Russian folk toys made of clay. Presentation on the topic: Folk clay toy

Russian clay toys have been a part of the life of the people for many centuries. The art of making such things and the traditions of the craft have been 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 versions of tools. During excavations, toys of later origin were also found. They had a cult meaning and were made in the form of figures of people, birds, and horses. These toys were created through subsequent firing in a kiln. Sometimes they were decorated with paintings and covered with glaze.

The history of clay toys has developed rapidly. Its production in the 17th-18th centuries. grew rapidly. The figurines began to be made specifically for sale at spring fairs. Clay is a plastic and soft material. It was suitable not only for shaping dishes. All kinds of whistle toys, images of people, birds, animals, rattles (rattles) and much more were made from it. Each master had his own style and manner of sculpting, and under Alexei Mikhailovich, the royal court willingly began to purchase such items as souvenirs and gifts.

At that time, clay toys were made by everyone, from young to old. They did this mostly in the autumn-winter season, when there was plenty of time free from rural worries. To this day, the folk toy made of clay does not lose its relevance. Created in all possible variations of shape and color, it has the magical ability to bring comfort, warmth and good mood to your home.

Folk clay toy: differences in origin and manufacturing method

Toys can differ in the composition of the clay used for the craft, and in the manner of modeling characteristic of a particular type of product. Images are best sculpted from oily clay. It is mainly used for making Filimonov toys. Each product is characterized by certain shapes and colors, which depend on the type of clay found in a certain area and its plastic properties.

Clay toys made earlier represent a special branch of pottery that 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 throughout many countries of the world.

Clay toy Kargopol: history of revival

These crafts owe their name to their place of origin, the city of Kargopol in the Arkhangelsk region, or rather the villages around it. It was there that at first 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 Kargopol toys in Russia at some point was practically lost. However, some samples of products were preserved and brought to this day thanks to Ulyana Babkina. She was able to give a second life to a once extinct craft. Clay toys, photos of which are presented below, reflect all the individuality and characteristics of their places of origin.

Features of the appearance of the Kargopol toy

Kargopol crafts, 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:

• Thematic toys demonstrating the rural lifestyle, as well as recreating fairy-tale scenes. The theme can be completely different - “Girl doing laundry”, “Fishermen”, “Three horses” and the like.
• Ancient types - all kinds of animals, polkan (a man with the body of a horse), bereginya (a woman with doves in her hands).

The most important ritual theme of these toys is the “woman-mother”, the prototypes of which are the life-giving forces of the “mother - the damp earth” and the sun. A favorite image among Kargopol craftsmen is the female figurine “Bobka”.

Modern masters can come up with new stories while preserving the characteristics of the Kargopol toy. This only multiplies the already rich abundance of images of such crafts.

If you follow all the traditions, a painted toy is a whitewashed figurine, decorated with different colors, but without any gloss or unnecessary details. Despite the variety of colors, the shades, including bright ones, look rather muted. Face painting is quite simple.

Inherent patterns

Painting clay toys is quite simple, but it originates from ancient times. Here you can see rectangles, ovals, diamonds, strokes, stripes, specks, oblique crosses. The set of paints mainly consists of brown, ocher, black, green, brick red and blue shades. Silver and gold paints are added less frequently.

Clay whistles: their meaning and beliefs

Clay whistle toys began to be perceived as children's fun relatively recently. Previously, during the time of the pagan gods, these figurines had magical meaning. They were used to scare away evil spirits.

The Pinega conspiracy says that the toy is capable of luring diseases to 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. Certain types of figurines could relieve 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 ritual was held in Vyatka using a toy whistle, designed to drive out evil forces and attract good ones. This holiday was called “Whistling” or “Whistling”. On these days, adults and children whistled into clay whistles, indulged in dancing and having fun.

What makes clay crafts unique?

Looking at all the works of early and modern masters, including foreign ones, one can see a rich variety of whistle crafts. This depends on many factors, including the birdie - a tool for piercing a hole in a toy. All instruments are almost the same in length - from 80 mm to 100 mm. However, the cross-section can be very diverse - round, oval or rectangular.

Each master’s birdie is his personal instrument, made by himself, so everyone’s technique is different, and the result, accordingly, differs from others. Nevertheless, there are known methods for making whistles absolutely without any devices, where only hands are used.

The importance of crafts in the modern world

Making clay toys is an individual process for each person. Such activities in school clubs are very useful. With their help, you can arouse in children interest and love for world culture, develop hand motor skills, artistic taste, and train perseverance, perseverance and patience.

Properties of clay suitable for making toys

It’s easy to guess that clay toys, including whistles, are made from 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 it “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 pits.

But you should know that natural or living clay is not always suitable for making crafts, since it often contains all sorts 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 with medium fat content (10-15%).

Preparing material for work

Clay dough, or ceramic mass, is a mixture that has undergone 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 for producing it in small quantities, the whole process can be simplified.

Technology stages:

• Collect clay from the quarry. A small lump of material should be pre-fired in a kiln to ensure its suitability for use.
• Place lumps on a clean surface and dry.
• Next, crush them and remove any existing impurities of chips, stones, blades of grass, etc.
• Add water to the crushed mass at the rate of three parts liquid and one part clay. Stir the solution thoroughly.
• Let the mixture sit until the heaviest part (stones and 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 until it becomes a thick dough, then it will not stick to your hands while working.
• Knead the clay to remove excess air bubbles.
• The quality of the material can be checked as follows: roll up a rope with a diameter of 15-20 mm, slowly bend it in half. If the bend remains smooth, without cracks or practically without them, then this mass is suitable for making whistles.
• To ensure reliable preservation, place the resulting mass in a plastic bag and seal it tightly. In this form, clay can be stored for several months. You can add a small amount of water to the dried lump and knead it thoroughly.

If your plans are to make just a couple of whistles, try to use the material available to you without the pre-processing described above. Clay from some deposits is already ready for use. If it is not possible to prepare the material using the methods listed above, then it can be purchased at enterprises engaged in the production of ceramic products, in art shops or online stores.

Clay toys have a long history. The first known toys date back to the 2nd century BC. e. Mostly, toys from the 10th-15th centuries, found during excavations in the cities of Kyiv, Ryazan, Moscow, Kolomna, etc., have been preserved. Serious study of Russian toys began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In ancient times, they were used as ritual figurines associated with the rites of calendar agricultural holidays, accompanied by whistling, hence the whistles. The protective function of whistles has also been known since ancient times. According to Slavic concepts, whistling drives away “evil spirits,” evil spirits. The production of whistles was timed to coincide with the spring holiday “Whistle Dance”, which preserves pagan traditions and is dedicated to Yarila, the Slavic god of the sun and fertility. Later, when the whistle ceased to perform ritual functions, its development went in two directions. The first is the ocarina, a wind musical instrument with a whistle device, a type of flute, common in many countries (Italian – ocarina – literally “gosling”). Its clay, earthenware or porcelain body has up to ten holes for changing the pitch in registers from soprano to double bass. And the second direction is a folk toy, where the whistle can be an independent image, for example, in the form of a bird, or part of a composition, like the Filimonov lady with a bird-whistle under her arm.


Clay figurines also served as talismans and amulets. Clay toys were created, unlike sculptures, without the desire to convey anatomical features; one or two details were enough to get a horse different from a cow. The clay figurine was created as an image associated with the metaphorical and mythological knowledge embedded in it. Basically, these are images that embodied natural forces, for example, the Sun Horse. The Kargopol toy contains the image of Polkan, which echoes the ancient Greek centaur. Images of women go back to ritual dolls that were associated with agricultural magic. The bell-shaped shape of the skirts also refers to the magic of fertility.

The people's favorite images were of a horse, a deer, a bear, a bird, a horseman, a ram, and a goat. According to ancient concepts, the bear foreshadowed the awakening of nature and was a symbol of power (the owner of the forest in Russian fairy tales). The horse is a servant of the Sun, carrying his grace. Birds are the messengers of spring and summer and the goddess of Mother Earth. The goat patronized the harvest and represented a good force. The cow and ram were symbols of fertility and power. Deer is a symbol of abundance and a successful marriage.

All folk clay toys are based on three things: a horse, a bird and a woman. From these, others were created with minor changes. All whistling toys are born from the bird. A horse can turn into a cow, goat or ram. Baba becomes the basis of multi-figure compositions or is interpreted differently in the habitats of toy crafts. The craft was born in a certain area, starting with a few peasants who developed the characteristic features of the craft and the variability of images. If the fishing became successful, then the whole village, settlement or village began to engage in it. From here come the settlements of artisans, villages of toy makers. The clay of a particular area also dictated its conditions for the development of the fishery. For example, there is a fairly strong assumption that Filimonovsky toys owe their longest necks to the local blue clay. And the red clay of the Dymkovo settlement holds molded decorative details well.

The plasticity and dimensions of the clay toy were designed for a child. Everything excessive and superfluous was cut off. A laconic image of a toy was created with a secret, a fairy tale laid down over the centuries, and a child’s fantasy was awakened: what is hidden behind this image. There is a game-dialogue between the child and the adult. The elder can explain where this image comes from, and the children can invent fairy tales and stories themselves with these toys. The figurines contain our culture, the centuries-old memory of the people.


Color, like the shape in a folk toy, has a symbolic meaning. Red is fire, the sun, the color of the earth. Yellow is the color of the grain field and again the sun. Green is a floral ornament, a symbol of the rebirth of life. Blue, cabbage roll of water and sky, the color of space. A snow-white background, white color has long been considered a symbol of purity, light, and bright forces. The ornament found on toys also carries meaning. Solar signs or symbols of the sun, which are rosettes or ornamental circles, are often found in folk art: in carvings, paintings, and embroidery.

We can also observe them in clay crafts: Filimonovskaya, Kargopolskaya, Dymkovo toys. Solar signs on products are encrypted wishes for goodness, light, and prosperity. For the most part, the ornaments that we find on clay toys are of ancient origin: dotted ornaments located in square cells and colored stripes symbolize plowed land and grain sown on it in even rows.
http://vk.com/detizemlirusskoy?z=photo-42855938_367391316%2Falbum-42855938_00%2Frev

Russian folk toy is an important ethnic element and a monument of traditional culture of the Russian people. It is a synthetic type of folk art, which combines the means of decorative, applied and fine arts, and musical elements. A toy is also a traditional element of child rearing. Children learn about the world and socialize in society through play. Traditional folk toys vary in type, material and manufacturing method. In addition, there is a relationship between folk toys and different types of economic activity of people, tools and religious beliefs. The folk toy was an important element in the socialization and education of children.

Russian folk toys are attractive for their ambiguity, depth, symbolism of the image, decorativeness, brevity, sense of the material and its natural properties, traditional technological techniques, conventionality of images and much more. Folk toys depict people, fauna objects: birds, deer and elk, bears, horses, goats and other animals. Russian traditional toys are made mainly from clay, wood, straw and birch bark.

Dymkovo Russian folk toy “Water-carrier”

Russian folk toys have different symbols. For example, a toy in the shape of the sun, a rocking horse, or a swing is a symbol of well-being. A toy in the shape of an egg, a rooster - a symbol of the sky. The deer symbolizes sunlight, peace on earth and a happy marriage. The bear is a symbol of strength and wealth.

Russian folk toy made of clay and wood

Over the centuries, residents of a certain region have created and passed on from generation to generation original traditions of making folk toys, which were unique, original and combined the national characteristics of a certain region of Russia. By the external features of the Russian folk toy, one could understand in which particular area it was made.

Bogorodskaya Russian folk toy made of wood

As mentioned above, toys were mainly made from two materials: clay (Abashevskaya, Dymkovskaya, Kargopolskaya, Pleshkovskaya and Filimonovskaya toys) and wood (Bogorodskaya Mazykskaya toy, matryoshka, bird of happiness).

Abashevo Russian folk toy is made of clay. Its name comes from the village of Abashevo, Penza province. In the 19th–20th centuries. The best pottery masters lived in the village of Abashevo, whose works were valued throughout Russia. In the Penza province, in the village of Abashevo, there were rich deposits of clay, which was originally used to make beautiful dishes. Abashevo toys were first made in the mid-19th century for children's games. But after a while, the toys began to be given a satirical character, with the aim of ridiculing liars and those who profit from their neighbors.

The peak of development of the Abashevo toy came in the 20th century, when many craftsmen in making dishes from clay could no longer compete with factories. It was during this period that most craftsmen began making whistles, which aroused genuine interest and even delight among children. One of the famous masters of that period was Timofey Zotkin. His works had a significant influence on subsequent generations.

The subjects of Abashev's toys are varied, among the main ones are animals and birds, the main feature of which is an overly long body with a neck and short legs. Animals were often depicted with lush curls and beards. Mostly they sculpted rams, deer, and goats. In appearance they resemble fantastic centaurs, which are characterized by some satire. Abashevo's toy is designed to ridicule human vices, especially love of money and deception. That is why, along with unusual animal figures, you can see an elegant young lady, a dashing horseman and a prince in the form of a ram with a human face.

When making a toy, the master uses clay and several stacks, with the help of which he forms a figurine, makes holes and patterns. Afterwards the product is fired and painted. To paint the Abashevo toy, craftsmen used oil and enamel paints, which ensured the durability and richness of the designs. The theme of the painting is, first of all, nature and the surrounding world, not devoid of symbolism. The Abashevo toy is dominated by red, green and blue colors.

The Dymkovo Russian folk toy, which is also made from clay, is widely known to this day. The Dymkovo toy has been made for centuries. Such a toy was made in the settlement of Dymkovo, located near the city of Kirov. Craftsmen worked in the Dymkovo settlement alone and in families. By the beginning of the 19th century, toys from Dymkovo spread throughout Russia.

In those days, more than 100 thousand toys were produced per year, which went on sale, including in the capital and in the Orenburg province. 59 families from Dymkovo worked on their creation. The most famous masters were Koshkins And Nikulins. At the beginning of the 20th century, Dymkovo toys lost their former popularity, although already in the 1930s the Dymkovo craft began to revive in Kirov. The Dymkovo toy is traditionally made in the form of a lady, horsemen, hussars, fantastic birds and animals, and there are also multi-figure plot compositions.

The process of making a Dymkovo toy consists of two stages: sculpting the product and painting it. There are traditions in creating the shape of a toy and in its design, which are expressed primarily in staticity, splendor of forms and brightness of painting. For example, in the composition “Mother with Children” the figure of a woman looks straight ahead, she seems to have frozen in this position. The same static quality is present in toys depicting birds and animals.

The following images of Dymkovo toys are especially popular::

• The turkey is as colorful as a peacock.
• The lady is both an elegant city person and a traditional peasant woman in a kokoshnik. Children can be depicted next to her.
• Lamb - figurines of this animal can have horns of different sizes. Note that they are always gold plated. Lambs are depicted as ordinary or in elegant clothes.
• The horse is traditionally in bright blue colors.
• Men in Dymkovo toys are most often depicted as a rider on a horse, a walking city or village gentleman.
• Pigs, birds, bells. They are depicted in different variations and tones.

To make the Dymkovo toy, Vyatka red clay and river sand are used. Each part of the toy is created separately: a body is molded from a round piece of clay, onto which the remaining parts of the toy are attached. Next, the product is dried in the open air for several days. Then it is burned on fire. In Rus' they used a stove for this. Today it is a muffle furnace, where the temperature reaches 1000 °C. When the figurine cools, it is bleached. In Rus', milk was also used for this.

The next stage is coloring. In ancient times, natural dyes based on eggs, milk, soot, vinegar, and tempera were used for this. These days, acrylic paints are most often used. Bird tails, animal horns, and people's clothing are covered with copper leaf (thin foil). Dymkovo toys are characterized by the use of red, blue, yellow, emerald, light blue, green and orange. White and black paint are used in small quantities. Each color with which the toy is painted has its own meaning: white is a symbol of purity; black - lies; green - nature; red - strength, health; blue - sky.

The patterns used in painting Dymkovo toys are closely related to folk beliefs and symbols of nature. For example, the sun and moon are a symbol of the origin of life; diamonds are a sign of fertility; waves are a sign of sky and moisture. The final stage of painting is the application of gold leaf. Currently, the Dymkovo toy is developing, new technologies are emerging, fresh ideas are appearing, but the manufacturing traditions remain unchanged.

The clay Kargopol toy is known throughout Russia and abroad. The name of the product comes from the ancient city of Kargopol, Arkhangelsk province, which in ancient times was one of the centers of the Old Believers. It is known that the residents of this city and its environs have long been engaged in pottery and making traditional toys.

Compared to the brightly colored Dymkovo and Filimonov toys, the Kargopol toy is harsh in appearance. It is characterized by a multi-figure composition (merry troikas with riders in sleighs, dancing figures, boat rides, fairy-tale scenes, etc.). All the figures are slightly squat, with short arms and legs, they have an elongated body, a thick and short neck and a relatively large head. It is interesting that the animals are depicted with thick paws.

The Kargopol toy has a village theme. The heroes of local craftsmen are ordinary Russian people working in the fields, plowmen and sowers who relax during lunch, women who wash clothes and nurse children. Often, masters created not only existing, but also fictional animals. For example, a half-horse, half-man, who is depicted in military uniform with orders; a two-headed horse or the Sirin bird.

Kargopol craftsmen humanized real animals, that is, they painted clothes, household items, and musical instruments for them. They depicted bears, moose, rams, horses, cats, dogs, birds. Women were depicted in long sundresses, their hair was braided, beads were painted on their necks, and a bundle with a baby or a dish of food was placed in their hands. The man was always depicted with a thick beard, wearing a painted shirt, loose trousers and high boots with low heels. A cap or hat is on your head to protect you from the sun.

Each toy has its own symbolism and hidden meaning. The woman is a symbol of the Earth, fertility, and nurse. A bear is a symbol of the owner of the forest, a deer or ram is a symbol of the sky and the sun. The Kargopol toy was made from a single piece of clay, sometimes additional elements were added. After firing, the figurine was placed in a thick flour solution. Thanks to the burnt flour, bizarre dark patterns appeared on the surface, which were later covered with paints. This technology gave the figure relief and volume. The most popular colors for painting were red, green, yellow and blue.

The toy was always decorated with a pattern: in images of people it was an ornament on clothing, and animals were decorated with horns or limbs. The pattern was simple and uncomplicated: wavy lines, geometric shapes and flowers. In addition, images on the toy of the sun, sky, moon, fire, earth and water served as a pattern.

Toys from Pleshkovo are molded from a mixture of clay and mica. After firing the toy, mica inclusions give the product an additional silvery shine and sparkles over the entire surface. Burnt whistles have a porous structure and a pink tint. Craftsmen paint the clay in a free manner and distribute natural paint in spots. Initially, no paint was used at all in the manufacture of Pleshkovo toys, but more modern craftsmen grind bricks to completely cover the whistle and mix it with burdock or hemp extract. Previously, it was enough to find the required amount of local golden clay and draw 2-3 stripes along the figurine.

The name of the toy comes from the village of Pleshkovo, Oryol province. The toys are simple and concise. The main colors of the Pleshkovo toy: blue, red, green. When painting the product, natural dyes were used - elderberry and burdock juice, which were applied to the surface of the figure in the form of spots. The subjects of Pleshkovo toys are different: animals (horses, rams, cows, deer, roosters), birds (ducks), people (soldiers, ladies), fantastic creatures (mermaids, birds - sirins).

The theme of peasant life was also widespread. For example, a very popular image for a clay figurine is a woman with a baby on her left arm. Among the livestock, cows, roosters, rams, and horses were most often depicted.

Nowadays, Pleshkovo bells and whistles are created using traditional technology and ancient Russian mythical symbols, for example, mermaids.

Filimonovskaya Russian folk toy

Filimonovskaya Russian folk toy also belongs to clay. The toy was made in the village of Filimonovo, Odoevsky district, Tula province. This village is located near deposits of good white clay. According to legend, a certain old man lived in this area Philemon, who made toys. Filimonovskaya traditional toy is made in the form of a lady, a peasant woman, a soldier, a dancing couple, as well as in the form of animals, for example, cows, rams, foxes, roosters and fantastic forest creatures.

By the middle of the 19th century, the Filimonovo fishery became widely known outside the Tula province. The Russian people loved bright, original clay figurines, bought them at fairs and gave them to children. At this time, almost all residents of the village of Filimonovo lived from pottery production. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, the fishery lost its former popularity. People began to look for new ways to earn money, craftsmen began to lose their skills, therefore, the number of masters and craftswomen decreased significantly. Three women lived in the village who did not lose the art of modeling and continued to make toys. Production more or less improved in the 1950s, when interest in Filimonov toys began to revive among the people. In the 1980s, the Filimonov toy regained its former popularity and reached new heights, thanks to a creative group consisting of graduates of the artistic and industrial lyceum.

Most Filimonov toys are used as whistles. There are also local features of the toy image. For example, a lady is always sculpted in a long skirt, in the shape of a bell, with a hat on her head. The man is depicted in a uniform with shoulder straps, a cap with a visor and boots with a small heel. Animals are depicted with a thin waist and a long graceful neck. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish animals from each other, and only the color of the figure or certain features helps with this. The horse is sculpted with medium-sized brown ears, the ram with round horns, and the cow with a crescent-shaped horn.

In general, the Filimonovskaya toy differs from others in its elongated shape and elongated proportions. This is dictated by the characteristics of the area, since the Tula region has rich deposits of fatty clay; it is well suited for shaping, but when dried it settles significantly and cracks. Craftsmen repeatedly straighten the figure, stretching it, thereby hiding uneven contours and cracks.

The Filimonov toy is sparsely painted. The colors used are mainly yellow, red and green, and sometimes blue and violet. However, painting occurs in a certain order: initially they paint yellow spots, then outline them in red, or draw patterns, and then complement them with green. They start painting with patterns from the center, using a smooth transition to the edges of the product. It should be noted that the patterns are very simple and straightforward: stripes, herringbones, geometric shapes and stars. When painting a Filimonovskaya toy, floral patterns predominate: leaves, sun, branches, berries and flowers.

Russian folk toy made of wood.Bogorodskaya toy

Bogorodskaya Russian traditional toy comes from the village of Bogorodskoye, Moscow province. The toy is made of wood, mainly linden. Before making a toy, the linden tree must dry for two years. Wood chips are used to make toy stands. Bogorodsk toys are rarely decorated or painted. In Rus', the surface of finished figurines was cleaned with sandpaper. Next, the toys are finished with carvings, which rhythmically lie on the surface and decorate the product. Traditionally, some parts of the toy were made movable. Some toys were mounted on bedside tables, and a spring was inserted inside - it brought the figure into action.

Other toys were made on spreader bars (“Herd”, “Cavalry”, “Soldiers”). There are toys whose moving parts are attached to weighted strings; the weight swings, pulls the thread, it activates parts of the figures. The subjects of the Bogorodsk toy are varied - these are heroes of fairy tales and fables.

Mazyk Russian folk toy

The wooden Mazyk Russian folk toy is very rare. It was made for relatives - children, wives, parents, etc. In Rus', the Mazyk toy was called “Bolvashka”, “tararushka”, “chip goods”. The type of carving that is made for the toy was preserved among the Mazyks, part of the community of the Ofeni, peddlers, who lived in the former Vladimir province - this is where the name of the product comes from. The subjects of Mazyk toys are varied: people, animals, birds.

The main feature of the production of the toy is the use of only an ax; other tools are used extremely rarely. The toy is made of pine, aspen or linden. Traditionally, it is made from logs with protruding knots. These knots are used in the product; they can turn into a tail or beak, or they can become fins for a pike.

The Russian nesting doll is known and loved all over the world. The birthplace of the nesting doll is considered to be the city of Sergiev Posad, where a wooden lady was first made, from which, when opened, similar female figures of different sizes appeared. The invention of the Russian nesting doll dates back relatively recently - the end of the 19th century. During this period, the famous turner V.P. Zvezdochkin, who was engaged in the manufacture of wooden toys, at the request of the artist S.V. Malyutina I made a blank from wood, into which I placed the same opening blanks, but different in size.

The subject for painting the very first toy was the everyday affairs of Russian beauties. The matryoshka consisted of 8 wooden dolls. Later, the number of dolls varied and even reached 48 wooden ladies. Matryoshka dolls were produced in an artel S.I. Mamontova in Sergiev Posad. The Russian nesting doll was exhibited at exhibitions in Paris. This amazing toy attracted the attention of foreigners, who began placing orders with Russian craftsmen.

Russian doll

Mostly matryoshka dolls were distributed, which consisted of 3, 8 and 12 dolls. The more dolls there were, the more valuable the matryoshka became. The main theme of the nesting dolls was everyday life. Most often they depicted the home activities of ladies. The girls were depicted in traditional outfits and always wearing a headscarf. The girls held sickles for the harvest, jugs of milk, and baskets of berries in their hands. Later, other subjects began to be depicted on matryoshka dolls, for example, characters from fairy tales and fables, heroes from stories by famous writers.

Once they tried to change the shape of the nesting dolls, for example, cone-shaped dolls appeared that were inserted into one another. But this form was not popular among the people, so the masters returned to the previous one.

The dolls also differed in their painting. Currently, the following types of painting are distinguished:

• Zagorsk (bright, rich colors and many small, clearly drawn elements);
• Merinovskie (large flowers);
• Semenovskie (strict symmetrical painting);
• Polkhovskie (image of rosehip flowers);
• Vyatskie (northerner young lady).

To make nesting dolls, linden is used, which, after painting, is coated with a transparent oil-based varnish. First, the craftsman grinds out the smallest solid figure. Then he makes the bottom of the next figure. After processing, this element dries well, and only then the upper part of the figure is adjusted. According to this scheme, all the components of the nesting doll are prepared. Dried parts must be treated with starch glue, which serves as the basis for painting. After the product has dried, begin painting the nesting dolls.

First, the master draws the face. The head of the nesting doll is depicted covered with a scarf, which is painted in traditional Russian patterns. The type of clothing most often depicted is a sundress; sometimes it is complemented by an apron. The figurine is decorated with floral ornaments. After the paint has dried, a finishing layer is applied, which protects the nesting doll from moisture and chips.

Fedoseevskaya Russian folk toy was made in the village of Fedoseevo, Nizhny Novgorod province. At the end of the 19th century in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the toy business developed everywhere. A craftsman lived in Fedoseevo Yakov Alexandrovich Alexandrov, who made movable toys from wood chips and boards.

Toys are made with a knife and an ax, using wooden chips and planks. Chips and planks are nailed together with nails and painted with simple patterns. Initially, toys were painted with a quill pen. Later, they began to dip the entire product into yellow paint, creating a sunny background, and then applied flowers.

The main plot of Fedoseev's toy is horses. They also cut out doll furniture, cars, boats, carousels, sleighs, airplanes, trams, and multi-story steamers. By the 1930s, Fedoseev toys began to be produced on an industrial basis in the city of Semenov. In 1948, the Fedoseevsky artel of toy makers was annexed to the Semenovsky cooperative.

The main colors of the Fedoseev toy are yellow and red. In the 1950s, the fishery began to lose its former popularity. Currently master N. S. Muravyov revives the toy industry.

The Bird of Happiness is a toy made using a special technique from wood. She comes from the Arkhangelsk province. Initially, the toy was called the “Pomeranian Dove.” In the middle of the 20th century, the art of making this toy was practically lost. The master began to revive the craft Martyn Filippovich Fatyanov from the village of Selishche, Leshukonsky district, Arkhangelsk region. The bird of happiness was usually hung from the ceiling in the front corner of the village front room, where there was a table with benches. When a boiling samovar was placed on the table, the carved bird, obeying the currents of hot air, slowly and solemnly began to rotate around its axis.

Famous ethnographic researcher S.V. Maksimov reports that in the 19th century, a chipped bird suspended from the ceiling was a mandatory attribute of a Pomeranian house. He mentions that such doves were made by Pomeranian Old Believers in their monasteries, as well as by Murmansk industrialists:

Here are the same doves made of splinters - the leisure activity of skilled hermits, attached to the ceiling for decoration.

MM. Prishvin in his story “According to Maymax” he mentions the bird when describing an old Pomor man:

Otherwise, I’ll take a photo of him, and he’ll hang the portrait in a “clean” room above a table with a clean tablecloth. The Reverends Zosima and Savvaty will look at him from the corner, and from the ceiling - a dove carved from wood and painted blue - seemingly like the Holy Spirit.

From the above quote it follows that such a dove was personified with the Holy Spirit. But these are not folk symbols, since in the Gospel the dove also personifies the Holy Spirit. In the 1920s of the 20th century, an ethnographer Nina Gagen-Thorn in the story “The Path to the North” he mentions a bird:

I stopped in amazement; the wide window shone with an azure frame. Behind him, the silver expanses of the ocean sparkled, and against their background, a carved boat suspended on a string from the window casing swayed. It was so skillfully carved and equipped that it seemed to have floated here from the ocean, miraculously not growing larger, and hung on the window. On its sides dangled birds cut from thin shavings on the same laces. One, spreading her multi-colored tail, turned her head to the sea; the other, with a girlish face and a high crown, looked into the room, bright blue wings folded on her chest.

Birds of happiness were made from two solid bars and wood chips, without the use of glue or fasteners. The opposite ends of one block are thinly sliced ​​lengthwise. The very ends are cut out figuratively. On the second block, the bird's head is cut out at one end, and longitudinal cuts for the tail at the other. In the middle of each of the two bars, cutouts are made for subsequent connection. They are connected in such a way that a cross is formed. The ends of the chips are split in a special way, like a fan. The result is wings and a tail. Chip feathers are sometimes held together with threads.

The bird is usually made from Karelian pine, spruce, fir or Siberian cedar. Initially the product is light, but over time the wood acquires a golden hue. In the old days in Rus' it was not customary to paint doves. Nowadays, painted birds have also become popular.

The products of toy makers depicted diverse scenes of Russian life, as well as characters from Russian fairy tales. An elegant lady greets guests with bread and salt. A cheerful buffoon plays something on a balalaika. Girls in bright sundresses dance in circles. Grandparents stand at the painted stove and admire the mischievous bun. Another family is busy with important work - they need to pull out a turnip. This wonderful world is filled with sunshine and good humor.
Kovrov toys take us back to our origins, to nature, to our national roots.

Kovrov- regional center of the Vladimir region. According to legend, it arose in the 12th century as the village of Elifanovka, named after its founder, the trapper Elifan. In the 16th century, the village belonged to the Kovrov princes, from which it received the name “Kovrovo”. In 1778, the village received the status of a county town.

The banks of the Klyazma River are rich in deposits of unique natural material - red and blue clay. The presence of clay contributed to the development of the “clay industry.”

This is evidenced by the results of archaeological research undertaken in 1925 in the Kovrov region. During excavations of the Klyazemsky town, on the site of which the ancient city of Starodub-Klyazemsky was located, 135 shards of pottery and molded ware of the 12th-16th centuries were discovered.

Along with pottery, local craftsmen made toys - whistles and figurines depicting people, animals and birds.

Local historians managed to find out how Kovrov toys differed from Dymkovo and Filimonov toys. It turned out that Kovrov craftsmen created not only figurines of animals and fairy-tale characters, but also everyday scenes from Russian life and painted out all the details with extreme clarity. A clay sundress always had clay strings, a clay lady always had clay earrings, and a clay stove always had clay pies.

In the second half of the 19th century, pottery making in the Kovrov district received new development. This was facilitated by the expansion of trade and the updating of the technological process. Products began to be made from blue clay, then doused with red lead; and red clay was used to make the bottom of dishes or as a binder.

During this period, as in earlier times, in addition to the production of tableware, toys were molded in small batches. The toys were intended for peasants or city dwellers. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, toys were sold only in the Vladimir province. Gradually the fishery fell into decline.

The traditional craft began to revive in a new capacity on Kovrov land only a century later, at the end of the 20th century. Colorfulness, originality, careful attention to detail and sophisticated painting of Kovrov toys gave them new life. Currently, it has deservedly ranked among the best artistic crafts in Russia.

The modern history of Kovrov clay toys dates back to 1993.
“Clay Craft” is today represented by “Kovrov Clay Toy Factory” LLC.

The Kovrov clay toy is the “calling card” of the city of Kovrov. And now a little about the manufacturing technology of this toy.

The toy is made from blue clay mined in the Kovrov region. The knowledge of where the clay deposit is located is passed on by craftsmen from generation to generation. They say that every master has his own treasured dig. The clay is manually selected from the dig, immediately cleaned and collected in bags in which it is stored for a year. In this form, it is already ready for use.

Each sculptor brings the clay to a certain degree of viscosity, depending on what kind of products he intends to sculpt. The master shapes the clay by rolling it out onto a flat surface with a rolling pin. Small fragments are rolled out with a finger on the palm.

The products left by the molder are kept at room temperature for 3-5 days. During this time they harden. During the natural drying process, diffusion occurs. As the masters say, “clay penetrates clay.” Next, the products are dried for 2 days at a higher temperature - up to 30 ° C (toys are placed on a radiator or placed in a half-cooled oven). And only after this the completely dry product is fired in an oven for 8 hours. Then the cooled products are removed from the oven and sent to the painting workshop.
The artistic image of the toy is created by the joint work of the craftsman who sculpted the toy and the artist who painted it.

Oil paints and tempera paints are used for painting. The stylistic features of the Kovrov toy are a bright, rich color scheme, variety of plots, and careful, fine elaboration of details.

The main images of the Kovrov toy are a mother feeding or bathing a baby, characters from Russian fairy tales, genre scenes of Russian life (stove, Russian farmstead, Russian bath , a couple at the fence, fair, tea party ).
The factory also sculpts toy boxes - Maslenitsa, a woodcutter, a young lady with a chest, a merchant with bagels, a merchant's wife, a peddler, etc. Many plot compositions can tell a lot about the life of our ancient ancestors: about their rituals and way of life.

Since December 2006, the Kovrov Historical and Memorial Museum has had an interactive exhibition “The World of Clay Toys”. The exhibition includes watching a video film depicting all stages of the creation of a clay toy.

Russian folk toys are distinguished by their imagery, colorfulness and originality. Due to their laconic content, they are characterized by accessibility for children's perception. Made from natural materials (clay, wood, ceramics, straw), they represent various fairy-tale characters, figures and images of people and animals.

Each nationality living in a certain region of our country, over the course of many centuries, has created and passed on from generation to generation unique traditions of creating folk toys, distinguished by originality, originality and combining the national characteristics of each individual region of Russia. It is by looking at the toy that you can determine in what area it was made. Where there were rich deposits of clay, amazing clay figurines of animals and people were created; in regions rich in wood, craftsmen made wooden toys.

The main toys of Russian folk crafts:

Abashevo clay toy

The toy, made of clay, is named after its historical homeland - the village of Abasheva, Penza province, which was famous for its pottery and, along with pottery, sold clay toys, which were in great demand. Most of the population were Old Believers, so their beliefs were reflected in whistle toys; the calling card of the Abashevo toy was a figurine of a deer with huge antlers that seemed to point to the sky, which was considered a symbol of abundance and prosperity. Most of the toys were figurines of animals, which among the ancient Slavs were symbols of various aspects of human life: birds symbolized happiness and good luck, horses - the sun, bears - strength, power and authority, rams and cows - fertility. A distinctive feature of this toy is the elongated shape of the body, short, widely spaced legs, very long, thick necks and a small head, clearly detailed facial features and hairstyles of people.

Dymkovo clay toy

The toy is named after the settlement of the same name, Dymkovo, which is located near the city of Kirov. Everyone is well aware of the colorful, luxuriously designed and painted figurines of young lady dolls, goats, cockerels with bright, bushy tails, horses, piglets, bears and whistling ducks. In the village of Dymkovo there were entire families of craftsmen who dug clay, mixed it with sand, thoroughly kneaded it, sculpted figures, fired them in Russian kilns, and then hand-painted them with bright colors, and both women and children took part in the manufacturing process. The Dymkovo toy is distinguished by its particular specificity; it is static, has curvaceous shapes and bright colors, has a special cheerful energy and subtle humor that attracts the attention of children who love to look at them and listen to entertaining stories about their creation.

Bogorodskaya wooden toy

The toy was created by the talented hands of craftsmen from the village of Bogorodskoye, Moscow region; these are playful, intricate and moving figures of chickens, skillfully carved from wood, enthusiastically pecking at grains, bears hitting an anvil, various plot and genre compositions. The main material for toys is carefully dried linden and its waste in the form of chips; most often, products made from it were not painted. The expressive texture of wood allowed craftsmen to combine in toys both a smooth surface and small recesses and notches that convey some of the subtleties and nuances of various details. Children like not only to look at them, but also to set in motion the mechanical springs hidden inside them, forcing the brave soldiers to march, and the good-natured bear to do hard physical labor.

Filimonovskaya clay toy

In the Tula region, in the village of Filimonovo, amazing clay toys were made, which received the same name as Filimonovo toys. Here there were deposits of plastic and high-quality white clay, from which, according to legend, the local old-timer, grandfather Philemon, sculpted his funny, whimsical and unlike other whistle figures of animals and people. The toys are distinguished by their special shape: short legs, elongated bodies and long necks with small heads, the plots are traditional - ladies and soldiers, various compositions (tea parties, flirtations, threesomes), rams and cockerels, cows and horses, and sometimes even absolutely fantastic creatures, which are difficult to attribute to any existing species. These toys are painted in bright, rich colors, among which crimson, bright yellow, green, orange, blue and white predominate; they were often applied in stripes in a variety of combinations, and the face was always pure white with barely outlined contours of the eyes and lips.

A small town near Arkhangelsk called Kargapol gave its name to the famous Kargapol toys, which were made here by talented pottery masters from baked clay, depicting various figures of animals and people. They are distinguished by a certain severity of images, due to the use of exclusively natural dyes (soot, chalk, lime, varieties of colored clay, various minerals) in dark, rich colors: brown, beige, dark green and even black. These toys were figurines of fairy-tale heroes, birds, dogs, bears, squat men with a spade beard or large women with newborns in their arms.

Pleshkovo whistle toy

Another famous Russian craft that originated in the village of Pleshkovo, Oryol province, is Pleshkovo toys. These are a variety of clay whistles made from local deposits of clay, which acquired an interesting pinkish tint during firing. The toys were distinguished by their simplicity and laconicism, painted in blue, red and green colors of natural origin (elderberry and burdock juice, broken brick), which were applied to the surface in the form of randomly scattered spots. These were figures of various animals (horses, rams, cows, deer, roosters, ducks), people (soldiers, ladies), and fantastic creatures (mermaids, Sirin birds). A typical image of a Pleshkovo toy is a figurine of a woman holding a baby with her left hand.