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History Of Golden Khokhloma
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You may not be familiar with the traditional Russian folk craft named “Golden Khokhloma.” Although tourists often bring back this type of art as a unique Russian souvenir, many people outside of the country have never heard of it. This is unfortunate because anyone who appreciates fine craftsmanship is sure to love this Russian folk art. The term refers to a unique art form of beautiful wooden utensils and decorative objects with ornamental patterns that are painted by hand. The masters of Golden Khokhloma create wooden items with a golden hue that are gilded without using actual gold.
History of Golden Khokhloma
This art form emerged near the end of the 17th century where it first appeared in Khokhloma, a Russian trading village. Ancient Russian craftsmen used to create decorative wooden objects and utensils and then cover each piece with gold powder and gold leaf. The latter technique involves applying very thin sheets of gold to certain areas of an item. Gold powder refers to a process where a special solution is used to dilute very fine gold powder which is then applied to a surface like paint. These two processes were very common because gold was difficult to find and gilded household items were less expensive than those made completely of the precious metal. However, Russian artists also created a popular wood gilding technique that required no gold. Many ornate church interiors during the 17th century were decorated in this manner, and the style has become popular with international decorative art.
Legends of the Unique Craft
It's difficult to determine the actual origin of Golden Khokhloma, but various legends exist regarding the unique art form. Some people believe the craft originated with an icon painter who created beautiful gilded wooden vases. As soon as government soldiers arrived to capture the dissenter, he revealed his professional secrets to several other people, provided them with tools and then set fire to his home. Although he died in the blaze, the sparks from his fire gave way to the bright colors of Golden Khokhloma. The legends continue to add to the folk art's appeal.
The Traditional Process
The classical turned-work wooden utensils created by Russian artists contained detailed artistic patterns that were geometrically perfect. This was very different from the traditional folk art painting prevalent in the 17th and 18th centuries. Craftsmen would varnish a metal item that had been coated with metal with a special linseed oil used for drying. The item would then be placed in a furnace where it would be exposed to very high heat that produced a unique golden hue. Costly silver power was originally used in combination with golden stripes and then replaced by tin. However, traditional tin-plating techniques were not suitable for this art form because the metal melted in high heat and would burn the wood. Fortunately, creative Russian artisans developed a method of tin-plating wooden utensils using cold tin. In the middle of the 19th century, aluminum began to replace the tin, because it was less expensive.
The Popularity of Golden Khokhloma
Craftsmen favored inexpensive gilding, especially for the bottoms of large vases and dishes. This process eventually gave rise to the process known as Golden Khokhloma. Artisans were able to recreate the richness and beauty of gold by creating ornamental patterns that contained no trace of the actual precious metal. This Russian art form produced unique wooden surfaces that shone just like metal, but were much cheaper to create. Since 1860, Golden Khokhloma furniture and kitchen utensils began to appear in worldwide art shows such as the 1889 Paris World Exhibition. By the late 19th century, Khokhloma dishes emerged all across Russia, as well as in Persia, Central Asia, India and Western Europe. By the 20th century, North Americans, Africans and Australians had also discovered this unique traditional art form. Art lovers continue to appreciate the golden saucers, mugs, plates, spoons, caskets, furniture, goblets and other items. Thanks to its beauty and unrivaled durability and lightness, Golden Khokhloma has remained popular for five centuries.
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