Gzhel is a traditional Russian painting for ceramic products. This name is associated with the village of the same name and the surrounding villages that are part of the so-called "Gzhel bush". It was there that Gzhel painting was born and develops.
History and features of Gzhel
According to historical documents, Gzhel gained fame as a center for ceramic production in the XIV century. The dishes made by the craftsmen were so good that they were delivered to the royal court.
Porcelain, which is made by craftsmen from Gzhel, corresponds to folk traditions. Masters paint their products manually, machine Gzhel painting simply does not exist. The colors of the Gzhel painting are from white to bright blue, cobalt. It is cobalt that paint Gzhel dishes. A single product can contain up to 30 different shades of cobalt blue, from almost transparent, sky-light blue to bright saturated dark blue.
Gzhel painting has long fascinated connoisseurs of beauty. Kustodiev, a famous Russian painter, even called her patterns "witchcraft blue flowers."
Interestingly, before firing, the pattern remains black and white. That is what his master sees while working on the product. Ceramics acquires its bright blue colors under the influence of high temperature.
