At all times of mankind, starting with primitive tribes and ending today, toys accompanied him. Initially, these were primitive figures of gods that people worshiped, but gradually they became a developing and entertaining attribute for children.
Abashevskaya toy is quite “young”, this type of craft is only 200 years old, but it has its own history and a specific “residence permit”.
Clay toy story
Pottery is rooted in antiquity, therefore, it is impossible to find out who, for the first time from the remains of clay after sculpting dishes, began to form and burn figures of people and animals. The Abashevskaya clay toy is named after its "origin" from the village of the same name in the Spassky district of the Penza province.
In the village of Abashevo, most yards were engaged in the manufacture of dishes, but in 12 households they began to produce toys that became in demand.
Some masters relied on the traditions of antiquity, but there were also those who gave birth to completely new forms that were transmitted in the family from generation to generation. Abashevskaya toy, whose history is directly related to the history of the village, was able to "survive" and maintain its identity to the present day.
The village of Abashevo
Most of the population of the village adhered to the Old Believers. Avoiding communication with non-believers, schismatics chose folk types of crafts that could be limited to the community. They had rather strict rules, which prescribed to avoid non-believers, both at the level of personal communication and the attributes of everyday life.
Their religion was reflected in whistles, the “calling card” of which was the Abashev toy in the form of a deer with horns high as a ladder to heaven. Most of the motifs of clay trinkets were animal figures, which since ancient times for the Slavs symbolized various aspects of life:
- a bird is luck, happiness;
- the horse symbolized the sun;
- the bear - strength, power and power;
- ram and cow - a symbol of fertility;
- deer - abundance.
Abashevskaya toy (this photo reflects) was often performed by masters in the form of people characterizing the attitude of their author to the world around him. For example, the mistresses symbolized stupid city girls in funny hats, and the attitude to the authorities was often carried out in the form of a city figure or a policeman. If they had birds in their hands, this meant that thieves were in power.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Abashev toy became so popular that its exhibitions were held not only in Moscow, but also in London and Paris.
Distinctive features of the Abashev toy
A special form of toys from the village of Abashevo instantly distinguishes them from dozens of types of crafts made by craftsmen from another locality. The elongated bodies and exorbitantly long necks with a small head in animals were the embodiment of the world of the amazing master Larion Zotkin. At the beginning of the 20th century, both the shape and the color of clay pipes from Abashevo were fully formed.
Although all the “heroes” of Abashev’s masters are quite recognizable, they have some fantastic features:
- elongated disproportionate animal bodies stand firmly on short legs wide apart;
- long thickened necks end with a small head;
- carefully and deeply cut eyes;
- the heads of goats, deer, bulls and rams are decorated with large, often multi-tiered horns;
- clear lines of bangs, manes and beards.
In its form, the Abashev toy is more reminiscent of cave painting, when ancient people still only learned to embody the world through drawing. The horns of animals symbolize the tree of life, and their tails are a hole where you need to blow in order for the toy to start "talking." Masters from Abashev never sculpted scenes from life, did not give movement to their crafts. All of them are firmly “standing” on their feet, symbolizing strong roots with their mother earth.
Due to the fact that this type of craft was concentrated in one village, it laid the foundation for the emergence of dynasties of craftsmen.
Dynasties of Abashev Masters
The Zotkin dynasty, the most famous clay toy masters, began with Akinfiy Frolovich, born in 1883, and his brother Larion. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are alive today and continue the traditions of their great-grandfathers.
It was Larion Zotkin in the 20-30s who gave the "new" life to the Abashev toy. A pottery artel was even organized in the village. His works formed the basis of the works of his followers. The Abashevskaya toy (this photo shows) has its own museum, but not only in the native village are the works of the Zotkin dynasty. They are in museums of Penza, Sergiev Posad and in private collections.
Among other famous surnames of the dynasty are Zuzenkov, Malyshev, Yeskin, Nagaev and others. Each new generation brought its vision to the image of the Abashev toy.
Clay preparation
Before you think about how to mold an Abashev toy, you need to pay special attention to preparing clay for work. In the 19th century, the extraction of the required clay was often accompanied by a risk to life. It was cooked in the winter with a reserve for many months.
Today, clay can be taken from a quarry or bought in a store. If the clay is from the place of its extraction, without synthetic additives, then it must first be dried. After that, the clay is crushed, removing impurities, and diluted with water in a proportion of 1/3.
It is important that the mass is obtained without lumps. The diluted material should be left for some time so that sand and other impurities settle on the bottom of the tank.
Clay purified in this way should be allowed to slightly thicken to the level of dumplings dough, and then thoroughly knead with your hands, removing excess air. To check the readiness of clay for work, a “sausage” should be rolled from it and slowly bent into a horseshoe. If it does not crack, you can start sculpting.
Modeling Abashevskaya toy
Today, one of the ways to develop hand motility, imagination, and interest in handicrafts in children is to teach them how to sculpt clay and clay figures. Starting with the simplest and most understandable “pancakes” and “sausages” made of clay for kids, you can show them how to sculpt an Abashev toy in stages:
- Clay is thoroughly kneading with fingers to warm the material and give it elasticity.
- Roll a “sausage” from a lump of clay with a thickened carrot-like end.
- Insert a rounded wooden block into the thicker part of the workpiece to the middle of its size, which will allow you to leave the void inside the toy necessary for the whistle.
- To bend the upper part of the clay billet over the bar - this will be the neck of the animal, from the end of which a small muzzle is molded.
- To take out a block from the body, to fashion small thickened legs, and to pull the “tail” in the form of a mouthpiece of a pipe.
- Make holes on the sides of the body so that the pipe whistles
It is possible to cut out not only the eyes with a stack, but also “wool”, a bridle, various decorations. Older children can fashion their own horns; it’s easier for kids to start with dogs and cats that they are familiar with. It will be interesting to make such a toy not only for a child. Many adults begin to get involved in pottery, one of the types of which is the Abashev toy.
Firing and painting
After the product has dried, it must be fired. Old masters used special horns for this - round stoves made of refractory bricks. The standard size of such ovens was 1.5 m wide and 2 m high, and once in Abashevo horns were kindled daily in almost every yard to make dishes or toys strong and durable.
To prevent the toys from cracking, they were covered with shards, and the stove was heated with oak or birch wood. After firing, the next stage, which was held Abashev toy - coloring. She recognizes the manner of painting that everyone recognizes - the finished product was covered with a continuous layer of monophonic bright paint. Masters of the 19th century used glaze, but after the appearance of oil paints, they switched to them.
Covered with a layer of oil paint, the figures dried out, after which small elements were painted and varnished at the last stage. With the advent of enamel, the need for varnishing has disappeared.
In modern pottery kilns, the process is faster and with greater safety for products, and using clay purchased in specialized stores, there is nothing easier than to understand how to make an Abashev toy with your own hands.
Museum in Abashevo
Through the efforts of enthusiasts and craftsmen living today in Abashevo, in the former Zotkin's house, a clay toy museum is built. The collection includes products by masters of the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as those who made toys in the artel, and later in the factory.
