Dymkovo toys, also known as theVyatka toys orKirov toys (Дымковская игрушка, вятская игрушка, кировская игрушка inRussian) are moulded paintedclay figures of people and animals (sometimes in the form of apennywhistle). It is one of the oldRussianfolk arthandicrafts, which still exists in the village ofDymkovo nearKirov (former Vyatka). Traditionally, the Dymkovo toys are made by women.
The tradition of making pennywhistles in the form of a horse, a horse rider, and a bird goes back to the ancient magic ritual images[citation needed] and has to do with theagriculturalcalendar holidays. Later, the little figures lost their magic meaning and turned into toys for children, the making of which would become an artistic handicraft. Up until the 20th century, this toy production had been timed to the spring fair calledсвистунья, or whistler. The first recorded mentioning of this event took place in 1811, but it is believed to have existed for some 400 years, thus dating the history of the Dymkovo toy at least from the 17th century.
In the late 19th century the handicraft fell into decline because the Dymkovo toys had been forced out of the market by thefactory-made mouldedplaster statuettes, which imitatedporcelain articles. DuringSoviet times, however, the Dymkovo handicraft was revived. In 1933, they[who?] organized anartel calledВятская игрушка (The Vyatka Toy), which would turn into aworkshop of the Artistic Fund of the RSFSR (Russian:Художественный фонд РСФСР). These days, the Dymkovo toys are known as a popular Russiansouvenir.
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The Dymkovo toys are moulded from a mixture of localpotter's clay and riversand. The parts are then fastened together with watery clay. After the toys are dried andtempered in afurnace, they are whitewashed withchalk diluted in milk, then painted withtempera (before 1953, the artists usedaniline paints ground with eggs) in 4 to 10 (or more) colors, and decorated withgold leaf.
Modern Dymkovo toys include ancient motifs, as well as those of the second half of the 19th century, such asбарыни (barynyas, or landladies),няньки (nyanki, or nannies),водоноски (vodonoski, or female watercarriers) and others. In the 1930s, the Dymkovo toys began to depictfairy tales and a contemporary lifestyle. There were also multi-character compositions on stands, and figures of people taller than 30 cm.
Massive, abstract, and somewhat grotesque forms of the Dymkovo toys are emphasized by ruffles, puffed collars, and other features. The improvised bright painting of the toys represents a geometric ornament of circles, checks, and dots of different colors and sizes.
