Russian lacquer art

The Russian lacquer art developed out of icon painting, which had to be stopped with the end of the Russian Empire after the October Revolution of 1917 under pressure from the new communist rulers. The icon painter who had previously supplied the churches and the houses of the population with icons, needed some other work for their livelihood. Thus, the craftsmanship developed to manufacture decorative boxes made ​​of paper mache, to paint and to paint with ornate thumbnails. The motifs were often scenes of Russian folk tales.

In the 18th century in Russia arose craft that had specialized in interiors for the Russian tsar in the " Chinese style ".

End of 18th, beginning of the 19th century snuff ( snuff ) became fashionable in Russia. The demand for painted snuff boxes made ​​of paper mache rose and so in the provinces of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, numerous factories and small businesses in which these paint products have emerged. The operation of Pyotr Korobov, founded in 1795 Fedoskino the leading operation of its kind in Russia.

Early Beginnings

Thanks to the trade contacts with China, appeared in Russia lacquered wooden trays, umbrellas, fans and similar commodities from China. Already under Alexei I. (* 1629, † 1676 ), several rooms of the palace Kolomenskojer in Moscow in " Chinese style " have already been configured.

Since the time of Peter the Great in Russia they showed great interest in artistic lacquer work. One of the rooms of Peter I in Peterhof, the summer palace Monplaisir, was built in 1721 decorated with 94 paint wall panels. These were from the Russian painters Ivan Tikhonov (Russian Иван Тихонов ) and Perfili Fedorov (Russian Перфили Федоров ) in the " Chinese style " painted. The paint work performed under the guidance of Dutch painter Hendrik van Bronkhorst, who worked in Russia until 1744.

On his journey through Holland Peter had visited major European manufacturers. He buys among other things, a number of pieces of furniture with lacquer paintings and invited foreign painters paint to serve in Russia. Also sent Peter Russian Malschüler abroad for training. After the founding of the Russian Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg in 1757, artists were taught in the lacquer art in their classes.

At the time of Peter the Great there was a " paint -Hof " (Russian Лакирный двор ), the ( дворец Russian Итальянский, against the Italian Bridge ) in the so-called ' Italian house of Catherine I was on the banks of the Fontanka River. There were workshops and storage. 1761 decorated Fedor Vlasov (Russian Фёдор Власов ) the Palace of Peter II in Oranienbaum ( Schloss Oranienbaum, russ Дворец Ораниенбаум ) - now Lomonosov, with unique lacquer paintings.

Gradually many workshops produced in Russia, in particular to Saint Petersburg and Moscow, where lacquer paintings and lacquer work was performed.

The four centers of Russian lacquer art

Main article: lacquer miniatures from Fedoskino, lacquer miniatures from Cholui, lacquer miniatures from Mstjora and lacquer miniatures of Palekh

The village Fedoskino (Russian Федоскино ) not far from Moscow, on the bank of the river Utscha, is the oldest of the four art centers of Russian lacquer miniature painting on papier-mâché, which was maintained there since 1795. Of the other three places Feodoskino stands apart. Also, oil paints are used there, in contrast to the other three places and not egg tempera. The style of painting in Fedoskino is in composition and details mostly realistic, let the painters but a free hand in impressionistic interpretation.

The other three centers of Russian lacquer art were:

• Palekh (Russian Палех )
• Cholui (Russian Холуй )
• Mstjora (Russian Мстёра )

The paint painters of Palekh, Cholui and Cholui still used egg tempera colors, gold leaf with filigree inlays. All three places were in the Principality of Vladimir - Suzdal in Central Russia. They are deeply rooted in the tradition of icon painting from the 17th to 19th century, which found its abrupt end by the October Revolution. Only in the 21st century, the tradition of Russian icon painting is revived.

The Palekh lacquer miniatures were a tradition of long-standing Ikonenmalkunst in Palekh.

Now regarded as genuine only those Russian lacquer miniatures, which bear the signature of a recognized Russian miniaturist from one of four places. Each of these four places has its own style of painting. The boxes with the lacquer miniatures have a value of 20 to 4,000 euros, depending on the reputation of the artist.

Palekh style

Mstjora style

Cholui style

Lacquer painting on metal

Another path was Filipp Wischnjakow, which initially also produced lacquer miniatures in its operation, but then soon specialized in the painting of metal trays with paint pictures.