Over time, fashion became more universal, losing the features of the folk style, and the Dymkovo toy remained a unique reflection of the clothes of bygone eras. The meaning of individual details was gradually forgotten: gold embroidery on dresses, gold epaulettes and orders became incomprehensible spots that made the figure colorful and expressive. They even went to places where they no longer made any sense - to goats, deer, turkeys, giving them a kind of naive beauty, cheerful and cheerful. Gradually, this decorative side of the Dymkovo toy came out more and more and, finally, turned it into what we have now - a purely decorative sculpture.
Accordingly, the distinctive features of the Dymkovo toy:
- specific stylized forms
- white background
- bright coloring.
- if possible - the ability to make noise, whistle.
Of course, connoisseurs and specialists can tell us a hundred more (and maybe more than one) differences between Dymkovo toys and others. But for our purpose - the basics of making a Dymkovo toy - these differences are not useful. Well, we, in fact, move on to the main section:
The basics of making Dymkovo (Vyatka) toys
As you probably already understood, the process of making a Dymkovo toy takes place in 2 large stages:
- Creation of the actual form.
- Coloring this shape.
Let's start with the first step. Traditionally, local clay and river sand were used to create the shape of the Dymkovo toy. Naturally, clay from the Vyatka River is not available to everyone, so people use substitutes. If your goal is an exact reproduction of the tradition of Dymkovo toys, then you need red clay and sand, as well as firing the product in a muffle furnace. Such methods of processing clay are not available to everyone, so we will deviate even more from the precepts of our ancestors 🙂
So, materials for creating a Dymkovo toy.
In principle, you can use any materials available to you:
- If available to you art clay - then you can use it - just take into account that finished products are afraid of water. You also need to take into account that the clay dries for a long time (and it needs to be dried before painting).
- If available to you plasticine Is also normal stuff. But due to its water-repellent properties, this is not the best option, since painting plasticine is still a pleasure.
- In modern conditions, it is best if you have access to self-hardening polymer clay... Art stores sell such briquettes of different colors, with which you work as with ordinary clay - but you do not need to burn, this clay polymerizes and is not afraid of water. Also, when working with such clay, hands should be wet.
- In addition, a more economical way is the Dymkovo toy from salt dough... You can read more about salted dough in our article “Salted dough - recipes and modeling methods”. If you don't want the mega-precision and sophistication of the artwork of the finished product, then this is a great material. Although it also dries long enough.
Since all four types of materials are similar in plasticity, we will not dwell on their differences. Everyone who picks up the material and makes several trial toys will independently determine the missing points. We will focus on the general process of sculpting a Dymkovo toy.
The process of sculpting Dymkovo toys.
This process can be divided into several steps.
Zero step is sample selection, the finished product you want to copy. If you don't like copying, you can improvise right away. But it is more logical to first copy a few finished and most liked products. The selected sample must be mentally divided into its components. Select the base, evaluate its shape. Highlight the "appendages" - tails, wings, hooves, legs, skirts, rocker arms, heads - everything that is attached to the base.
The first step is foundation creation... Each Dymkovo toy, if you look closely, consists of a base - a torso. On which everything else is subsequently "put on" (feathers, tails, heads, skirts, and so on). The base is created from a ball of clay. That is, first you need to roll a ball of the size you need. Then deform this ball (stretch, flatten, shrink) in accordance with the general shape of the body of the future toy. The smoother the deformation is, the better the shape will be, it will not have grooves, chips and other defects of rapid stretching.
The second step is making appendages... Believe it or not, the base of the appendages is also clay balls, only smaller than the base size. That is, you need to roll the ball and gradually deform it towards the desired shape. By the way, PLEASE NOTE: the first few toys are educational toys. So you shouldn't have any special quality requirements when making them. Requirements for the accuracy of shapes, sophistication and harmony should appear only with a little skill in working with clay.
The third step is compound appendages with the body. To do this, the "limbs" are pressed against the body. And then with the help of a certain amount of clay and a little more than usual amount of water, a smooth transition is created between the appendages and the body.
Now you can add any jewelry - rings, balls, sausages, grooves. And leave the toy blank to dry. In the meantime, it dries, take advantage of the pause and choose the colors with which you are going to paint the Dymkovo toy.
About the selection of paints and colors for Dymkovo toys.
The colors in the Dymkovo toy are mostly bright, canned - not miscible. If you want to learn more about mixing colors (for example, about how to get the most beautiful purple color instead of mud), then you can read the article “How to get the right color? ". But if you do not mind buying ordinary acrylic-based ceramic paints from an art store, then this will be the easier way. You will need any bright colors you like - yellow, red, black, orange, blue, green, purple.
Naturally, traditionally for coloring Dymkovo toys, natural dyes were used on eggs and milk. Then - tempera. But since we did not follow the original technology when creating the blank, then why observe it now?
So, acrylic paints are a great option for a Dymkovo toy. By the way, with special diligence, they can even cope with plasticine. Plus, their important plus compared to, for example, gouache - paints dry quickly and become very durable. So when you paint on a white background, it won't mix with the new colors. Well, if you chose gouache, be prepared for the fact that the white background color will interact with other paints. Especially if you are going to brush in one place for more than one stroke.
The next stage is coloring the Dymkovo toy.
Which, in turn, is divided into
- applying a white background
- final painting.
Applying a white background is an important process. If you do not apply it in at least one layer, then all your colors with which you will paint this toy will turn out to be much more faded than if there was a white background under them. Therefore, covering the workpiece with white in 2-3 layers is not a whim, it is a harsh necessity 🙂
Accordingly, after the background has dried, we begin to paint the toy. If you are not sure, then for a start, you can paint several figures on paper with the same colors that will be used in the toy. This will enable
- a) practice a little
- b) to a greater extent determine the desired color combination.
So, they traditionally need coloring: eyes, hair (if it is a person), items of clothing or natural coverings (feathers, skin). You can also paint decorative elements such as bumps, ridges, grooves, if you made them. If not, then you can draw them directly over the workpiece.
By the way, in decorating toys, it is quite possible that you will need our tips from the series of articles How to learn to draw? Easily! And especially the section on lines of force in the drawing.
That's all! Dymkovo toy is molded and painted! It remains to dry, if desired, cover with an eco-friendly water-based varnish - and rejoice!
Dymkovo toy - from simple to complex.
Methodically speaking, it is most correct to start sculpting toys from the simplest forms. That is, the probability of getting complete nonsense in the event that you chose, for example, a rider for the first modeling, is much greater than if you chose, say, a pig.
The principle of choosing toys that are easier to manufacture: they have a lot of body and few "appendages". That is, the more torso in the toy and the smaller the legs, arms, tails (and ideally, if they generally adhere to the body and are indicated only in the picture), the easier it will be to make this toy in the first place.
And, conversely, the principle of choosing more complex toys is the appearance of long limbs, necks, huge tails and other "appendage" protrusions.
Dymkovo bell:
Pigs are an excellent initial stage, they consist of a body and very short legs, heels, ears.
Pigs from the 1950s:
An original toy of the 30s of the last century (as you can see, primitivism and stylization are the basis of the Dymkovo toy):
A modern version of this toy (much less primitivism and stylization):
A more complex modification of this toy (mutant horse):
An even more complex modification of this toy (mountain horse):
The next stage of complication (generally unknown animal 🙂) from the 1900s:
The same toy - but in a modern design:
Happy creativity !!!
So, as you probably noticed, the process of making a Dymkovo toy is simple and logical.
And, of course, since ancient times it was not professional artists who were engaged in the creation of this toy, but exclusively amateurs. So everyone can handle the Dymkovo toy!
The Dymkovo toy is a unique phenomenon in Russian art. This is perhaps the most famous and popular among folk crafts. His glory has long crossed the borders of our country. For many decades not a single exhibition of folk art has been without cheerful, elegant Dymkovo figurines. Much has been written about the Dymkovo toy in general works on folk art, and special articles and essays, and popular books. However, it cannot be said that everything about this trade is known and we know well the entire path of its development.
The artistic evolution of Dymkovo toys as a whole has not yet been studied, sometimes the features of its expressive means are incorrectly determined, traditions are reduced to formal moments. The names of some masters have been forgotten, and the creative contribution to the common cause of even well-known ones is not revealed. Many outstanding works that museums possess have not been published. All this is of interest not only for the history of folk art in general, but is important, above all, for the craft itself. There are many difficulties and difficulties in his modern life. To move on, you need to know well the path traveled, take into account its experience, miscalculations and mistakes, achievements and victories.
From the history of Dymkovo toys in the 19th century, Vyatka was first mentioned in chronicles in 1374. This date is considered to be the time of the foundation of the city. It was founded on the site of a Russian settlement that existed in the XIV century by one of the detachments of the ushkuiniks who went on a campaign to the Volga Bulgaria. The detachment included different people: Novgorodians, Dvinyans, Ustyuzhanians. In the 15th century, Vyatka was a feudal possession: it was part of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality, it was the inheritance of the Galician (Kostroma) prince, and then the Moscow prince Vasily I took possession of it. - the Khlynov fortress, named after the Khlynovice river. Feudal wars more than once led to the siege of the city of Khlynov, but it staunchly defended itself and only in 1489 was surrendered to Ivan III without a fight and annexed to Moscow.
Unknown master. Walking gentleman. End of the 19th century
At the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century, the population of Khlynov began to replenish with people from the Northern Dvina and especially from Veliky Ustyug. The latter founded at this time on the low right bank of the Vyatka Dymkovskaya Sloboda, which repeated the name of the settlement in Veliky Ustyug, and the location flooded during the flooding of the river, and the church in the name of the revered in the northern city of Prokoshnia, and, possibly, the occupation of the main population by pottery ... In the 16th-17th centuries, trade routes went through Khlynov from the north to Moscow, the Volga region, and Great Perm. By 1678, the city already had five thousand inhabitants, and crafts were developing.
A.A. Mezrina. Walking gentleman. 1910s
In the 18th century, the number of artisans increased significantly. At the end of the 18th century, there were four hundred fifty-seven artisans in Khlynov, about twenty types of craft. The inhabitants of the Dymkovo settlement at that time were engaged in pottery.
Unknown master. Duck whistles. End, XIX century
“The Dymkovo settlement across the Vyatka River, on the pasture land, which, in the former under Shuvalov’s directorate, is a land surveyor, which in spring time is all drowned; after the confluence of spring waters into its borders, it is surrounded by green meadows, close to which from the midday side the Vyatka canal river facilitates the old current; according to its ancient structure, it does not have regular streets, houses are of wooden structure ", - says the old manuscript.
Unknown mister. Whistle skates. Early XX century
In 1780 in Khlynov there were eight hundred and sixty-five wooden houses and only six stone ones. That year, in connection with the provincial reform and the assignment of the status of a county and provincial town, Khlynov was returned to his old name - Vyatka. The city was provincial, the population was illiterate. Only in 1786 was the first secular school opened. Vyatka remained such a dark, half-asleep bearish corner throughout the 19th century. It is no coincidence that it became a place of political exile, which was served here by A.I. Herzen, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, V.G. Korolenko and many other talented representatives of Russian culture.
A.A. Mezrina (?). Couple on a walk. Lady under the umbrella. The last third of the 19th century
A. A. Mezrina (?) A couple for a walk. The last third of the 19th century
A. A. Mezrina (?). Lady under the umbrella. The last third of the 19th century
ME Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote about Vyatka: “Entering this city, you seem to feel that your career has ended here, that you can no longer demand anything from life, that you can only live in the past and digest your memories. There is not even a road further from this city, as if the end of the world is here. " The apt folk word reflected the spirit of local self-government in the proverb: "We have our own rules on Vyatka." But the exile gave birth to the forces of internal resistance, and the difficult living conditions, bureaucracy and arbitrariness of the bureaucracy awakened in the people inventiveness, a spirit of disobedience and the will to create. “We are Vyachki - we are not afraid of hvachki: seven are not afraid of one, but one-on-one, we will give our little bags,” the Vyatka man laughed at himself.
A. A. Mezrina (?). Two ladies. The last to warm the XIX century.
The talent, sharpness and ingenuity of the Vyatka peasants made a significant contribution to the development of domestic technology, science and culture. The harsh climate, low soil fertility and lack of land forced the population of the region to engage in crafts in addition to agriculture.
In the 19th century, the Vyatka uyezd ranked first in the province for the development of local domestic peasant industry. There were widely developed not only various crafts, but many types of folk art: weaving, lace-making, pottery, jewelry; but especially various types of artistic woodworking - from carved and painted household utensils to house paintings, for which Vyatka migrant painters became famous throughout the North and the Urals; from creating beautifully textured objects from burl growths to wicker and carved furniture.
Among these types of local folk art, a special role was played by the Dymkovo clay toy. Some historians of the Vyatka Territory believe that the production of toys in Dymkovskaya Sloboda probably appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century. One can hardly agree with this, although no written evidence for a more precise date of their occurrence has been found. At the same time, the origin and history of Dymkovo toys are inseparable from the local holiday - Svistoplyaska. It was to her that the production and mass sale of clay toys and whistles was timed.
Unknown master. Baby in the tub. Child and dog. Early XX century
Be that as it may, but Svistoplyaska, according to the fair comment of the author of the description of the holiday in the "St. Petersburg Vedomosti" of 1856, is really "the only holiday in the world in its originality and name". It is surprising that so far it has not attracted the attention of ethnographers. Throughout the 19th century, local newspapers published descriptions of Swistoplyaska. They allow you to imagine her being and the changes that took place in the celebration of the holiday during this century. In the old days (until the beginning of the 19th century), the holiday began with a memorial service for the killed and the dead, held in a chapel erected on a high slope of the Razderikhinsky ravine. Then there was a walk and entertainment: throwing clay balls from a slope into a ditch, fistfights, whistling, dancing, reflected in the name of the holiday. All this was accompanied by the sale of sweets and especially clay dolls "in honor of the widows who remained after the battle."
Unknown master. Nanny with two children. End of the 19th century
In the middle of the 19th century, the authors of the notes complain about the "displacement of ancient rituals by modern life", the reduction of the Swistoplyaska program, the increasing role of children as its participants and the reduction of the entire ritual after the traditional funeral service mainly to the sale of toys, without which, probably, the holiday would cease to exist. Since 1861, they stopped rolling clay balls and arrange playful fights. Since 1888, the holiday has changed its name - it is no longer Swistoplyaska, but Whistler, which testifies to the transformation of a complex ancient rite into an entertainment fair. According to the recollections of the oldest craftswoman Z. V. Penkina, the last Whistler took place in the late 1920s.
Unknown master. Lady. Young lady. End of the 19th century
Modern research makes it possible to classify the Whistle Dance as a calendar holidays of the spring-summer cycle and to note in it the essential features of these rituals of the most ancient origin. The dance was performed annually on the fourth Saturday after Easter. Already this confinement to certain days, usually in the month of April-May, puts it in a number of traditional folk rituals associated in their origins with the ancient cult of the earth, the renewal and rebirth of nature after winter and its awakening from spring to summer.
Unknown master. Young lady. End of the 19th century
Despite the confinement to the Christian calendar, all the main before and after - Easter folk rituals (carnival - Easter - seven - trinity) - researchers somehow associate with the solstice and the cycles of seasonal agricultural work during the transition from spring to summer, with magical ones at their core rituals aimed at improving the fertility of the earth. Often these rituals were combined with the commemoration of the dead, and the holiday itself was held at a church or chapel, as was the case at Svistoplyaska. Ethnographers believe that this may mean a genetic link between the calendar rite and the cult of ancestors. The antiquity of the rite is also seen in the fact that after the commemoration, noisy fun with songs and dances usually began. The combination of grief and fun, even revelry, did not evoke condemnation. but it was taken for granted: it was thought to paralyze death and affirm life.
Unknown master. A woman milks a cow. Early XX century
The magical act of casting a fertility spell during the spring-summer rituals was laughter - the recreation of life, whistling - a means of scaring away the evil inclination, and especially the rolling of eggs. The egg was a symbol of the birth of a new life. His contact with the ground was supposed to awaken the earth from winter sleep, to fertilize it. Among the Easter games, rolling eggs on the ground from a hill was especially popular. It can be assumed that rolling clay balls on Svistoplyaska was a late modification of these ancient actions. L. A. Dinces associated it with the remnants of the cult of the sun. It is known that many calendar rituals were performed "near the water", which had a purifying significance. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the Whistle Dance was held on the banks of the Vyatka River. In 1824, the Alexander Garden was laid out here, and the holiday was held near it, but in the old place. Finally, it is possible that in the mass creation of clay dolls for the Whistle Festival and the predominance of female characters among them, especially nurses with children, a distant echo of the ancient pagan cults of fertility has also been preserved, as L.A. Dinces wrote about.
Unknown master. On the stove. Early XX century
Ethnographers note that in the 19th century, rituals were already severely destroyed. The rituals that were grouped around major holidays and performed collectively remained longer. This happened due to the fact that, with the loss of ritual meaning, they began to be perceived as entertainment, and their transformed and rethought ancient elements, combined with new ones, diversified the holiday and gave each of them its own special flavor. In some rituals, over time, more and more children participated, who perceived them as a game, which can also be seen in the example of the Whistle Dance. Whistling is a local Vyatka holiday. However, a well-known analogy to it can be seen in the Krakow Renkavka, which is still held on Easter Tuesday on the banks of the Vistula, allegedly at the grave of Krakus, the legendary founder of the city, and is accompanied by throwing eggs, children riding carousels, selling and buying toys. Thus, summing up all the features of the Vyatka Svistoplyaska - Svistunya, it seems possible to assert that this holiday is ancient in origin. By the 19th century, it had already strongly transformed. In it, layers of different times are obvious, which were reflected both in the character of the holiday itself, and, apparently, in the clay toys that accompanied it.
A.A. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. Early XX century
The earliest toys preserved in museums can be dated back to the last decades of the 19th - early 20th century. But the absence of earlier things can, to a certain extent, compensate for information from the local press. They are quite numerous and make it possible to imagine the state of the craft throughout the entire 19th century: the nature of toys, their plots, cost, size of production, correlation with other types of local products, in particular, gypsum, which gradually pressed out clay. The very first mention of Dymkovo toys is contained in the above-mentioned notes of Major General N. Z. Khitrovo. He kept a journal, where he described the legendary battle between the Ustyuzhan and Vyatka residents and the traditional commemoration holiday. In 1811 he reported: “Today this day, the whole morning is devoted to prayer, and the rest of this memorable day is walking and amusement. The people gather with small whistles and whistle all day, walking along the streets and standing on the rampart, throwing clay balls into the ditch, where the city kids come to collect them; it often happens that the balls hit their heads and break through to the blood; but that doesn't keep them from continuing their fun. In honor of the widows who remained after the battle, clay dolls, painted with different colors and gilded, are sold in those places. This holiday is called in this land Swistoplaska "... From this passage, it can be concluded that there are three types of toys participating in the Whistle: whistles, clay balls and dolls. Judging by the description, the ritual of the holiday was far from new, and the participation of clay toys in it also testifies to a developed production rather than its initial stage. One might think that in 1811 the production of clay toys in Dymkovo was already well established.
A.A. Mezrina. Nanny with two children. Water carrier. Late 19th - early 20th century
The toys had a certain established assortment, differed in their role in the ritual of the holiday, in plastic and painting: these are balls, individual figures and groups, painted with paints and using gold leaf, cheap and more expensive. The seasonality of the practice of clay toys, their export outside the Vyatka province and certain incomes of the craftsmen from this craft are noted. The description of toys evokes analogies with works of later times, known from museum collections: the similarity between a bear and a pig and ornamentation with "flies" or stripes testify to this. Finally, already by the middle of the 19th century, and not by the end of it, as they often write, the appearance of plaster toys and figurines, which constituted a serious competitor to the Dymkovo clay products, began.
A. I. Mezrina. A woman milks a cow. Early XX century
In 1861, "Vyatskiye Gubernskiye Vedomosti" testified that the Swistoplyaska program, which ran from May 20 to May 22, was declining, even the rolling of balls stopped with the device in the ravine of a paved descent to the river. “The trade in dolls, toys and treats on the square in front of the Alexander Garden remains almost the only reason for a significant crowd of people who come here mostly with children to buy them the most interesting goods for them. In the current Swistoplyaska, we counted 20 booths with nuts, gingerbread and other sweets and 10 tables with similar goods, 3 booths with all sorts of children's toys, alabaster dolls, figurines and even groups, 42 tables with wooden, paper, embroidered and mostly clay dolls and toys, 5 tables with clay balls and 6 with birch bark pipes ”. Further, the author notes that “no improvements or changes in the figures were noticed, except for the extraordinary expansion of the skirts of the clay ladies - in the taste of our time. Products of this kind are sold to the townspeople for money, while the villagers are exchanged more for eggs; the questions about the price of the trader are answered: two testicles, five testicles, etc. " Thus, for the first time, a detailed description of booths with various goods is given, among which clay Dymkovo ones still dominate, although alabaster statuettes and figurines are stepping on them more and more actively. In 1862, Svistoplyaska had twenty-two booths with nuts, gingerbread and sweets, three booths with children's toys of various kinds, with alabaster dolls and figurines, thirty-eight tables with wooden, paper, embroidered and mostly with clay dolls and toys, five tables with clay balls and four with birch bark pipes. In 1865, in the list of the number of artisans in Vyatka, masters of clay toys were already listed in the total number with cast alabaster figures. Fifty women and two men are mentioned as such "puppeteers". The latter have never been engaged in sculpting clay toys, but only in casting from alabaster.
Unknown master. Lady. Young lady, End of the XIX century.
Unknown master. Rider. End of the 19th century
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries
The known information about the Dymkovo toy can be correlated with genuine works dated only to the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. The fragility of clay and a rather late interest in collecting clay folk plastic, which manifested itself mainly in the 1900-1910s, led to the fact that Dymkovo toys created not earlier than the last decade of the 19th century are kept in museum collections.
However, even the earliest of them are far from homogeneous in their composition and origin. And if you follow their "layer-by-layer" analysis, then the most ancient "layers", probably, should include balls or "balls", which "from time immemorial" were rolled on Svistoplyaska. Two copies of such balls have been preserved in museums. They are quite consistent with the description given above from the St. Petersburg Gazette of 1856. Relatively small in diameter (6-10 cm), hollow inside, with rolling peas that create the sound of a rattle, they are beautiful in color combinations. Rows of white, red and lilac (in another case - white, blue and brown) spots-peas are always applied on a black background, which gives them a shade of gloomy severity. One can imagine that this peculiar kind of Dymkovo toys brought its unique note to the general colorful, noisy atmosphere of Svistoplyaska. Over time, with the departure from the festive ritual of playful fights and rolling balls along the Razderikhinsky descent to the Vyatka River, the balls ceased to exist.
Probably, whistles, especially images of animals and birds, also make up the ancient layer of Dymkovo toys.
It is interesting to note that the ethnographers call domestic animals the carriers of fertility in the minds of ancient farmers: bull, goat, pig, horse and others. Among the old Dymkovo toys there are all these characters, and they are always whistles. Their constant form in the form of a small figurine with the most characteristic features of a bird or animal in front and a conical end - a whistle from behind, perfect and laconic plastic, combining figurative expressiveness with functionality, in themselves testify to the fact that such works of the late 19th century are a traditional type of toy, worked out by more than one generation of craftsmen. The same is evidenced by the uniformity of the plastic solutions of these whistles by different authors, the features of the handwriting of which are manifested not so much in the plastic as in the details of the painting. Only by the length of the horse's muzzle, the whistle-cone, the bend of the horns of a cow or ram, the pattern of the eyes and the color features of the painting, one can try to classify these toys. But since they were made in large batches and they were also purchased by "factories", then in museum collections they represent fairly uniform series, made in certain color variations.
M. A. Laletina. Babysitting with children. Early XX century
Among the whistles, figures of ducks and lionfish take the first place. In the collection of the State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR, one of them has an inscription: Vyatka province. 1909 In terms of plasticity, "lionfish" differ from simple wefts only in horizontal rows of frills-wings, as if two aprons with a molded frill are worn - in front and behind. For some authors, the head of a duck with a raised wide beak looks like a proudly raised human head in a bonnet. The streamlined, smooth and compact plastic of the whistle duck also corresponds to the painting, in which you can see a certain system of applying color stripes and rows of peas. First, a wide strip is made from the back through the neck and head along the chest, then narrower ones from the chest on the sides, in accordance with the shape of the cone, and at the end they are crossed by transverse stripes, forming a checkered pattern. Yellow-orange, lilac-gray, blue-green-yellow whistles demonstrate a subtle sense of color by their authors, who owned a fairly wide palette.
A.A. Mezrina. Deer. Cow. Ram. Hare. Early XX century
Numerous among the whistles and figurines of horses - one-headed or two-headed. Particularly expressive are the two-headed ones, unique among the clay toys of all known centers for plastic solution, its peculiar persuasiveness despite the obviousness of artistic fiction. Dymkovo "two-headed" - a vivid example of the organic fusion of the real and the fantastic, embodied in a perfect artistic form, which is characteristic of the best achievements of folklore in all its forms. Their silhouette, with a greater or lesser inclination of the heads to the sides, preserves the outline of the cone, which, expanding forward and upward, creates a stable and plastically completed shape of the toy. Even in the arrangement of the holes for the side whistle and the whistle in the horse's tail, there is a certain rhythm, conditioned not only by the need to extract sounds, but also by a sense of harmony.
E. A. Koshkina. Babysitting with children. Early XX century
For painting whistle-skates, protozoa are also characteristic, usually vertical rows of multi-colored peas or alternating stripes and cells with harmonious or contrasting combinations of colors. Sometimes a circle is placed in a ring on the horse's chest - the "sun", drawn with oblique lines or direct rays emanating from it. This motive brings Dymkovo toys closer to similar Kargopol, Filimonov and others.
E. A. Koshkina. Ladies. Early XX century
Compared to ducks and skates, images of other birds and animals (goats, rams, cows, and especially pigs) are represented in whistles by a significantly smaller number of works. Cows, goats and rams are similar in plasticity to horses, only in the position of the horns and the pattern of the muzzle they show similarities with their prototypes. They are also laconic in the fusion of the shape of a conical whistle with a plastic solution to the image, in the accuracy and accuracy of conveying the peculiar characters of animals. They are also close to the skates in painting: as a rule, they are decorated with vertical rows of black dots or small colored peas.
A.A. Mezrina. Dancing couple. 1910s
Only two varieties of Dymkovo whistles convey human images: this is a rider (on a single-headed or two-headed horse) and the so-called "walking cavalier". Perhaps it was their "Vyatskiye gubernskiye vedomosti" that was called those "whistlers" who were very popular during the Whistle Dance. Compositionally, both toys also organically merged with the shape of the whistle, their artistic solution is bright and expressive. For example, the presence of a whistle for a "walking gentleman" lengthens the figure, gives it stability and a certain lean back, contributing to the impression of measured movement and the lordly importance of the character. Always depicted in a long coat with a shawl collar and a top hat, the gentleman conveys the type of provincial street dandy. The image of the whistle rider, using the expression of VS Voronov, is “the transformation of fantasy into some convincing reality and genuine realism into fabulousness”. Toy playfulness is combined in it with the liveliness of the transfer of a dashingly galloping horse and a soldier firmly sitting on it. The plastic combination of two figures into one, ignoring the details and identifying what should enhance the content of the image (the proudly thrown head and steep neck of a horse, the dashing pose of the rider) - everything allows one to see the image expressive and reliable behind the external convention. This reliability is also helped by the identical drawing of the eyes of a horse and a man (with pupils and eyebrows), which contributes to the unification into a single living character.
L.P. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. Early XX century
The images of the whistle rider and the "walking cavalier" with their inherent rounded plastic shapes, squat proportions, puppet importance and seriousness are among the most striking and distinctive in the assortment of Dymkovo toys. But if the plot of the horseman-whistle is typical for almost all centers of the folk clay toy of the 19th century, then the “walking cavalier” and the similar “walking lady” that appeared later are the work of hands and imaginations only of Dymkovo craftswomen. They liked both toys themselves. Each sculpted them in large numbers, varying the position of the hands, the color of clothing (for riders - certainly with epaulets on their shoulders), rings, cages and peas on the whistles and bodies of horses, the height and shape of a hat, always famously worn, sometimes with a crease, sometimes with zeros, then cocked hats.
A.A. Mezrina. Lady with an umbrella. Early XX century
The images of ladies, ladies and military men are no exception in Dymkovo plastic. They are also known in other centers for the production of Russian clay toys - the settlement Bolshie Gonchary near Tula, the villages of Romanovo near Lipetsk, Filimonovo in the Tula and Abashevo provinces of the Penza provinces. But it is noteworthy that in rural peasant industries, which were the majority of the centers of toy production in central Russia, human figures are always endowed with whistles, at least in the form of a bird, which is held under the arm of a lady or a soldier. In the settlements Bolshie Gonchary near Tula and Dymkovo in Vyatka, with the exception of the whistle rider and the "walking cavalier", human figures have never been whistles. The explanation for this fact, in our opinion, must be sought in the fact that in both suburban provincial settlements they followed the fashion more and were guided by the achievements of porcelain small plasticity. And the creation of such clay toys was supposed to compensate for the shortage of similar porcelain figurines.
A. I. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. Early XX century
Many researchers wrote about the influence of porcelain sculpture on the Dymkovo toy. The acquaintance of the Dymkovo craftswomen with this production is confirmed by the above information from the local press. The influence of porcelain figurines on a folk toy in the 19th century was reflected almost everywhere. It has not yet been sufficiently studied in concrete manifestations. But the Dymkovo craftswomen were not alone in this. Achievements of porcelain production were somehow perceived by Tula, Lipetsk, Bogorodsk and other masters. His influence was reflected in the mass production of such figurines, in the change in the function of the toy, which became not so much a subject of play as an adornment of window sills, dressers and slides with dishes, which was also ubiquitous. It also affected the subjects that attracted the attention of folk craftsmen to the world of masters and street types; in the compositions of figurines, often standing on stands-bases, like porcelain figurines, and even in the whitewash of Dymkovo toys before painting, which clearly imitated the whiteness of porcelain.
A. I. Mezrina. Nanny. A young lady with an umbrella. Early XX century
Some typical compositions of Dymkovo toys have direct analogies in porcelain sculpture of the 19th century: a hunter in a boat with a dog, a lady with dogs, a water carrier, and the plot of milking a cow is known in Gzhel majolica at the end of the 18th century. But with all the indisputability of the effects of porcelain sculpture, Dymkovo masters did not just imitate it and did not mechanically translate samples of fashionable sculpture from noble porcelain into coarse clay, but created an original and unique art with its own artistic system, bright and powerful, the talent of many generations that showed the world unique folk craft. The artistic features of Dymkovo toys at the turn of the century reflect the truly folk character of this art, which managed to master outside influences and subordinate them to the people's perception of the world and aesthetic norms.
A. I. Mezrina. Lady with a child, Early XX century
The plastic basis for all the female figurines was a mortar-bell, a stable base and at the same time a fluffy skirt. This universal technique in a clay toy, not only in many regions, but also among different peoples in the Dymkovo craft, acquired only its characteristic features. Dymkovo mortar is squat and wide at the base. The initial stage of its sculpting, indeed, reveals a resemblance to a bell. But at the same time, each craftswoman has the ability to vary the steepness, depth, height of the mortar, thereby introducing nuances in the appearance of the character. The inside of the mortar is also processed in different ways: some authors have it in the form of a hemisphere-dome, others have a shallow cone that goes deep into the depths.
A. I. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. A young lady with an umbrella. Early XX century
A ball-head with a torso is adhered to the mortar, and hands rolled into balls and other stucco details of clothing are attached to the entire composition. Together with the head, a pimple-tubercle of the nose is molded, barely protruding on a flat face, but giving all Dymkovo toys an essential feature.
The main “tool” of the craftswoman is her hands that feel, touch the material, and with dexterous movements of the fingers give birth to small figures from a lump of clay. The only help for the hands is wet rags to smooth the seams.
Dried for three to five days at home, the toys were fired for three to four hours in a Russian stove. Then the cooled figures were whitewashed with chalk diluted in skim milk, and painted with paints rubbed on egg yolk. For painting, homemade brushes from rags and sticks were used to guide the eyes and eyebrows.
A.A. Mearin. Lady. Nanny. 1920s
In the State Museum of Ethnography of the USSR there are copies of toys corresponding to different stages of work on them. Some are fired, where the red clay that has become dark brown after firing, as it were, exposes the plastic. In such specimens, one can appreciate the sculptural gift of the Dymkovo craftswomen, under whose dexterous fingers confidently and concisely sculpted figures were born from clay, smoothed, resilient, striking with the smoothness of lines, proportionality, strict selection of the most necessary details. So, only the position of the horns, sharply protruding or elastically bent back, decides the image of a cow or a goat-whistle. Other examples of toys are whitewashed, but so far without painting. Thanks to the white color, the purity and melodiousness of lines, smooth transitions of volumes, the absence of any kind of seams, joints are even more revealed in them. In plastic terms, the figure is monolithic and laconic. Everything in it is so organic and complete that it is impossible to add or remove something. For painting with a few colors of muted shades, it seems a natural and necessary addition to her appearance and outfit, in toys of the period under consideration, which does not go beyond the artistic similarity to the real one and is so far devoid of self-sufficient flowery and decorativeness.
A.A. Mezrina. Dancing couple. 1910-1920s
Denshin lists paints that were used by Dymkovo craftswomen at the beginning of the 20th century: red - red lead, fuchsin; yellow - crowns, green - crowns and Paul-Veronese. blue - blue and ultramarine, black - soot. Each toy girl had her own recipes for their breeding. The coloring of the figures also had their own sequence. First, the hair was dyed black, the eyebrows and eyes were applied with a stick, the other splinter - three red or orange spots - the mouth and cheeks. Then the hat was painted, and the painting was completed with ornamentation of the skirt. Pieces of gold leaf or gold leaf (imitating gold of the thinnest leaves of an alloy of copper and zinc) were glued on top of the paint to enhance the brilliance and flamboyance.
A.A. Mezrina. Horse rider. Goat rider. 1910-1920s
As befits handicrafts intended for sale, the presence of a certain assortment is noticeable in Dymkovo toys of this time. Female figurines differ not only in plots, type, but also in size, character and set of details, degree of complexity. Smaller and simpler cost less, they were made in large batches. More complex and larger - toys are more individual, in museum collections they are found in single copies.
A.A. Mezrina. Couple in the boat. 1920s
Dymkovo figurines exist in three sizes: about fifteen to eighteen centimeters in height, ten to twelve centimeters and the smallest - eight to nine centimeters. But the craftswomen did not strictly adhere to these standards and sometimes worked in two or even one of them. It should be noted that all toys of the 19th - early 20th centuries are rather miniature, and the difference in size at this time did not significantly affect the figurative transformation of the characters.
A.A. Mezrina. Musicians. 1920s
Summing up the development of Dymkovo toys in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it should be noted that already at that time it was not a toy in the true sense of the word. As can be seen from the analyzed works, it was small decorative plastic. Therefore, they were called "toys" and are still called conventionally, according to tradition. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dymkovo plastics developed as a folk art craft, which was engaged seasonally or permanently by many residents of the Dymkovskaya Sloboda. In the works of this time, there are layers of different origins, but they existed at the same time and were enriched with live observations by modern masters of life.
A.A. Mezrina. Bear. Bear on the tree. Lions. 1920s
A certain type of people, especially female characters, images of animals and birds, methods of their embodiment in plastic and painting speak of a fully developed system of local art, the originality of its expressive means. Toys of this time are characterized by small sizes, a comparative thin layer of clay dough, various plastic and artistic complexity depending on the assortment, a variety of options for the embodiment of a small number of characters, a variety and thoroughness of detailing. In the painting and painting - muted combinations of colors, modesty of the simplest patterned decorations, the absence of self-sufficient decorativeness.
A.A. Mezrina. Kindergarten for a walk. 1935
A.A. Mezrina. Pig. 1935
A.A. Mezrina. Reading the collective farm charter. 1935
A.A. Mezrina. Ladies. 1910-1920s
E, A. Koshkina. Pig. 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. At the well. 1936. Water carrier. 1936-1937 g.
E. A. Koshkina. Cow. 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. Toy saleswoman (Whistler). 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. Peasant woman. 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. Gypsy woman with children. Lady with an umbrella. 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. Goose. 1935-1936. Turkey. End of the 1930s Turkey. 1949
E. A. Koshkina. A lion. Dog with a bird. End of the 1980s
E. A. Koshkina. The shepherd grazes the cows. 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. Football player and drummer. End of the 1930s
E. A. Koshkina. Ivan Tsarevich and the Firebird. 1940s
E. I. Penkina (modeling). E. I. Koss (painting). And at work. 1945
E. A. Koshkina. Decorative tiles. Late 1930s - early 1940s
EI Penkina. Couple for a walk. 1930s
E. I. Penkina. Samoyed on a deer. 1930s
E. I. Penkina. Nanny with a child. 1930s
E. I. Penkina. Lady with an umbrella .. 1937
E. I. Penkina. Nanny with a child. 1937
E. I. Penkina. Lady. 1930s
E. I. Penkina. A mare with a foal. 1938
E.P. Penkina. The cow. Dog. Second half of the 1930s
E. I. Penkina. Hussar on horseback. 1930s
E. I. Penkina. Rider. Horsewoman. 1936-1937
E. I. Penkina. Princess on the Gray Wolf. 1930s
E. I. Penkina. Rooster. 1930s
E. I. Penkina (modeling). L. I. Nikulina (painting). Milkmaid and cow. 1940s
E.P. Penkina (modeling). E. I. Koss (painting). Ushkuyniki. 1942
E. I. Penkina (modeling). L. N. Nikulina (painting). Balalaika player on fish. 1944
E. I. Penkina (modeling). E. I. Koss (painting). Toy saleswoman. 1944
E. I. Penkina (modeling). E. I. Koss (painting). The wrangler. 1935
E. I. Penkina (modeling). E. I. Koss (painting). Couple on a walk. 1940s
E. I. Penkina (modeling). L. N. Nikulina (painting). Trainer with a lion. 1940s
M. A. Laletina. Nanny. Lady. 1941
M. A. Laletina. Ladies. 1941
M. A. Laletina. Ladies. 1941
M. A. Laletina. Duck with ducklings. Piglet. Duck. "Lion duck". 1941
M. A. Laletina. Nurses with children. 1941
M. A. Laletina. Whistles. 1941
M. A. Laletina. Horsemen. 1941
M.A. Vorozhtsova. Hunter's rest. 1941
M.A. Vorozhtsova. Turnip, 1940
M.A.Vorozhtsova (modeling). K. I. Koss (painting). Cock. 1942
M.A. Vorozhtsova. Hare rider. 1940
In Russia, the art of pottery originated in ancient times. At that time, our ancestors paid great attention to ceremonial holidays. The "whistle dance" was no exception - a celebration honoring the sun god Yaril. On this day, the participants of the holiday threw over painted clay balls and used clay whistles with might and main. This is what caused the appearance of ritual accessories, among which the Dymkovo toy took pride of place.
Fishing history
The Dymkovo toy was "born" in Kirov. Five centuries ago, beyond the Vyatka River, there was a small settlement called Dymkovo, where Tsar Ivan III ordered to resettle residents from the northern regions of Russia. Among them there were many talented masters of pottery, who in the new place developed an active activity in the production of toys. Entire families were involved in the work process: some mined clay and made mixtures from lump chalk; others made toys; still others - they were burned; the fourth - whitewashed and painted.
The Dymkovo craft has been developing for four hundred years. During this time, their own themes, images, characteristic drawings have developed. There was no room for expressionless ornaments or dull shades. The Dymkovo toy is the embodiment of life in the most joyful colors. It is not surprising that by the beginning of the 19th century, whistles from Dymkovo won the love of residents of all of Russia. More than 100 thousand toys were produced per year, which were sold in the capital and the Orenburg province. 59 families from Dymkovo worked on their creation. Among the most famous surnames were the Koshkins and Nikulins.
(Mezrina Anna Afanasyevna - the craftswoman of the Dymkovo toys)
At the beginning of the 20th century "black times" came for Dymkovo toys. They ceased to enjoy their former popularity, so the famous families of pottery artisans began to look for other ways to earn money. Exclusive whistles began to be supplanted by cheap plaster options. Only one craftswoman, Anna Mezrina, remained faithful to the traditional clay making. It is to her that the descendants can be grateful for the preservation of the Dymkovo trade.
(Master E. A. Koshkina and artist A. Denshin)
An equally important role in the continuation of the traditions of the ancestors was played by the artist Aleksey Denshin. From a young age he was fond of the Dymkovo toy, carefully sketching all known ornaments. Even after the October Revolution, he did not lose hope of drawing attention to folk art: he published handwritten albums, collected collections of toys. His efforts were crowned with success: in the 30s of the 20th century, the Dymkovo craft began to revive in Kirov.
Types of Dymkovo toys
Traditional images of Dymkovo toys are a lady, pets, a turkey. All of them are made in bright colors that call to show the joy of life. Collectors appreciate figurines that can be used to create certain plot compositions.
The Dymkovo toy, despite its canonicity, is exclusive. The fact is that each craftswoman is trying to bring her own author's work into the product. Therefore, it is impossible to find two absolutely identical toys.
Among the most popular images that are "played" in the Dymkovo toy are the following:
Turkey- colorful, like a peacock, with a characteristic beard decorated with gold leaf. Sizes can be different: from tiny 5 cm to an impressive 40 cm;
Ladyis both an exquisite city lady and a traditional young lady in a kokoshnik. There may be children next to her. Gold leaf also adorns individual details;
Lamb- figurines of this animal can have different sizes of horns. A distinctive feature is their gilding. Lamb are ordinary or in smart, funny clothes;
Horse- the traditional image of an animal in bright blue tones or "bull's-eye".
Male images in the Dymkovo toy are played out most often in the form of a rider on a horse, a walking city or village "cavalier". Figures of pigs, birds, bells are popular.
Manufacturing technology
The process of creating a Dymkovo toy consists of two stages: the formation of a figure and its coloring.
Clay and river sand are used to create the figurine. According to the rules, it should be Vyatka red clay. Each part of the toy is created separately: a body is formed from a spherical lump of clay, onto which the rest of the parts are "assembled" (legs, arms, head, accessories, etc.). All parts must be held together with smooth transitions. This helps to avoid chipping in the future.
Dry the finished image in the open air for several days. Then it is fired over a fire. Previously, a Russian stove was used for this. Today - a muffle, where the temperature reaches 1000C.
When the workpiece cools down, it is bleached with tempera paints. Our ancestors used milk for this purpose.
At the next stage of creating a toy - coloring, only solid colors are used without mixing. In the old days, natural dyes based on eggs, milk, soot, vinegar, tempera were used for this. Today there are ready-made acrylic paints. The main requirement is brightness and naturalness. Be sure to use gold leaf for individual parts.
Painting Dymkovo toys
Dymkovo toy is a symbol of joy and vitality. The ornaments depicted on it are smooth painting combined with geometric patterns. The colors are selected according to the principle of contrast and favorable emphasis on each other. Tails of birds, horns of animals, details of people's wardrobe are covered with copper leaf (in the old days, thin sheets of gold leaf were taken for this).
Traditional colors of Dymkovo toys: blue, red, yellow, emerald, light blue, green, orange. White and black paint is used in a minimal amount to give emphasis in selected areas.
Each color that is used in the Dymkovo toy has its own meaning: white - symbolizes purity; black is a lie; green - nature; red - strength, health; blue is the sky.
(Sketch of the artist Alexey Denshin for a toy)
Longtime masters bred dyes on egg yolk. The recipes were kept secret. The coloring was carried out in a strict sequence:
- hair;
- eyes and eyebrows;
- mouth and cheeks;
- headdress;
- ornaments on clothes.
The patterns in the Dymkovo toy are closely related to amulets, symbolism of nature. There are solar and lunar signs as a symbol of the origin of life; rhombs - as a sign of fertility; waves - as a sign of the sky and moisture.
The finishing touch to the painting was the application of gold leaf.
Today the Dymkovo toy continues its development. New technologies appear, fresh ideas are born. But the production traditions remain unchanged.
The Dymkovo young lady amazes with the brightness of colors, amazing ornament, a sense of the fullness of real Russian life. It may seem that a modern person, a resident of a big city, can hardly do this with his own hands. But this is not the case. You can mold it from clay - in accordance with the traditions of the Vyatka town of Dymkovo (where the craft originated), or from salt dough, which, of course, is much easier in a city apartment. After all, a clay toy must not only be dazzled, but then thoroughly burned - preferably in a special oven, although an oven in the kitchen is also suitable.
For modeling, red clay is suitable, bought in a specialized store, or obtained with your own hands in a garden plot. It is important to prepare your workplace well. You will need:
- oilcloth on the table at which modeling will take place;
- a glass of water, which can be moistened when gluing parts of a future figurine made of clay or dough;
- rags with which you can wipe your hands;
- a wooden spatula, in order to trim the resulting figures.
The choice of the character you want to dazzle is an individual matter. But in the Dymkovo toy, as in any craft with traditions, the set of heroes has long been rather strictly outlined: the Dymkovo toy lady, a rider on a horse and just a Dymkovo toy horse, a turkey with a huge tail, a well-fed pig, "deer - golden horns", cockerel , as well as all kinds of whistles.
The lady begins with a "bell"
The creation of each of them is an interesting process that will captivate both an adult and a child. For example, you can make a figurine of a lady with your own hands like this.
- The first thing that needs to be sculpted from clay or dough is a dress for the Dymkovo heroine. This will be a hollow bell-shaped hem.
- Further, two strips are twisted from clay - the future hands of the lady, a strip of kokoshnik in the form of an accordion, a circle for the future head (only the nose is indicated on it with a convex triangle, and the eyes and mouth are drawn with paint).
- All parts are connected together, carefully fixed.
- Small but important details are added to the figure: stripes of braids on the head, ruffles on the dress, and round earrings on the face.
How to create a frill
To make a frill, a piece of material is taken: it is rolled into a flagellum, and then by light tapping of the edge of the palm turns into a clay "ribbon", which is folded into equal segments according to the accordion principle.
In the hands of the lady, you can add a rocker with hanging buckets of clay (or salty dough), a baby in an envelope, or a couple of children at once (the lady holds them with both hands). The modeling is completed: we put the toy aside and wait one or two days for it to dry. Dry at room temperature, but never near a battery.
When the toy is already dry ...
The color of the toy will tell you that the toy is dry - the clay will become light. Now the toy can be sent to the stove or oven, where it will be fired. After that, the toy is whitewashed (simple waterproof paint that does not contain varnish will do). The whitewash should be applied in two layers, and after that, start painting with tempera paint. Ornaments of Dymkovo toys - circles, rhombuses, rings, multi-colored stripes. By the way, the ornaments of ladies and young ladies are different: city dwellers often paint in circles, while peasant women decorate their apron and skirt in a more strict cage or strip.
Lady or young lady?
You can make the figure of a Dymkovo young lady with your own hands according to the same principle by which a lady is made. They differ from each other in headdresses: if we sculpt a kokoshnik for a peasant woman, then a townswoman may well be wearing a hat. A small pancake (made of clay or salt dough), which is then put on the head of the toy, can become the basis of the headdress during modeling. To make the hat more effective, a flower or an interesting frill is added to it. A young lady, unlike a lady, may have a handbag, a flower, or even a fan in her hands.
Sculpt a horse
Another common Dymkovo figurine (perhaps no less common than the Dymkovo young lady) is a horse. First of all, from the material chosen for the work, we sculpt the body, then the cones of the legs, as well as the head with mane and a small tail.
All parts are connected into a single whole and glued together. The toy is sent to dry, which will also be followed by oven baking, whitewashing and painting.
Dymkovo toy is one of the oldest Russian folk clay crafts. It first appeared 400 years ago and has not lost its relevance to this day. During this time, the appearance of the Dymkovo toy changed, but the peculiarity of its manufacture, which makes it unique, remained the same. Our story about the Dymkovo toy is intended primarily for children, junior schoolchildren, but it will also be interesting for interested adults to read.
The history of the creation of Dymkovo toys
This craft comes from the Dymkovskaya Sloboda, which is now part of the city of Kirov (formerly Vyatka).
There is an interesting legend associated with the creation of the Dymkovo toy. According to her, once, many centuries ago, two friendly troops met at the walls of the city, but due to the fact that it was dark, they decided that the enemy was in front of them and the battle began. Many soldiers died in the battle, it is believed that their evil spirits still fly over the battlefield. And after this tragic event, it was customary to celebrate a feast every spring.
Gradually, this incident was forgotten, and instead of a funeral feast, folk festivities appeared, which were called "whistle dancing". On this day, women sculpted various figures and balls from clay, which they painted beautifully and carefully. They whistled merrily with figures for the walk, and it was customary to throw colored balls, inside which there were peas, at each other, which created additional noise.
Of course, not only the tragic incident contributed to the formation of the holiday and the creation of the Dymkovo toy. It was also important that there were deposits of clay near the Dymkovo settlement, which could be used in ceramics. The special method of modeling and original painting made Dymkovo toys popular not only in Kirov, but also far beyond its borders.
Features of Dymkovo toys
A characteristic feature of the Dymkovo toy, which distinguishes it from other figurines and figurines, is that they could all whistle, crackle, rattle and make other noise. This feature is due to the fact that evil spirits do not like noise, and the toy is designed to disperse these spirits. In the spring, with the start of agricultural work, their presence was not at all necessary. It was believed that they appeared in the fields in winter and one of the ways to deal with them was the spring holidays, which were distinguished by noisy fun. The task of the Dymkovo toy was to drive out the spirits with the help of a whistle and roar.
Thus, first of all, the figures had to emit noise and whistle. Currently, this is not a necessary attribute of the Dymkovo toy, however, the methods of its manufacture and painting remained the same.
The process of making a Dymkovo toy
The entire path of creating a unique and inimitable Dymkovo toy is akin to magic and is divided into several stages. The main ones are:
Modeling,
drying,
burning,
whitewash,
painting.
How to sculpt a Dymkovo toy
The sculpting process is carried out by hand and therefore there are no two identical Dymkovo toys, each of them is unique and contains a piece of the soul of the master who made it.
To create the craft, bright red clay mixed with fine river sand is used. The toy is created in parts, and then all the parts are fastened together with the help of liquid red clay, while the joints are smoothed with a wet cloth for a smoother transition.
Modeling can be conditionally divided into several stages:
1. Creation of the base.
2. Manufacturing of appendages.
3. Connection of the appendages with the body.
4. Adding decorations.
The basis in the sculpting of Dymkovo toys is the torso. First, a ball is rolled from a piece of clay. Then the desired body shape is pulled out of this ball, while the smoother this process is carried out, the more correct and beautiful the shape is.
The appendages are also made from a clay ball, but of a smaller size. The appendages mean the limbs, head, neck, etc. They are attached to the body, and the joints are fastened with clay and water so that the transition is smoother.
As decorations, you can create balls, rings, grooves, sausages from clay, and then attach them to a figurine.
For example, to make a young lady, you first need to sculpt a tapered skirt. Then, a body with an elongated neck is attached to it. The next step is to attach the head and hands, after which it is time to dress the young lady in a beautiful scarf, put a hat on her head and place a pet or child in her hands.
The male figurines are molded a little differently. The torso and heads are attached to the legs, which are two thick sausages, the lower parts of which are bent into the legs. Headwear and hair are also different from feminine looks.
The body of the animal resembles a cone in structure, to the sharp part of which the head and neck are attached. The limbs are usually large, tapering slightly downward. The tail with horns is attached to the body last.
An interesting point is that all Dymkovo toys are made expanding downward. For example, ladies always have fluffy dresses, gentlemen most often sit on a horse, and animals have short legs. This is because the brittle bottom may not support the weight of the entire toy after the drying process.
Drying and firing Dymkovo toys
After the end of the molding process, the toy is dried with subsequent firing. The drying time depends on the size of the figurine and the indoor climate. Humidity, temperature and other indicators must be taken into account. Depending on these values, the drying process takes from 3 days to 3 weeks.
After drying, the firing point comes. Previously, toys were fired in a rustic oven. They were placed on a metal baking sheet and placed directly on the wood. After the toy was heated, it was cooled in the same oven. Currently, modern ovens are used, which save time and make the process of roasting the toy safer.
Whitewashing (bleaching) Dymkovo toys
After drying and firing, the Dymkovo toy acquires a red-brown color, therefore, it is whitened before applying patterns. To do this, the figurine is covered with a special solution consisting of chalk powder and milk. After the milk turns sour, the solution becomes solid and an even white layer is created on the surface of the toy. Whitening of figures allows not only to make their surface more even, but also to give the applied paints a special lively brightness.
Despite numerous attempts to change the composition of the solution, they were unsuccessful. As a result, the figures were yellowish or the surface looked uneven. Therefore, now, as well as many centuries ago, the whitewashing of the Dymkovo toy is made by the above composition.
Features of painting Dymkovo toys
In order to give a unique image Dymkovo toy uses a combination of bright, contrasting colors and geometric shapes. Thanks to this, the figures acquire a festive color.
Initially, tempera paints were used for painting, diluted with vinegar, kvass or rubbed on an egg. Most often, eight colors were applied. The painting was done with sticks with rags wrapped around them, and sticks were used to draw eyes and eyebrows. Currently, special paints for ceramics, acrylic paints ground on an egg, or gouache paints are used. They are applied to the toy with ferret or kolinkov brushes.
The classic painting of Dymkovo toys consists of a combination of large geometric patterns and plain-colored parts. The application uses contrasting colors interspersed with white and black, as well as small sheets of gold leaf. All this allows you to create a unique color scheme and emphasize the richness of shades. The most vividly painted figures of animals and ornaments of skirts. Squares of gold leaf were applied to military epaulettes, ladies' hats, turkey tails. Most often, when painting toys, they used colors such as: blue, green, red, raspberry, orange, blue, emerald, brown, black.
The peculiarity of the drawing was and is its sequence. At first, they painted hair, eyes and eyebrows, then painted the headdress and skirt. To give the pattern extra shine, pieces of gold leaf were glued in some places.
The pattern itself is a varied combination of geometric shapes and color schemes of various shapes, which give a special flavor to the Dymkovo toy and help create a huge variety of compositions. The most commonly used geometric shapes are circles, stripes, rings, snakes.
It was important to start painting with lighter shades, to which a darker color was added. A true master had to know what the primary colors represented. For example, green is a symbol of nature, arable land and land, red is beauty, health, fire, white is kindness, truth, honesty, black is grief, evil, and blue is the color of the sky.
When applying patterns, they first of all tried to apply those that symbolized truth, beauty, and a healthy life. Such toys became a kind of amulet.
There were certain painting techniques for each figurine. Most vividly painted cocks, turkeys, riders, ducks, goats. The pattern was often not only original, but also fantastic. Figures of rams, pigs and cows were created somewhat less frequently.
Small squares of gold leaf served as an additional decoration of the pattern. Its use was a characteristic and distinctive feature of the Dymkovo toy. The squares cut out of gold leaf leaves were applied to the toy with a brush dipped in egg white and straightened with a dry brush.
Are there masters of Dymkovo toys now?
The traditions of creating Dymkovo toys are still alive. This process never became automated and serial. Figures are still painted by hand, according to the rules that existed 400 years ago, when this folk craft first appeared. However, not all young masters have the patience to go through the learning process until the end, but those who fully comprehend it become real professionals. They create with their own hands mesmerizing images of Dymkovo toys, each of which is individual and unique.
The creation of Dymkovo toys was and remains a female profession. A flight of imagination and knowledge of ancient traditions and customs helps the fair sex to create incredible images and convey them with a whole range of rich colors.
Thanks to the Dymkovo toy, which has existed for over 400 years, the rich history of the Russian people and its cultural heritage continues. These bright and unusual figurines are not easy to please the eye and cheer up, they immerse you in an exciting fairy tale, a unique and original plot of which each person comes up with for himself. And, although the Dymkovo toy has now lost its ritual meaning, it continues to be a symbol of the generosity of the soul, good spirits and the boundless kindness of the Russian people.