Gzhel is an old pottery district, which includes 27 villages. It is located 60 km from Moscow on the banks of the Gzhelka River. The richest deposits of clay were discovered there, so the potters lived from ancient times. Amazingly beautiful, blue-white ceramics Gzhel has long won worldwide fame.
The first mention of Gzhel was found in written sources for 1339. Judging by the information found, Gzhel was among the lucrative volosts and was the property of the great Moscow princes and tsars. Starting from the 16th century, potters from Gzhel began to bring to Moscow the remaining supplies of ceramic dishes, as well as clay for potters from the Yauz settlement. They also visited local fairs, where they got acquainted with the paintings of masters from different parts of Russia.
In the 70s - 80s 18th century Gzhel turned into the Russian center for the manufacture of majolica. Jugs, fermenters and kumgans made here began to be very popular throughout the country. Some products were emphasized decorative in nature. For example, a jug could be made in the shape of a double-headed eagle, a mug for kvass - in the form of a lion with an open mouth. In addition to the dishes, the masters created funny figures of people and animals. In the painting of the Gzhel majolica, mainly 4 colors were used: blue, green, yellow and brown. The products depicted fabulous towers and magical herbs, rural landscapes and scenes from everyday life, birds and animals.
Most researchers believe that the tradition of painting products on a snow-white background with cobalt, which gives a blue color after firing, appeared in Gzhel under the influence of blue and white Chinese porcelain. In the 19th century, Gzhel switched to the production of semi-faience, which was painted with cobalt and covered with transparent glaze. True, unlike porcelain, semi-faience is a rather rough material from which thick-walled products are obtained. There are fewer landscapes in the painting; floral ornaments predominate in combination with geometric elements.
In the second quarter of the 19th century, thanks to the use of new materials and the improvement of ceramic mass, Gzhel masters began to create products from thin-walled faience and porcelain, decorated with a traditional floral-geometric ornament.
Today the word "gzhel" evokes associations with the fabulous beauty and sophisticated harmony of amazing blue and white products. Gzhel artists create traditional dishes, decorating them with stucco figures. Although the products retain their functional purpose, they are used mainly for decorative purposes. In addition, the tradition of making small plastics - individual figures of people and animals and whole decorative compositions - does not stop.
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