Romanov Toys
Russian Life|September/October 2017

THINK HANDCRAFTED RUSSIAN TOYS, AND THE MATROSHKA IS usually what comes to mind.

Romanov Toys

Take a closer look, however, and it turns out that, across Russia, there are countless unique, historically rooted local toy industries. For example, Lipetsk oblast has the Romanov toy.

The history of the Romanov toy dates to the sixteenth century, when boyars of the Romanov family resettled their peasants from a neighboring province to establish Romanovo, a fortified settlement in what is now Lipetsk oblast. A few decades later, Ivan Romanov, a close relative of Tsar Mikhail Romanov (the dynasty’s first tsar, reigning 1613-1645), built an ostrog, a fenced-in settlement there. By the eighteenth century, the Romanovo fort had become the town of Romanov.

Today, the town is no more. The spot where it once stood is now occupied by two villages: Lenino and Troitskoye.

The area was always rich in deposits of clay: black, red, yellow, and white. Dishware made with this clay was sold in neighboring villages and at markets and fairs held in the town of Lipetsk, the district center.

Black clay, the most pliant and durable of the local varieties, was used to make toys, primarily svistulki, toy flutes, often in the form of an animal. Taking on the “brand name” of their town, they came to be known as “Romanov svistulki.” One of the most famous crafters of these toys was Ivan Mitin, who worked doggedly to recreate the world around him in the form of toys. He even fashioned a little officer with the face of Nicholas II, Russia’s last tsar.

この記事は Russian Life の September/October 2017 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Russian Life の September/October 2017 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

RUSSIAN LIFEのその他の記事すべて表示
Sidewalk Art
Russian Life

Sidewalk Art

The lamentable state of Russia’s roads and sidewalks has long been fertile ground for memes and jokes. Irkutsk artist Ivan Kravchenko decided to turn the problem into an art project. For over two years he has been patching ruts in city sidewalks with colorful ceramic tiles.

time-read
6 分  |
March/April 2021
Sputnik V: First Place or Long Shot?
Russian Life

Sputnik V: First Place or Long Shot?

The Russian vaccine seems top-notch, but low public trust and a botched rollout remain formidable barriers to returning to normalcy.

time-read
5 分  |
March/April 2021
Russian Life

the Valley of the Dead

On the Trail of a Russian Movie Star

time-read
10+ 分  |
March/April 2021
Food & Drink
Russian Life

Food & Drink

Food & Drink

time-read
4 分  |
March/April 2021
Russian Life

POLAR YOUTH

Misha Smirnov has the day off. There are the traditional eggs for breakfast and the usual darkness out the window.

time-read
9 分  |
March/April 2021
Russian Chronicles
Russian Life

Russian Chronicles

Russian Chronicles

time-read
10+ 分  |
March/April 2021
Russian Life

A People on the Brink

Over the past century, the ancient people known as the Votes has been exiled twice, has seen its language banned, and has faced the threat of having its villages razed. Today, although teetering on the verge of extinction, it holds fast to one of the last rights it enjoys – the right to bear and to say its own name.

time-read
10+ 分  |
March/April 2021
Tenders of the Vine
Russian Life

Tenders of the Vine

Visiting Russia’s Nascent Wine Region

time-read
10+ 分  |
January/February 2021
Restoring the Future
Russian Life

Restoring the Future

A Small Town Gets a Makeover

time-read
10+ 分  |
January/February 2021
Ascending Anik
Russian Life

Ascending Anik

Here I stand, on the summit of Anik Mountain, drenched to the bone amid zero visibility, driving rain, and a fierce wind.

time-read
10+ 分  |
January/February 2021