Village of Palekh

Palekh miniature (Палехская миниатюра in Russian) is a Russian folk handicraft of miniature painting, which is done with tempera paints on varnished articles made of papier-mâché (small boxes, cigarette and powder cases etc.). Folk can refer to a number of different things: It can be short for folk music, or, for folksong, or, for folklore; it may be a word for a specific people, tribe, or nation, especially one of the Germanic peoples; it might even be a calque on the related German... Handicraft, also known as craftwork or simply craft, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or using only simple tools. ... Look up Miniature in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Things known as miniatures include: miniature — a small painting in an illuminated book or manuscript; portrait miniature — a small portrait painting. ... A 1367 tempera on wood by Niccolò Semitecolo. ... Varnish is a finish applied to wood or other surfaces in order to provide a clear, hard, durable, protective finish. ... Papier-mâché around a form such as a balloon to create a pig. ...

Palekh Russian lacquer art on papier-mâché first appeared in 1923 in the village of Palekh, located in the district of (Ivanovo Oblast), and is based on a long local history of icon painting. This handicraft and style of miniature painting bore different names throughout its development, such as the Palekh Artel of Ancient Painting (since 1924), Palekh Artists’ Association (since 1932), and Artistic Production Workshops of the Artistic Fund of the USSR (since 1953). Russian laquer art developed from the art of Icon painting which largely came to an end with the Revolution of 1917. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ivanovo Oblast (Ива́новская о́бласть)(21,400 km², pop. ... The Savior (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek , eikon, image) is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; in computers an icon is a symbol on the monitor... Artel (Russian: ) is a general term for various cooperative associations in Russia, historical and modern. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

The technology of making a semi-finished product was borrowed from the lacquer handicraft masters of Fedoskino (see Fedoskino miniature). The Palekh miniatures usually represent characters from real life, literary works, fairy tales, bylinas, and songs. They are painted with local bright paints over the black background and are known for their delicate and smooth design, abundance of golden shading, and accurate silhouettes of flattened figures, which often cover the surface of the lids and sides of the articles completely. Poetic magic of the Palekh characters, decorativeness of landscapes and architecture, and elongated proportions of the figures go back to the icon-painting traditions. The miniatures are usually set off with a complicated pattern made with gold dissolved in aqua regia. In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or colored coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ... A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Bylina (Russian: были́на, also Byliny and Stariny) is a traditional epic, heroic narrative poetry of early East Slavs of Kievan Rus, the tradition continued in Russia and Ukraine. ... Aqua regia (Latin for royal water) is a highly corrosive, fuming yellow liquid, formed by a fresh mixture of concentrated nitric acid (otherwise known as aqua fortis) and concentrated hydrochloric acid, usually in the ratio of one to three. ...

External links

• Site devoted to Palekh - in Russian
• Learn about the early icon-painting history of Palekh Russian Lacquer Art - See images of the characteristic Palekh style of miniature painting.