Zhostovo is a world renowned style of painting on metal trays.
The history of this handicraft dates back to early 19th century, when several workshops for manufacturing painted lacquered products made from papier-mache appeared in some villages (one of them was the village of Zhostovo) not far from Moscow. Zhostovo was not the birthplace of the art form but became the place where its elements came together with the masters of this craft. The centre of metal tray production in the 18th century Russia wasn’t Zhostovo but the Ural Mountains. There it is said that a peasant craftsman called Khudiakov from Nizhny Tagil began experimenting with oil lacquer to cover his trays in order to protect tray painting from cracking.
In 1825 the workshops in the town of Zhostovo were also making trays but from papier-mache, not metal. However, they soon started forging metal ones using the techniques developed in the Urals. In the 19th century the demand for trays rose as a result of the growth of cities and the expansion of the network of hotels, eateries and bars, where trays were used both for their immediate purpose and as interior decorations.
To read the whole text click the arrow on the right.Every tray was usually handled by three craftsmen - a smith, who forged and hammered out the tray, a spatler, who covered it with a base material to paint on, and a painter. After the tray was dried, the spatler covered it with lacquer. In the beginning the workshop master and members of his family worked on par with other employees.
By the time an apprentice becomes a master they get the ability to turn a domestic utensil into a work of art. They paint many things, but flowers have become synonymous with their art form. Arranged into bouquets, wreaths or garlands, they form the centerpiece to the majority of the trays. Studying the forms and structure of flowers, each artist is intimately aware of the flora they paint, but deliberately mix in unrealistic elements of fantasy to embellish their creations. The Zhostovo craftsmen all work in a constant balance, always striving to combine traditional methods and themes with improvisation and the individual flare of each master. They use no stenciling or guidelines. Each tray is a unique one, similar in style but always different to ones before it.
bunch - букет
lacquer - лак
oil paints - масляные краски
oil varnish - олифа
ornament - украшение, орнамент
priming - грунтовка