Dymkovo clay toy is one of the most striking and original folk crafts of the Vyatka region. For four centuries, the Dymkovo toy reflected the life and lifestyle of many generations of masters.

Fishing began in the Vyatka district settlement Dymkovo, hence the name of the toy. The first Dymkovo toys were the whistles fashioned for the annual spring festival “Whistlers”, held “in honor of the slain” in the battle of 1418 between the Vyatkans and Ustyuzhan near the walls of the Khlynovsk Kremlin.

A toy was made in Dymkovo by entire families. In summer, they dug and knead clay, pounded by hand and rubbed lumpy chalk in paint sprayers, sculpted, dried, fired products from autumn to spring, whitewashed with chalk diluted in cow's milk, painted with egg colors, decorated with golden sweat diamonds.

For more than four hundred years of the existence and development of the Dymkovo craft, traditional themes, plots and images have taken shape in it, expressive means inherent in very plastic red pottery clay, simple (geometric pattern) mural patterns dominated by red, yellow, and blue have been reflected and fixed. , green colors. Dymkovo toy is generally alien to halftones and inconspicuous transitions. All of it is the overflowing fullness of the sensation of the joy of life.

Bright, elegant Dymkovo toy does not like "loneliness". Often, the craftsmen of the Dymkovo craft create whole thematic compositions in which there is a place for both people and animals, both animate and inanimate objects. Not only a man, a horse, a dog or a deer can appear before the audience, but also a tree, a decorative fence, a stroller, sled, a Russian stove ...

Today, the Dymkovo toy is considered to be a real symbol of the Vyatka region. It does not look like any other ceramic toy: Kargapolsky, Kovrovskaya, Filimonovskaya. To this day, the Dymkovo toy is made by hand. Each Dymkovo toy is a unique author's work from modeling to painting. The craftswomen say correctly: "There cannot be two identical products."

By the way, not only traditional clay products, but also the Dymkovo craftswomen themselves are the property of the Vyatka Land.

In the 19th century, from 30 to 50 toy-families lived and worked in the settlement of Dymkovo. Entire dynasties took shape - Nikulins, Penkins, Koshkins ... Form and proportions, color and ornament in their products had their own peculiarities. At this time, the Dymkovo toy consisted of solitary figures of people, animals, birds, whistles, carrying ancient images in themselves - people's ideas about the world.

Nevertheless, in the XX century there was a serious threat to the existence of the Dymkovo industry. The manufacture of man-made toys began to decline and did not feed the craftswomen anymore, as before. Even hereditary craftswomen stopped working, focusing on the search for another income. As a result, workshops for the production of cheaper gypsum products appeared in the Dymkovo settlement, however, were in great demand both among the local population and in other cities. Some of the toy-makers worked part-time “on plaster”, being engaged in their coloring. Only one craftswoman continued to sculpt clay toys in the old fashioned way. It was Anna Afanasyevna Mezrina (1853 - 1938). It was her work that became the connecting thread between the past and the future of the Dymkovo craft, a classic for modern craftswomen.

The decisive role in the fate of the entire craft, and, therefore, in the private fates of individual toy designers, was played by the Vyatka landscape painter, expert on the Dymkovo craft, Alexei Ivanovich Denshin (1893 - 1948). From the age of fifteen, he became interested in the artisanship of Dymkovo women, having managed to discern real art in their works. He sketched their toys, studied the process of work.

After the revolution of 1917, Aleksey Denshin continued to actively study and promote the Dymkovo craft. Trying to draw the attention of the new authorities to the original folk art, the artist created the manuscript albums “Vyatka clay toy in drawings” (1917), “Vyatka clay toy. Smart dolls ”(1919),“ Vyatka ancient clay toys ”(1926).

At the same time, Aleksey Denshin collected and transported collections of Dymkovo toys to museums in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This activity soon bore fruit. The general public learned about an interesting Vyatka craft. Its development has gained momentum.

In the 1930s, through the efforts of Alexei Denshin, the Kirov artists took the Dymkovo craft under guardianship, the craftswomen were given the opportunity to donate the toy to the Kirov Artist Partnership.

In 1939, a team of Dymkovo craftswomen took part in the design of the hall of the Kirov region at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition in Moscow. This decoration innovation significantly expanded the creative possibilities of traditional craft, showed its ability to successfully go beyond the scope of a round sculpture into a planar solution. So the Dymkovo relief was born, which became one of the favorite types of products of the Dymkovo craftswomen of the second half of the twentieth century.

With the outbreak of World War II, the Dymkovo fishing was again abandoned. The Kirov Association of Artists, to which the Dymkovo craftswomen belonged, was dissolved, the Dymkovo women were left without work. However, soon the optimistic Dymkovo toy again began to enjoy success. In local stores, she was happily bought by the evacuated. In 1942, the production of Dymkovo toys was resumed.

In 1943, a turning point in the course of the war, important events took place for the Dymkovo craft - in the All-Union competition of children's toys, Dymkovo craftswomen under the leadership of Alexei Denshin received the first prize, and on July 9 of that year, craftsmen Koshkin, Penkin and Konovalov became members of the Union of Artists USSR. In addition, it was decided to resume apprenticeship in the fishery.

Already in the next 1944, the All-Union Cooperative Partnership “Artist” defined the status of the Dymkovo toy as export, which obliged to strengthen control over the quality of the toy and stimulate the artistic and creative initiative of the masters.

In the immediate post-war period, the country turned even more widely to the joyful work of Dymkovo craftswomen, finances were allocated to improve their working conditions, to educate young people. Unfortunately, at the same time, the older generation of craftswomen is dying, and Alexei Denshin is dying.

Nevertheless, the work he carried out and the given impulse ensured a sufficient progressive movement in the further development of the fishery.

Now, at the beginning of the XXI century, the Dymkovo toy is a truly complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The works of modern craftswomen are characterized by thematic diversity, narrative of the language, brightness, careful study of details and ornaments. The traditional elements linking this toy with the products of the craftswomen of the past are also obvious.

In our time, the preservation of the ancient Vyatka craft is handled by a whole generation of modern Dymkovo craftswomen (about 20 people) working in the Kirov city branch of the All-Russian creative public organization “Union of Artists of Russia -“ Folk art craft “Dymkovo Toy”. Among them are Lidia Falaleeva, Nina Bornyakova, Valentina Borodina, Lyudmila Vereshchagina and a number of other outstanding craftswomen.

Since October 2000, this organization has owned the Rospatent Certificate for the Trademark (service mark) and the name of the product is Dymkovo toy.

The development of the Dymkovo heritage continues outside the creative association “Folk Art Craft“ Dymkovo Toy ”. Another successor of the Dymkovo toy tradition is a traditional Vyatka clay toy. As a rule, these are works created as a whole in the traditions of the Dymkovo toy, but without the status of that officially granted by the decision of the Art Council operating at the “Dymkovo Toy” Folk Art Craft. Many craftswomen with a long working experience in the field work individually. Among them are also members of the Union of Artists of Russia. The honored artists of Russia, the craftsmen of the Dymkivka Valentina Petrovna Plemyannikova, Nadezhda Petrovna Trukhina and Lyudmila Nikolaevna Dokina, are actively involved in creative work.

At present, Vyatka Center for Folk Crafts and Crafts LLC is also working to preserve and develop the traditions of the old Dymkovo toy. Ten craftswomen with rich experience in creating Dymkovo toys collaborate at the Vyatka Center for Folk Crafts and Crafts, seven of which are members of the Union of Artists of Russia. The company has an artistic and expert council designed to protect the features of the Dymkovo craft, to direct the work of young craftswomen. At the same time, the leadership of the Vyatka Center for Folk Crafts and Crafts supports the active creative activity of the craftswomen, their collective and personal expositions regularly become part of all-Russian and international exhibitions.

For a more accurate designation of the craftsmen of the Vyatka Center for Crafts and Crafts of Dymkovo products, the management of the Vyatka Center for Crafts and Crafts of Vyatka uses the name Dymkovo clay toy. This name, on the one hand, allows you to maintain an indication of the continuity of centuries-old fishing traditions, and on the other hand, does not resort to the use of the name “Dymkovo toy”, previously registered by the People's Art Craft “Dymkovo Toy”.

Consider works of folk art (Dymkovo, Bogorodskaya, Filimonovo folk toys; Khokhloma, Gorodets, Gzhel paintings and other products). Make a story for one of the types of arts and crafts for preschool children.

Goal: To give children basic knowledge of the history of the Dymkovo toy in an accessible form for them, to familiarize themselves with the procedure for its manufacture.

Provide knowledge about the elements of the pattern.

To foster interest and respect for the work of folk craftsmen.

Educator: Guys, I have long wanted to introduce you to my favorite toys that my grandmother gave me. Sit back and I'll tell you how they appeared.

Educator : Once upon a time, beyond the dense forests, beyond the distant seas, on the banks of the blue Vyatka River, opposite the city of Kirov, there was a large village. Every morning people got up, flooded the stoves, and a blue haze curled from the pipes. A lot of houses and a lot of haze. So they called that village Dymkovo ....

Here people settled skillful, artisans. They found clay on the banks of the river, began to sculpt dishes from it, and then toys for their children.

Clay was usually collected in the spring and mixed with fine clean sand from the river. Preparing clay for work is not a simple matter: it is chopped with a shovel, mixed many times, poured with water and mixed again, and earlier it was kneaded with your feet. The finished clay is rolled into balls, from which toys are then molded.

When the craftsmen sculpted, their main assistants were a sharp speck and a wet rag. The master removed excess clay with a lucidity, and with a wet cloth he smoothed out all irregularities and roughness, and the toy turned out to be smooth and even. After that, the toy was dried for several days, and then burned in a Russian oven for 3-4 hours.

The teacher draws the attention of children to toys.

Educator: Look carefully at the figures. What do they have in common? That's right, they are all white. This color is obtained because the burnt figures are dipped in a special mixture of milk and chalk. The figures turn white, and any paint is well applied to this white coating.

Paints use different colors. What kind? True: green, red, raspberry, yellow, orange, blue.

The master had a lot of colors - all colors and shades, so the toys turned out bright and cheerful. The paint brushes were home-made from brooms and rags, but one was always from the hair of a beast that was found in the Dymkovo forests. This brush painted the faces of young ladies, painted the eyes of animals. And the pattern was made by craftswomen from circles, rings, dots, wavy lines, stripes, cells, ovals.

Each element of the Dymkovo painting means something. The circle is a symbol of the sun, a loaf of bread; point - stars; wavy line - water; the straight line is the road.

All the toys are not simple,

A magically painted:

Snow-white like birches

Circles, cells, strips -

Plain. It would seem a pattern,

But the gaze is not able to divert.

What do you think, with what mood did our craftsmen sculpt and paint these toys?

Look what they are!

Both smart and new:

Painted sleds,

Bear with an accordion

A soldier with a mustache.

Goat - Golden Horns

Yes, a doll in earrings.

Colorful, bright, glorious gifts!

Bright, beautiful toys were loved by people and bought them with pleasure. The craftsmen took them to fairs to sell their toys. People gathered from different places for a walk there, and it was called “Whistler” or “Whistle”, because Dymkovo toys were not simple. Many of them were whistles. From these whistles the name went to festivities.

Educator: Did you guys like my story? Then let's paint our toys together and make a fun fair.

The teacher gives children blanks of toys.

And so that our toy comes out beautiful, we need to repeat:

What colors will we use?

What elements did you remember? What are they called and what do they symbolize?

What mood will we paint our toys with?

  Irina Kiryachek
  Summary of the lesson "Dymkovo toy"

Organization of educational activities of children in the senior group

on this topic: « Dymkovo toy» .

Tasks of priority educational areas of:

Educational:

dymkovo toys dymkovo toy

Developing:

develop observability, the ability to notice the characteristic features of objects, reflect, generalize the results;

develop active speech (speech-proof, speech-argument)  children in the process of comparison, analysis of mural elements dymkovo toys, in search of identical elements;

to develop creative activity in the process of visual activity; the ability to independently use elements in children’s drawing dymkovo painting the toys

enrich children's vocabulary: Vyatka, haze, dymkovo masters, dymkovo toy, dymkovo painting;

Educating:

to cultivate responsiveness, goodwill, perseverance, will; to raise interest in Russian folk art, respect for the work of folk craftsmen; contribute to the manifestation of positive emotions;

to cultivate friendly relations between peers in the process of collective solution of a cognitive task, to form the ability to negotiate, to help each other.

GS Objectives in Integration: "Art - aesthetic development", "Cognitive development", "Speech development", "Social - communicative development".

Training background the activities: modeling a game situation with the goal of posing a problem and creating motivation, exercises on logical thinking and creative nature, questions for children, the use of didactic aids, visual aids, technical equipment.

Equipment for the teacher: letter, visual material in the form of illustrations, handicrafts, presentation, TCO.

Equipment for children: blanks of forms, brushes, paints, jars, rags for blotting brushes, palette.

Introduction (motivational, preparatory stage).

activities) Forms

work Availability of funds

in children

tasks Target

landmarks

(specifications)

Hello guys, I'm glad to see you all today.

Hello - I wish you good health!

In this word is wisdom, kindness,

That always coexist with love

And the soul of folk beauty!

Guys, are you ready today to learn the secrets of folk craftsmen from Dymkovoabout the beauty of their work?

Then choose the most convenient places in the group.

Children, have you noticed anything strange in the group?

How to find out a letter from whom? Where from? (Letter from the masters of Dymkovo, in him a riddle:

The bright sun rises

People hurry to the fair,

And at the fair goods:

Samovars are sold,

People buy drying

And excellent the toys!

But what guess the toys? -

Funny white clay

Circles of stripes on it,

Goats and lambs are funny,

A herd of colorful horses,

Nurses and water drains,

And the riders and the guys

Dogs, hussars and fish,

Well guess - friends! (Dymkovo)

(open the Casket of Masters)

Social and communicative development.

Situational conversation.

Visual and verbal.

Surprise moment.

It creates a problem situation.

Puzzles a riddle. Welcomes children sets a positive emotional mood.

To acquaint children with the history of occurrence dymkovo toys. Bring children to the origins of Russian culture. Consolidate children's knowledge about dymkovo toy, the history of occurrence, features of patterns and color patterns.

develop observability, the ability to notice the characteristic features of objects, reflect, generalize the results.

to cultivate responsiveness, goodwill, perseverance, will.

Self-confidence, positive attitude towards oneself and others, the outside world (empathy, conflict resolution)

Curiosity, a tendency to experiment and observe, the ability to make decisions.

Main part (substantive, active stage).

(Kind of activity)  Forms

work Availability

facilities

in children

targets Targets

(specifications)

Is that all we have Dymkovo toys in the Box of Masters? Choose yourself any dymkovo toy

The Vyatka region has long been famous for its crafts. The works of talented craftsmen were universally known in the distant past. Affectionately and gently call this haze toy. Why a toy  could get that name? The toy is called« dymkovo»   at her place of residence. From the high bank of the Vyatka River, on which the city of Kirov stands, you can see the river village Dymkovo. In winter, when stoves are being heated, when the entire settlement is foggy, as if in smoke, in haze. Here in distant antiquity this a toy. And how do you think up, how did people find out about dymkovo toy masters? The origin of this industry is associated with an ancient national holiday "Whistler", to which throughout the winter the craftswomen prepared various whistles in the form of horses, riders, cows, birds. The spring festival was accompanied by a brisk trade in whistles. Their bright, colorful painting corresponded to the general joyful spring mood. Everywhere sounded, folk musical instruments. Behind the screen are musical instruments, encourages children for attentiveness and correct utterances

Invites children to work together, expresses admiration

Introduces children to the game, gives instructions, encourages implementation in game of rulesproposed by children

Involves children in visual activity, offers children cards from the box of masters. To select a coloring sequence the toys,

formulation of the problem; contributes to the group work of children, either in pairs, triples or individually reminds; includes children in independent activities; provides time for creative activity; provides a choice of techniques for coloring elements and materials, watches the children during the assignment.

1. Here is a smart turkey,

All such it is folding.

Big turkey

All painted sides.

2. The turkey is fabulously beautiful

He's pompous, proud

Looking down on me

The bird is an important turkey.

3. Amazing outfit:

Kokoshnik sits proudly

The waterman is so beautiful

As a swan swims

Sings a quiet song.

4. Through mountain spurs,

Through the rooftops of villages

Long-horned, yellow-horned

A clay deer is racing.

5. Clay horses race

On the coasters that there are forces

And do not hold on to the tail,

If you missed the mane.

IN Dymkovo, beyond the Vyatka river,

Precious continuing work,

Not looking for peace in old age,

Glorious toilers live.

Someone made a turkey- feathery sides,

At someone clay suddenly became a peacock.

Someone fashioned a tit, immediately it became more fun.

Cognitive

development.

Socio-communicative

development.

development.

Clear

presentation

verbal

a surprise moment.

productive activity. Blanks of forms, brushes, paints, jars, rags for blotting brushes, palette. to develop creative activity in the process of visual activity; the ability to independently use elements in children’s drawing dymkovo painting: circles, lattice, line, wavy line, ring, leaflet, as well as the technique of drawing ovals, circles, dots, straight and wavy lines, select colors in accordance with folk patterns the toys. Develop a sense of symmetry, rhythm.

enrich children's vocabulary: Vyatka, haze, dymkovo masters, dymkovo toy, dymkovo painting;

develop the ability to agree on joint actions, present the result of the study;

develop a sense of rhythm when playing musical instruments.

To acquaint children with the history of occurrence dymkovo toys. Bring children to the origins of Russian culture. Consolidate children's knowledge about dymkovo toy, the history of occurrence, features of patterns and color patterns.

Initiative and independence (the child is able to choose his own gender occupations, partners, knows how to translate their ideas)

Ability to obey the rules and regulations, developed imagination, creativity.

Developed creative abilities, developed spoken language

Ability to volitional efforts in various activities

Curiosity, a tendency to experiment

observation and ability to make decisions.

The child is capable of volitional efforts, can follow social

norms of behavior and rules in different types of activities, in relations with adults and peers, can comply with the rules of safe behavior.

Final part (reflective stage).

region (Kind of activity)  Forms

work Availability

facilities

Educational

tasks Target

landmarks

(specifications)

Did you like occupation?

Do you think everyone coped with the tasks?

To whom did something seem difficult?

I think that we will still work on this, and then you will succeed ....

And so, you were all well done, worked well!

development.

Attracts children to take stock, to reflection (introspection); provides openness to oriented independent or joint activities with parents; offers a place where children can put on display their work.

Verbal

method. To develop coherent speech, the ability to express and justify their judgments; The child is well versed in oral speech, can express his thoughts and desires, use speech to express his thoughts, feelings and desires, build a speech utterance in a communication situation, highlight sounds in words, the child has literacy prerequisites.

In Russia, pottery art originated in ancient times. At that time, our ancestors paid great attention to ritual holidays. “Whistle-blower” was no exception - a celebration celebrating the sun god Yaril. On this day, the participants of the festival threw painted balls of clay and used clay whistles with might and main. This is precisely what caused the appearance of ritual accessories, among which the Dymkovo toy took pride of place.

Fishing history

Dymkovo toy was "born" in Kirov. Five centuries ago, behind the Vyatka river, there was a small settlement Dymkovo, where Tsar Ivan III ordered the resettlement of residents from the northern regions of Russia. Among them were many talented masters of pottery, who in a new place launched an active activity in the production of toys. Entire families were involved in the work process: some mined clay and made mixtures from lump chalk; others made toys; still others burned them; the fourth - white and painted.

For four hundred years, the Dymkovo industry developed. During this time, their own themes, images, characteristic drawings have developed. There was no place for inexpressive ornaments or dull shades. Dymkovo toy is the embodiment of life in the most joyful colors. It is not surprising that by the beginning of the 19th century the whistles from Dymkovo won the love of the inhabitants of all of Russia. More than 100 thousand toys were produced per year, which were sold in the capital and the Orenburg province. 59 families from Dymkovo worked on their creation. Among the most famous surnames sounded Koshkiny, Nikulin.

(Mezrina Anna Afanasevna - craftswoman of the Dymkovo toy)

At the beginning of the 20th century, “black times” came for the Dymkovo toy. They ceased to enjoy their former popularity, so the famous families of pottery artisans began to look for other options for earning. Exclusive whistles began to be superseded by cheap gypsum options. Only one craftswoman, Anna Mezrina, remained faithful to traditional clay making. It is to her that the descendants can be grateful for the conservation of the Dymkovo fishing.

(Master E. A. Koshkina and artist A. Denshin)

An equally important role in the continuation of the traditions of their ancestors was played by the artist Alexei Denshin. From a young age, he was fond of the Dymkovo toy, carefully sketching all the famous ornaments. Even after the October Revolution, he did not lose hope of drawing attention to folk art: he released manuscript albums and collected toy collections. His efforts were crowned with success: in the 30s of the 20th century, the Dymkovo industry began to revive in Kirov.

Types of Dymkovo toys

Traditional images of Dymkovo toys - a lady, pets, a turkey. All of them are made in bright colors, calling to show the joy of life. Collectors appreciate figures, with which you can create certain plot compositions.

Dymkovo toy, despite the canonicity, is exclusive. The fact is, each craftswoman is trying to bring her own copyright to the product. Therefore, it is impossible to find two absolutely identical toys.

Among the most popular images that are “beaten” in a Dymkovo toy, there are the following:

Turkey- colorful, like a peacock, with a characteristic beard, decorated with gold potala. Sizes can vary: from tiny 5 cm to impressive 40 cm;

Lady- This is an exquisite city lady, and a traditional young lady in a kokoshnik. There may be children next to her. Gold potal also adorns individual details;

Lamb- Figures of this animal can be with different sizes of horns. A distinctive feature is their gilding. Lambs are ordinary or in elegant amusing clothes;

A horse- The traditional image of the animal in bright blue tones, or the “bullseye”.

Male images in the Dymkovo toy are played out most often in the form of a rider on a horse, walking a city or village "gentleman". Popular figures of pigs, birds, bells.

Manufacturing technology

The process of creating a Dymkovo toy consists of two stages: the formation of the figure and its coloring.

Clay and river sand are used to create the figures. According to the rules, it should be Vyatka red clay. Each detail of the toy is created separately: a body is formed from a spherical lump of clay onto which the remaining parts (legs, hands, head, accessories, etc.) are “assembled”. All parts must be stapled with smooth transitions. This helps to avoid chips in the future.

The finished image is dried in the open air for several days. Then it burns on fire. Previously, a Russian stove was used for this. Today - muffle, where the temperature reaches 1000C.

When the workpiece cools, it is bleached with tempera paints. Our ancestors used milk for this purpose.

At the next stage of creating the toy - coloring, only pure colors are used without mixing. In ancient times, natural dyes based on eggs, milk, soot, vinegar, and tempera were used for this. Today there are ready-made acrylic paints. The main requirement: brightness and naturalness. Be sure to use a gold sash for individual parts.

Painting Dymkovo toys

Dymkovo toy is a symbol of joy, vitality. The ornaments that are depicted on it are smooth painting in combination with geometric patterns. Colors are selected according to the principle of contrast and beneficial emphasis on each other. The tails of birds, the horns of animals, the details of the wardrobe of people are covered with copper pate (in the old days, thin sheets of gold leaf were taken for this).

Traditional colors of the Dymkovo toy: blue, red, yellow, emerald, blue, green, orange. White and black paint are used in a minimal amount to give emphasis to individual areas.

Each color that is involved in the Dymkovo toy has its own meaning: white - symbolizes purity; black is a lie; green is nature; red - strength, health; blue is the sky.

(Sketch of the artist Alexei Denshin for a toy)

Long-time masters bred paints on an egg yolk. The recipes were kept secret. The coloring was carried out in strict sequence:

• hair;
• eyes and eyebrows;
• mouth and cheeks;
• headdress;
• ornaments on clothes.

Patterns in the Dymkovo toy are closely connected with amulets, symbols of nature. There are solar and lunar signs as a symbol of the origin of life; diamonds - as a sign of fertility; waves are like a sign of sky and moisture.

The final touch in the painting was the application of gold leaf.

Today Dymkovo toy continues its development. New technologies appear, fresh ideas are born. But the traditions of production remain unchanged.

Dymkovo toy is a unique phenomenon in Russian art. This is perhaps the most famous and popular among folk crafts. His fame has long crossed the borders of our country. For many decades, not a single exhibition of folk art has been without fun smart Dymkovo figures. Much has been written about the Dymkovo toy in general works on folk art, and special articles and essays, and popular books. However, one cannot say that everything about this industry is known and we well know the whole path of its development.

The artistic evolution of the Dymkovo toy as a whole has not yet been studied, sometimes the features of its expressive means are incorrectly defined, traditions are reduced to formal moments. The names of some masters have been forgotten, and not even quite well-known creative contributions to the common cause have been revealed. Many outstanding works possessed by museums have not been published. All this is of interest not only for the history of folk art as a whole, but it is important primarily for the craft itself. In his modern life there are many difficulties and difficulties. To move on, you need to know the path traveled well, take into account his experience, miscalculations and mistakes, achievements and victories.

From the history of the Dymkovo toy in the 19th century, Vyatka was first mentioned in chronicles in 1374. This date is considered to be the time of foundation of the city. It was laid on the site of the Russian settlement that existed in the XIV century, one of the detachments of ushkuyniki, who went on a campaign on the Volga Bulgaria. The squad consisted of different people: Novgorodians, Dvinyans, Ustyuzhans. In the XV century, Vyatka was a feudal possession: it was part of the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod principality, it was the inheritance of the Galitsky (Kostroma) prince, and then it was captured by the Moscow prince Vasily I. In 1452-1457, a fortified Kremlin appeared on the high bank of the Vyatka river between Razderikhinsky and Zasorny ravines -Hlynov fortress, named after the river Hlynovice. Feudal wars more than once led to the siege of the city of Khlynov, but he defended steadily and only in 1489 was surrendered without a fight to Ivan III and annexed to Moscow.

Unknown master. Walking Cavalier. The end of the XIX century.

At the end of the XV - beginning of the XVI century the population of Khlynov began to replenish by immigrants from the Northern Dvina and especially from the Great Ustyug. The latter founded the Dymkovo settlement on the low right bank of the Vyatka at that time, repeating the name of the settlement in Veliky Ustyug, and the location flooded during the floods of the river, and the church in the name of Prokoshnia, revered in the northern city, and, possibly, the occupation of the main population by pottery . In the XVI-XVII centuries, trade routes from the north to Moscow, to the Volga region, to Perm the Great, went through Khlynov. By 1678, the city already had five thousand inhabitants, crafts developed.

A.A. Mezrina. Walking Cavalier. 1910s

In the XVIII century, the number of artisans increased significantly. At the end of the 18th century, there were four hundred and fifty-seven artisans in Hlynov about twenty kinds of crafts. Residents of the Dymkovo settlement at that time were engaged in pottery.

Unknown master. Whistles of a duck. The end, XIX century.

“The Dymkovo settlement beyond the Vyatka River, on pasture land, which in the formerly under the direction of Shuvalov was a land survey of a land survey, which in the springtime is completely flooded; at the confluence of spring waters, it is surrounded by verdant meadows within its borders; near the noon side the Vyatka River channel facilitates the old course; it has no regular streets in its ancient structure; drink houses of a wooden structure ”- the old manuscript reports.

Unknown Mr. Whistle skates. The beginning of the XX century.

In 1780, in Hlynov there were eight hundred sixty-five wooden houses and only six stone. This year, in connection with the provincial reform and the appropriation of the status of the county and provincial city, Hlynov was returned to his old name - Vyatka. The city was provincial, the population illiterate. Only in 1786 did the first secular school open. Such a dark half-asleep bear angle Vyatka remained throughout the XIX century. It was no accident that it became the place of political exile that A.I. Herzen, M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, V. G. Korolenko and many other talented representatives of Russian culture were serving here.

A.A. Mezrina (?). Couple on a walk. Lady under the umbrella. The last third of the XIX century.

A. A. Mezrina (?) A couple on a walk. The last third of the XIX century.

A.A. Mezrina (?). Lady under the umbrella. The last third of the XIX century.

M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote about Vyatka: “Entering this city, you seem to feel that your career has ended here, that you can’t demand anything from life, that you just have to live in the past and digest your memories. From this city there is not even a road further, as if the end of the world was here. ” The well-known popular word reflected the spirit of local self-government in the saying: "We have our own orders in Vyatka." But the link gave birth to the forces of internal resistance, and the difficult living conditions, bureaucracy and arbitrariness of the bureaucracy aroused among the people inventiveness, a spirit of rebellion and a desire for creativity. “We’re spaghetti - we are afraid of gadgets: we’re not afraid of one seven, but one on one, and we’ll give the cats too,” the Vyatka man chuckled at himself.

A.A. Mezrina (?). Two ladies. The last warming of the XIX century.

The talent, sharpness and ingenuity of the Vyatka peasants made a significant contribution to the development of domestic technology, science and culture. The harsh climate, low fertility of soils and low land forced the population of the region to engage in crafts in addition to agriculture.

In the 19th century, the Vyatka Uyezd occupied the first place in the province in the development of local domestic peasant industry. Here, not only various crafts were widely developed, but many types of folk art: weaving, lace-making, pottery, jewelry; but especially various types of artistic processing of wood - from carved and painted household utensils to house murals, by which Vyatka painters-migrants became famous throughout the North and the Urals; from creating beautiful texture objects from burl outgrowths to wicker and carved furniture.

Among these types of local folk art, a special role was played by the Dymkovo clay toy. Some historians of the Vyatka region believe that the production of toys in the Dymkovo settlement probably appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century. One can hardly agree with this, although no written evidence has been found for a more accurate date of their occurrence. At the same time, the origin and history of the Dymkovo toy is inseparable from the local holiday - Whistle. It was to coincide with the production and mass sale of clay toys and whistles.

Unknown master. Baby in the bath. A child and a dog. The beginning of the XX century.

Be that as it may, but Svistoplyaska, as the author of the description of the holiday in the "St. Petersburg Gazette" in 1856, is truly "the only holiday in the world in its originality and name". It is surprising that so far he has not attracted the proper attention of ethnographers. Local newspapers throughout the 19th century published descriptions of Whistles. They make it possible to imagine its being and the changes that took place during the celebration of this century. In antiquity (until the beginning of the 19th century), the holiday began with a requiem for the dead and the dead, held in a chapel set on a high slope of the Razderikhinsky ravine. Then there was a walk and amusements: throwing clay balls from a slope into a ditch, fist fights, whistles, dances, reflected in the name of the holiday. All this was accompanied by the sale of sweets and especially clay dolls "in honor of the widows remaining after the battle."

Unknown master. Nanny with two children. The end of the XIX century.

In the middle of the 19th century, the authors of the notes lament “the crowding out of ancient rites with modern life”, to reduce the program of Whistle-blower, to the increasing role of children as its participants and to reduce the entire ritual after the traditional funeral service mainly to selling toys, without which, most likely, the holiday itself would cease to exist. Since 1861, ceased to roll clay balls and arrange playful fights. Since 1888, the holiday changes its name - it’s not the Whistle, but the Whistler, which indicates the transformation of a complex ancient rite into an entertainment fair. According to the memoirs of the oldest craftswoman 3. V. Penkina, the last Whistler took place in the late 1920s.

Unknown master. Lady. Young lady. The end of the XIX century.

Modern studies make it possible to classify Svistoplyaska as a category of calendar holidays in the spring-summer cycle and to note in it the essential features of these oldest rites of origin. Whistling was carried out annually on the fourth Saturday after Easter. This confinement to certain days, usually in the April-May month, puts it in a number of traditional folk rites associated in its origins with the most ancient cult of the earth, renewal and revival of nature after winter and its awakening from spring to summer.

Unknown master. Young lady. The end of the XIX century.

Despite being confined to the Christian calendar, all the main before and after - Easter folk rites (Shrovetide - Easter - Semik - Trinity) - researchers somehow connect with the solstices and cycles of seasonal agricultural work during the transition from spring to summer, with magical at its core rituals aimed at improving the fertility of the earth. Often, these rituals were combined with the commemoration of the departed, and the holiday itself was held at the church or chapel, as was the case in Svistoplyask. Ethnographers believe that this may mean a genetic connection of the calendar rite with the cult of ancestors. The rite of antiquity is also seen in the fact that after the commemoration, usually noisy fun began with songs and dances. The combination of sorrow and fun, even revelry did not cause condemnation. but it was taken for granted: it was thought to paralyze death and affirm life.

Unknown master. A woman milks a cow. The beginning of the XX century.

The magic act of the fertility spell during the spring-summer ceremonies was laughter - a recreation of life, a whistle - a means of scaring away the evil principle, and especially rolling eggs. The egg was a symbol of the birth of a new life. His contact with the earth was to awaken the earth from winter sleep, to fertilize it. Among easter games, rolling eggs on the ground from a hill was especially popular. It can be assumed that rolling clay balls on Svistoplyaska was a late modification of these ancient actions. L.A. Dintses connected him with the relics of the cult of the sun. It is known that many calendar rites were performed "near the water", which had a purifying value. Perhaps it was no accident that the Whistle was held on the banks of the Vyatka River. In 1824, the Alexander Garden was laid out here, and a holiday was held near it, but in the old place. Finally, it is possible that in the mass creation of clay dolls for the Feast of Whistles and the predominance of female characters among them, especially nurses with children, a distant echo of the ancient pagan cults of fertility also remained, as L.A.Dintses also wrote.

Unknown master. On the stove. Beginning of XX century

Ethnographers note that in the 19th century, ritualism was already severely destroyed. The rites, grouped around major holidays and performed collectively, lasted longer. This happened due to the fact that with the loss of ritualistic meaning they began to be perceived as entertainment, and the transformed and rethought their ancient elements, combined with new ones, diversified the holiday and gave each of them a special flavor. In some ceremonies, over time, more and more children participated, perceiving them as a game, which can also be seen in the example of the Whistle. Whistle is a local Vyatka holiday. However, a well-known analogy can be seen in the Krakow “Renkavka”, which is held today until Easter Tuesday on the banks of the Vistula River, supposedly on the grave of Krakus, the legendary founder of the city, and is accompanied by egg-throwing, children riding on the carousels, selling and buying toys. Thus, summing up all the features of the Vyatka Svistoplyaska - Svistunya, it seems possible to argue that this holiday is ancient in origin. By the 19th century, it had already been greatly transformed. Different layers of it are evident in it, which are reflected both in the character of the holiday itself and, apparently, in the clay toys that accompanied it.

A.A. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. The beginning of the XX century.

The earliest toys preserved in museums can be dated to the last decades of the 19th - early 20th centuries. But the lack of earlier things can to some extent offset information from the local press. They are quite numerous and make it possible to imagine the state of fishing throughout the 19th century: the nature of toys, their plots, cost, size of production, correlation with other types of local products, in particular, gypsum, gradually crowding clay ones. The very first mention of Dymkovo toys is contained in the notes mentioned above by Major General N. 3. Khitrovo. He kept a journal where he described the legendary battle of Ustyuzh and Vyatchan and the traditional feast day commemorated. In 1811, he reported: “Now on this day all morning is devoted to prayer, and the rest of this memorable day is walking and amusement. The people gather with small whistles and whistle all day, walking along the streets and standing on the rampart, throwing clay balls into the ditch where the city kids meet to collect them; it often happens that the balls hit them in the head and break through to the blood; but this does not prevent them from continuing their fun. In honor of the widows remaining after the battle, clay dolls are painted in those places, painted with different colors and gilded. This holiday is called in this land Svistoplyaskoy ". From this passage we can conclude about three varieties of toys involved in the Whistle: whistles, clay balls and dolls. Judging by the description, the holiday ritual was far from new, and the participation of clay toys in it also testifies more to a developed production, rather than its initial stage. One might think that in 1811 the production of clay toys in Dymkovo was already quite well-established.

A.A. Mezrina. Nanny with two children. Water-carrier. Late 19th - early 20th centuries

Toys had a certain existing assortment, they differed in their role in the holiday ritual, in plastic and painting: these are balls, individual figures and groups, painted with paints and using gold leaf, cheaper and more expensive. The seasonality of practicing clay toys, their export outside the Vyatka province, and certain incomes of craftsmen from this craft are noted. The description of the toys gives rise to analogies with works of a later time known from museum collections: the similarities between the bear and the pig and the ornamentation with flies or stripes testify in favor of this. Finally, by the middle of the 19th century, and not towards the end of it, as they often write, the appearance of plaster toys and figurines, which constituted a serious rival to clay Dymkovo objects, dates back.

A.I. Mezrina. A woman milks a cow. The beginning of the XX century.

In 1861, the “Vyatka Provincial Gazette” testified that the program of the Whistle, which was held from May 20 to 22, was all shrinking, even ball rolling stopped with the device in the ravine paved descent to the river. “The sale of dolls, toys and goodies on the square in front of the Alexander Garden remains almost the only reason for a significant gathering of people who come here mostly with children to purchase goods that are most interesting to them. In the current Whistle, we counted 20 booths with nuts, gingerbread and other sweets and 10 tables with similar goods, 3 booths with various kinds of children's toys, alabaster dolls, figurines and even groups, 42 tables with wooden, paper, embroidered and mostly clay dolls and toys, 5 tables with clay balls and 6 with birch bark pipes. ” The author further notes that “there were no improvements or changes in the figures, except for the unusual expansion of the skirts of clay ladies - in the taste of our time. Products of this kind are sold to the townspeople for money, and the villagers are traded more for eggs; "questions about the price of the merchant are answered: two testicles, five testicles, etc." Thus, for the first time, a detailed description of booths with various goods is given, among which clay Dymkovo so far dominate, although alabaster figurines and figures are increasingly attacking them. In 1862, on Svistoplyask there were twenty-two booths with nuts, gingerbread and sweets, three booths with children's toys of various kinds, with alabaster dolls and figurines, thirty-eight tables with wooden, paper, embroidered and mostly clay dolls and toys, five tables with clay balls and four with birch bark pipes. In 1865, in the list of the number of artisans in Vyatka, masters of clay toys were already listed in total with cast alabaster figures. Such "puppeteers" mentioned fifty women and two men. The latter never engaged in modeling clay toys, but only casting from alabaster.

Unknown master. Lady. Young lady, The end of the XIX century.

Unknown master. Rider. The end of the XIX century.

At the turn of the 19-20 centuries

The well-known information about the Dymkovo toy can be correlated with genuine works dated only at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. The fragility of clay and a rather late interest in collecting clay folk sculpture, which manifested itself mainly in the 1900-1910s, led to the fact that museum collections contain Dymkovo toys created no earlier than the last decade of the 19th century.
However, even the earliest of them are far from homogeneous in composition and origin. And if we follow their “layer-by-layer” analysis, then the most ancient “layers” probably include balls or “profits” that “from time immemorial” rolled on Svistoplyask. Two copies of such balls are preserved in museums. They are fully consistent with the description given above from the "St. Petersburg Gazette" of 1856. A relatively small diameter (6-10 cm), hollow inside, with rolling peas that make the sound of a rattle, they are beautiful in color combinations. Always on a black background, which gives them a shade of gloomy severity, rows of white, red and lilac (in another case, white, blue and brown) peas are applied. One can imagine that in the general colorful noisy atmosphere of Svistoplyaska this peculiar kind of Dymkovo toys made its own unique note. Over time, with the departure from the festive ritual of playful fights and rolling balls on the Razderikhinsky descent to the Vyatka river, the balls ceased to exist.

Probably, whistles, especially images of animals and birds, also make up an ancient layer of the Dymkovo toy.
It is interesting to note that ethnographers call domestic animals: carriers of fertility, as represented by ancient farmers: bull, goat, pig, horse and others. Among the ancient Dymkovo toys there are all these characters, and they are always whistles. Their permanent form in the form of a small figure with the most characteristic features of a bird or animal in front and a conical end - a whistle at the back, perfect and laconic plastic, combining figurative expressiveness with functionality - already in themselves testify to the fact that such works of the late XIX century are the traditional type of toy worked out by more than one generation of craftsmen. The uniformity of the plastic solutions of these whistles by different authors speaks of the same thing, the handwriting features of which are manifested not so much in plastic as in the details of the painting. Only by the length of the muzzle of the horse, the whistle-cone, the bending of the horns of a cow or ram, the pattern of the eyes, and the color features of the mural can one try to classify these toys. But since they were made in large batches and they were also acquired by "factories", they also present rather uniform series in museum collections made in certain color variations.

M.A. Laletina. Babysitting with children. The beginning of the XX century.

Among the whistles quantitatively, the first place is occupied by the figures of ducks and ducks - “lionfish”. In the collection of the State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR on one of them there is an inscription: Vyatka province. 1909. According to the plastic, the "lionfish" differ from ordinary ducks only in the horizontal rows of frill-wings, as if two aprons with stucco frill are put on - front and back. For some authors, a duck’s head with a wide beak raised looks like a proudly thrown up human head in a hood. Streamlined, smooth and compact plastic whistle duck corresponds to the painting, in which you can see a certain system of applying colored stripes and rows of peas. First, a wide strip is made from the back through the neck and head along the chest, then narrower from the chest on the sides, in accordance with the shape of the cone, and already at the end they cross the transverse stripes, forming a checkered pattern. Yellow-orange, lilac-gray, blue-green-yellow whistles show a subtle sense of color of their authors, who owned a fairly wide palette.

A.A. Mezrina. Deer. Cow. Ram. Hare. The beginning of the XX century.

Numerous among the whistles and figures of horses - one-headed or two-headed. Two-headed ones are especially expressive, unique among clay toys of all known centers in terms of plastic solution, its peculiar persuasiveness with all the obviousness of artistic fiction. The Dymkovo “double-headed” is a vivid example of the organic fusion of the real and the fantastic, embodied in a perfect artistic form, which is characteristic of the best achievements of folklore in all its forms. Their silhouette with a large or smaller tilt of the heads to the sides preserves the outline of the cone, which, growing forward and up, creates a stable and plastically completed shape of the toy. Even in the location of the whistle holes on the side and the whistle in the tail of the horse, there is a certain rhythm, caused not only by the need to extract sounds, but also by a sense of harmony.

E.A. Koshkina. Babysitting with children. The beginning of the XX century.

The whistle-skate paintings are also characterized by simple, usually vertical rows of colorful peas or alternating stripes and cells with harmonious or contrasting combinations of colors. Sometimes a circle is placed in the ring on the horse’s chest - “sun”, drawn by oblique lines or direct rays extending from it. This motif brings Dymkovo toys closer to the likes of Kargopol, Filimonov and others.

E.A. Koshkina. Ladies The beginning of the XX century.

Compared to ducks and skates, images of other birds and animals (goats, rams, cows and especially pigs) are represented in whistles by a significantly smaller number of works. Cows, goats and rams are similar in plasticity to horses, only by the position of the horns and the pattern of the muzzle they find similarities with their prototypes. They are also laconic in merging the shape of the conical whistle with a plastic solution to the image, in the accuracy and accuracy of the transfer of the peculiar characters of animals. They are also close to the skates in painting: as a rule, they are decorated with vertical rows of black dots or small colored peas.

A.A. Mezrina. Dancing couple. 1910s

Only two varieties of Dymkovo whistles convey human images: this is a horseman (on a one-headed or two-headed horse) and the so-called “walking gentleman”. Maybe it was their “Vyatka Provincial Gazette” that they called the “whistlers” that were very popular during the Whistle. Compositionally, both toys also organically merged with the shape of the whistle, their artistic solution is bright and expressive. For example, the presence of a whistle in a “walking gentleman” lengthens the figure, gives it stability and a slight tilt back, contributing to the impression of dimensional movement and lordly importance of the character. Always depicted in a long coat with a shawl collar and in a top hat, the gentleman conveys a type of provincial street dandy. The image of the whistle rider, using the expression of V. S. Voronov, is “the conversion of fiction into some convincing reality and genuine realism into fabulousness”. Toy playfulness is combined in it with the liveliness of the transmission of a famously galloping horse and a military man firmly sitting on it. Plastic connection of two figures into one, ignoring details and revealing what should enhance the content of the image (proudly thrown up head and steep neck of a horse, dashing pose of a rider) - all this allows us to see the image expressive and reliable behind external conventions. The same pattern of the eyes of a horse and a person (with pupils and eyebrows), which helps to unite into a single living character, helps this reliability.

L.P. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. The beginning of the XX century.

The images of the whistle rider and the “walking gentleman” with their inherent rounded plastic forms, squat proportions, puppet importance and seriousness are among the most striking and original in the assortment of the Dymkovo toy. But if the plot of the horsewoman is typical of almost all centers of folk clay toys of the 19th century, then the “walking gentleman” and the similar “walking lady” that appeared later are the work of the hands and fantasies of only Dymkovo craftswomen. Both toys they liked. Each sculpted them in large numbers, varying the position of the hands, the color of the clothes (for riders - certainly with epaulettes on their shoulders), rings, cages and peas on whistles and bodies of horses, the height and shape of a hat, always famously worn, now with a crease, now with zeros, then triangles.

A.A. Mezrina. A lady with an umbrella. The beginning of the XX century.

The images of the ladies, mistresses and the military are no exception in the Dymkovo plastic. They are also known in other centers of production of Russian clay toys - the settlement of Big Potters near Tula, the villages of Romanov near Lipetsk, Filimonovo Tula and Abashevo Penza provinces. But it is noteworthy that in the village peasant crafts, which were the majority of toy production centers in central Russia, human figures are always endowed with whistles, at least in the form of a bird, which is kept under the arm of a lady or a soldier. In the settlements of Big Potters near Tula and Dymkovo in Vyatka, with the exception of the whistle rider and the “walking gentleman”, human figures were never whistles. The explanation of this fact, in our opinion, must be sought in the fact that in both suburban provincial settlements they were more fashion-oriented and focused on the achievements of porcelain fine plastic. And the creation of such clay toys was supposed to compensate for the shortage of similar porcelain figurines.

A.I. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. The beginning of the XX century.

Many researchers wrote about the influence of porcelain sculpture on the Dymkovo toy. The familiarity of the Dymkovo craftswomen with this production is also confirmed by the above information from the local press. The influence of porcelain figurines on a folk toy in the 19th century was almost universal. It has not yet been sufficiently studied in specific manifestations. But the Dymkovo craftswomen were not alone in this. The achievements of porcelain production were somehow accepted by Tula, Lipetsk, Bogorodsky and other masters. Its influence was reflected in the mass production of such figures, on the change in the function of the toy, which became not so much the subject of the game as decoration of window sills, chests of drawers and slides with dishes, which was also widespread. It also affected the stories that attracted the attention of folk artists to the world of gentlemen and street types; in compositions of figures, often standing on base stands, like porcelain figurines, and even in whitewashing Dymkovo toys before painting, which clearly imitated the whiteness of porcelain.

A.I. Mezrina. Nanny. Young lady with an umbrella. The beginning of the XX century.

Some typical compositions of the Dymkovo toy have direct analogies in porcelain sculpture of the 19th century: a hunter in a boat with a dog, mistresses with dogs, a water carrier, and the plot of milking a cow is known in the Gzhel majolica back in the late 18th century. But with all the indisputability of the effects of porcelain plastic, the Dymkovo masters not only imitated it and did not mechanically translate samples of fashionable sculpture from noble porcelain into coarse clay, but created an original and unique art that has its own artistic system, bright and powerful, the talent that has developed over many generations that have revealed to the world unique craft. The artistic features of the Dymkovo toy of the turn of the century reflect the truly folk character of this art, which managed to master third-party influences and subordinate them to the people's worldview and aesthetic standards.

A.I. Mezrina. Lady with a child, beginning of XX century.

The plastic base for all the female figures was a mortar-bell, a stable base and at the same time a fluffy skirt. This universal technique in a clay toy, not only in many regions, but also among various peoples in the Dymkovo industry, acquired only its characteristic features. Dymkovo squat mortar and wide at the base. The initial stage of its sculpting, in fact, reveals a resemblance to a bell. But at the same time, every craftswoman has the ability to vary the steepness, depth, height of the mortar, thereby introducing nuances into the character's appearance. The interior of the mortar is treated differently: for some authors in the form of a hemisphere-dome, for others - a shallow cone that goes deep into the depths.

A.I. Mezrina. Babysitting with children. Young lady with an umbrella. The beginning of the XX century.

A ball-head with a torso sticks to the mortar, and hands and other stucco details of clothes are rolled onto them with the whole composition. Together with the head, pimples, a tubercle of the nose, are sculpted, barely protruding on a flat face, but giving all Dymkovo toys an essential feature.

The main “tool” of the craftswoman is hands that feel, touch, material, and with dexterous movements of the fingers give birth to small figures from a lump of clay. The only help to hands is wet rags for smoothing seams.

Dried for three to five days at home, the toys were fired for three to four hours in a Russian stove. Then the cooled figures were whitewashed with chalk, diluted in skim milk, and painted with paints rubbed on egg yolk. For painting, home-made brushes made of rags and small sticks were used to guide the eyes and eyebrows.

A.A. Mearin. Lady. Nanny. 1920s

The State Museum of Ethnography of the USSR has copies of toys corresponding to different stages of work on them. Some are burnt, where the dark brown red clay, which has become after firing, seems to expose the plastic. In such instances, one can appreciate the sculptural gift of the Dymkovo craftswomen, under the dexterous fingers of which confidently and succinctly sculpted figures were born from clay, smoothed, elastic, striking with smooth lines, proportionality of proportions, and strict selection of the most necessary details. So, only the position of the horns, sticking out sharply or elastically bent back, decides the image of a cow or goat-whistle. Other copies of the toys are whitewashed, but so far without painting. Thanks to the white color, the purity and melodiousness of lines, smooth transitions of volumes, the absence of any seams, joints are even more revealed in them. In a plastic expression, the figure is monolithic and laconic. Everything in it is so organic and complete that it is impossible to add or remove something. To be painted with a few paints of muted shades, it seems a natural and necessary complement to her appearance and outfit, in the toys of the period under review, not going beyond the artistic similarity to the real one and yet devoid of self-sufficient color and decoration.

A.A. Mezrina. Dancing couple. 1910-1920s

Denshin lists the paints that were used by Dymkovo craftswomen at the beginning of the 20th century: red - red, fuchsin; yellow - crowns, green - crowns and Paul Veronese. blue - blue and ultramarine, black - soot. Each toy-girl had her own recipes for their breeding. The coloring of the figures also had their own sequence. First, hair was dyed black, eyebrows and eyes were applied with a stick, and three red or orange spots — the mouth and cheeks — were applied with another arm. Then they painted a hat, and finished painting with ornamentation of a skirt. On top of the color, in order to enhance the luster and color, in some places pieces of gold leaf were glued or poured (imitating the finest gold leaves of an alloy of copper and zinc).

A.A. Mezrina. Rider on horseback. Goat rider. 1910-1920s

As befits products intended for sale, a certain assortment is noticeable in Dymkovo toys of this time. Female figures differ not only in plot, type, but also in size, character and set of details, degree of difficulty. Smaller and simpler were cheaper, they were made in large batches. More complex and larger - the toys are more individual, in museum collections they are found in single copies.

A.A. Mezrina. Couple in a boat. 1920s

Dymkovo figures exist in three sizes: about fifteen - eighteen centimeters in height, ten - twelve centimeters and the smallest - eight - nine centimeters. But the craftswomen did not adhere too strictly to these standards and at times worked in two or even in one of them. It should be noted that all the toys of the XIX - early XX centuries are quite miniature, and the difference in size at this time did not significantly affect the figurative implementation of the characters.

A.A. Mezrina. The musicians. 1920s

Summing up the development of the Dymkovo toy of the 19th - early 20th centuries, it should be noted that already at that time it was not a toy in the proper sense of the word. As can be seen from the analyzed works, it was a small decorative plastic. Therefore, they were called “toys” and are still called conditionally, according to tradition. Throughout the XIX and at the beginning of the XX century, Dymkovo plastic developed as a folk art craft, which was practiced seasonally or permanently by many residents of the Dymkovo settlement. In the works of this time there are layers of different origin, but existed at the same time and enriched by living observations of modern masters of life.

A.A. Mezrina. Bear. Bear on a tree. Lions 1920s

A certain type of people, especially female characters, images of animals and birds, methods of their embodiment in plastic and mural speak of a well-established system of local art, the originality of its expressive means. Toys of this time are characterized by small sizes, comparative thin layer of clay dough, various plastic and artistic complexity depending on the assortment, a variety of embodiments of a small number of characters, variety and thoroughness of the details. In painting and coloring - muted combinations of colors, modesty of the simplest patterned ornaments, lack of self-sufficient decorativeness.

A.A. Mezrina. Kindergarten for a walk. 1935

A.A. Mezrina. Pig 1935

A.A. Mezrina. Reading the collective farm charter. 1935

A.A. Mezrina. Mistresses. 1910-1920s

E, A. Koshkina. Pig. 1930s

E.A. Koshkina. At the well. 1936. Water-carrier. 1936-1937

E.A. Koshkina. Cow. 1930s

E.A. Koshkina. Toy saleswoman (Whistler). 1930s

E.A. Koshkina. Peasant Woman 1930s

E.A. Koshkina. Gipsy with children. A lady with an umbrella. 1930s

E.A. Koshkina. Goose. 1935-1936. Turkey. The end of the 1930s. Turkey. 1949

E.A. Koshkina. A lion. Dog with a bird. The end of the 1980s

E.A. Koshkina. A shepherd grazes cows. 1930s

E.A. Koshkina. Soccer player and drummer. The end of the 1930s.

E.A. Koshkina. Ivan Tsarevich and the Firebird. 1940s

E.I. Penkina (modeling). E.I. Koss (painting). And at work. 1945

E.A. Koshkina. Decorative tiles. Late 1930s - early 1940s

E.I. Penkina. Couple on a walk. 1930s

E.I. Penkina. Samoyed on a deer. 1930s

E.I. Penkina. Nanny with baby. 1930s

E.I. Penkina. Lady with an umbrella .. 1937

E.I. Penkina. Nanny with baby. 1937

E.I. Penkina. Lady. 1930s

E.I. Penkina. Mare with a foal. 1938

E.P. Penkina. The cow. Dog. The second half of the 1930s

E.I. Penkina. Hussar on a horse. 1930s

E.I. Penkina. Rider. Horsewoman. 1936-1937

E.I. Penkina. Princess on a gray wolf. 1930s.

E.I. Penkina. Rooster. 1930s

E.I. Penkina (modeling). L.I. Nikulin (painting). Milkmaid and cow. 1940s

E.P. Penkina (modeling). E.I. Koss (painting). Ushkuyniki. 1942

E.I. Penkina (modeling). L. N. Nikulina (painting). Balalaika on a fish. 1944

E.I. Penkina (modeling). E.I. Koss (painting). Toy saleswoman. 1944

E.I. Penkina (modeling). E.I. Koss (painting). Wrangler. 1935

E.I. Penkina (modeling). E.I. Koss (painting). Couple on a walk. 1940s

E.I. Penkina (modeling). L. N. Nikulina (painting). A trainer with a lion. 1940s

M.A. Laletina. Nanny. Lady. 1941

M.A. Laletina. Mistresses. 1941

M.A. Laletina. Mistresses. 1941

M.A. Laletina. Duck with ducklings. Piglet Duck. "Lionfish". 1941

M.A. Laletina. Nannies with children. 1941

M.A. Laletina. Whistles. 1941

M.A. Laletina. Riders. 1941

M.A. Vorozhtsova. Hunter rest. 1941

M.A. Vorozhtsova. Turnip, 1940

M.A. Vorozhtsova (modeling). K.I. Koss (painting). Cock. 1942

M.A. Vorozhtsova. Hare rider. 1940

M.A. Vorozhtsova. A lady with a dog. 1940

M.A. Vorozhtsova. Dancing couple. A lady with a rabbit. 1940

M.A. Vorozhtsova (modeling). K.I. Koss (painting). Masha and the Bear. 1942

L.N. Nikulina. The boy in the boat. Young lady in a boat. Goat rider. 1957

L. N. Nikulina. In the woods. 1950s

L. N. Nikulina. Lady. Lady. 1957.

L. N. Nikulina. The girls. 1961

3. F. Non-cash. A girl is watering a cow. 1962-1963

3. F. Non-cash. Dolly "on legs". Magpie. 1962-1963

3. F. Non-cash. A buffoon on a horse. 1963. Chicken with chickens. 1962

3. F. Non-cash. Babysitting. 1962-1964

3. F. Non-cash. Harvesting cabbage. 1962-1963

O. I. Konovalova. Mistress with a chicken. A couple walks. 1947

O. I. Konovalova. Chicken with chickens. 1967

O. I. Konovalova. Peel the carrots. 1956

O. I. Konovalova. Rider. Boatman. 1967

O. I. Konovalova. The boy with the dogs. 1956

O. I. Konovalova. Rider. 1956

O. I. Konovalova. Fox wedding. 1947

O. I. Konovalova. Boat ride. 1947

E. 3. Koshkina. Lady with a fan. Dancing ladies. 1966

E. 3. Koshkina. Goat. Cow. 1966. Chicken with chickens. 1957. Ram. 1966

E. 3. Koshkina. Nanny with baby. 1966

E. 3. Koshkina. Harvesting cabbage. 1966

E. 3. Koshkina. Family in the forest. 1974

E. 3. Koshkina. Girl with an umbrella. 1974

E. 3. Koshkina. Children at the desk. 1972

E. 3. Koshkina. Married couple. 1974

E. 3. Koshkina. Milkmaid with a cow. 1972

E. 3. Koshkina. Birdhouse. 1972

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). At the well. 1966

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Children's slide. 1966

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Nanny with a rocking chair. 1973. Nanny with a child. 1966

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Elegant lady. 1966

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Mother of many children. 1966

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Urzhum Fair. 1973

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Three maidens by the window. 1973

3. V. Penkina (modeling). V.V. Kiseleva (painting). Big family. 1972

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Water-carrier. 1958.

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Mistress and gentleman. 1971. A lady with a dog. 1958

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Dancing ladies. 1958

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Nanny with baby. A lady with a flower. 1950

E.I. Koss-Denshina. A frieze of decorative tiles. 1959

E.I. Koss-Denshina. The boy on the rooster. 1963

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Carousel. 1971

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Rider. 1974-1975

E.I. Koss-Denshina. Turkey. 1971

E.I. Koss-Denshina. And now three! 1974-1976

L. G. Fokina. At the top three. 1961

L. G. Fokina. Pig 1961

A.V. Kalinina. Waltz .. 1979

A.V. Kalinina. Girl with a cockerel. 1959

A.I. Pechenkina. Officers. 1979

A. V, Kalinina. Amazon. 1979

N.I. Sukhanova. Walking couples. 1969, 1972, 1979.

N.I. Sukhanova. In the boat. 1968. A little man. 1972. A little man with a goose. 1965

A.I. Pechenkina. Magpie. 1979 E.A. Smirnova. "Three-headed horse." 1961

A.V. Kalinina. Vanyusha with a horse. 1979

E. A. Smirnova. In the night. 1970

V.P. Plemyannikov. Gipsy with a guitar. 1979

E.A.Smirnova. A lady with a dog. 1970

N. N. Sukhanova. Seeing off. 1971

N. N. Sukhanova. Cockerel. 1971. Harmonist on a cow. 1972

A. N. Pechenkina. The Rooks Have Arrived. 1979

N. N. Sukhanova. The lady with the baby. 1969

A.I. Vorozhtsova. Tea party 1979

A.I. Vorozhtsova. Date. 1979. On the little bench. 1964

A.I. Vorozhtsova. Emelya with buckets. 1967. Emelya on a sleigh. 1973-1974

A.F. Popyvanova, Hunter, Shepherd. 1979

N.P. Boriyakova. Chicken and rooster. 1979

N.P. Boriyakova. Teacher 1971

3. I. Kazakova. At the kennel. 1979

3. I. Kazakova. Play checkers. 1979

A.F. Popyvapova. Piglet Rider. 1967. Lion and dog. 1979

3. I. Kazakova. Cheerful youth. 1971

V.N. Krasikova. Forest honey. 1979

G.I. Baranova. A date with a sailor under an apple tree. Family of a sailor. 1979

N.P. Bornyakova. Old musicians. A little man with puppies. I caught a bear. 1979

G.I. Baranova. Mistresses "on legs." 1979

L. A. Ivanova. Hay lunch. 1973

V.P. Krasikova. Clowns on pigs. 1979

L. A. Ivanova. Lady with an umbrella. 1970

L. A. Ivanova. A lady with a dog. 1970

G.I. Baranova. Goat and seven kids. 1979

V.P. Krasikova. Walking couple. 1961

L. A. Ivanova. Circus. 1979

V.P. Plemyannikov. Ladies' ensemble. 1979

A.V. Kuzminykh. Mipiatura. 1961

N.P. Trukhina. Ladies are smart. 1971, 1979

A.V. Kuzminykh. Mistresses. 1979

A.V. Kuzminykh. Water-carrier. 1971-1972. Nurse with baby. 1971

N. I. Trukhina. Cavalry. 1979

L. S. Falaleeva. "Tenderness". 1979

L. S. Falaleeva. A lady with a flower. 1974

V.P. Plemyannikov. Turkeys. 1978-1979

L. S. Falaleeva. Along the village. Cow. Shepherd on a tree. At the well (Repnitsa). Water-carrier. 1970

A.D. Vidyakin, Thumbnail. 1982

L. N. Dokina. Lady with dogs. 1973. A lady with a flower. 1977

A. M. Trefilova. A couple on the sofa. A couple in the boat. 1984

A. M. Trefilova. Reading. 1978. Piglet. 1979

V. D. Borodin. A meeting. 1984.

S. G. Zhitlukhina. Lady with dogs. 1981. A lady with a bouquet. 1984

L. D. Vereshchagin. Miniature. 1984

R. E. Penkina. Elegant lady. Rider on a rooster. 1984