Gzhel

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Gzhel (Russian: Гжель) is:

1. a village in Moscow Oblast, Russia
2. a particular style of blue-white ceramics, originating in the town of the same name. Production of the ceramics started in 1802.

Gzhel was not a single village, but rather originally referred to about thirty villages located southeast of Moscow that produced pottery and exported clay throughout Russia. The name was first mentioned in connection with pottery in the14th century. Gzhel pottery was originally created by potters in their homes, however fairly early on they were organized into workshops to increase their production. The workshops eventually became a factory with pieces being formed in molds and potters being responsible for separate pieces, a specific style or decoration. The earliest pieces were created of earthenware. The pottery was painted solid white with distinctive blue designs. Pottery was also produced using a tin based white glaze and colored glaze designs in blue, green, yellow and brown, rather than just blue on a white background, in a style that is referred to as majolica. The body colour of earthenware varies depending on raw materials used, and can range from white to brown. It is generally fired at lower temperatures than either stoneware or porcelain and can remain semi-porous to water until glazed.

In the 1830s the Gzhel potters developed a faience, or white earthenware, of an equal quality to the creamware being produced in England at the time. They followed the development of faience with the acquisition of porcelain. Porcelain is fired to a similar temperature as stoneware, but unlike stoneware it becomes a translucent white and as such is highly desirable. The Russia government had developed a porcelain paste that allowed them to create truly white chinaware close to 100 years prior, but had closely guarded the secret. The making of porcelain had been a secret heavily guarded by China with only finished products being exported. When Russia was able to produce their own “china”, it undercut the high cost of importing porcelain from China or Western European producers. Although there have been several periods of disruption in the pottery production at Gzhel, quality pottery is once again being produced in the recognizable blue on white design as well as reintroducing the more colorful majolica ware.

[edit] See also

• Gzhelian Age

[edit] Sources

• Dulkina, T.I. and N.S. Grigorevna, Gzhel : keramika 18-19 vekov, Moskva : Izd-vo "Planeta", 1982.
• Ovsyannikov, I. Russian Folk Arts and Crafts, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1969.
• Saltykov, Aleksandr Borisovich, Russkaia narodnaia keramika, Moskva, Sovetskii khudozhnik, 1960.