Khokhloma

 
Typical pattern

 "Golden Khokhloma" is wooden kitchenware like spoons, cups, saucers, and intricate scoops covered with amazingly beautiful painting. It is called "golden" not because gold is used in its painting. This art dates from the 17th century. The old artisans covered their works with tin powder and then with drying oil. In the furnace the drying oil got darker, acquired the tinge of amber, and the silvery layer under it looked like gold. The painting also became transformed miraculously, the floral red-and-black ornaments grew brighter, and acquired particular expressiveness. According to old legends, the secret of manufacturing "golden" kitchenware was borrowed from the dissenters who had fled from the czar's anger to this area. They did not want to accept reforms in the Russian Orthodox Church, preferring voluntary exile to them. They fled to the forests together with their religious manuscripts, icons and icon painters. These icon painters taught the local peasants to paint wood in golden colors. As for the floral ornaments, the local people borrowed them from the manuscripts brought by dissenters, and from pictures on their icon settings.

More than 300 years have passed since, but the manufacturing of these beautiful handicrafts in the area of Novgorod north of Central Russia continued. Crops have always been managed locally, and the peasants were glad to gain any extra earnings. Wooden kitchenware had always been made here, but the "golden" one proved to be in particularly high demand. They marketed it in the town of Khokhloma, which gave its name to the handicrafts. From the Khokhloma market the handicrafts reached fairs all over Russia and even foreign shops.

There are two big enterprises manufacturing these articles, the "Khokhloma Artisans" factory and the "Khokhloma Painting" association. In accordance with old traditions the artisans use soft brushes made of squirrel fur. They work on their intricate designs holding articles on their knees, as their grandfathers did, and without any preliminary sketches. Their work is based on inspiration, on the mood the artisan is in at the moment, on the specificity of his manner of painting in the classical Khokhloma gamut -red and black on golden background.