Most of the ancient Novgorod citizens were engaged in trade. It was such a great part of the culture that the main character of Novgorod epics was not a hero or a warrior, but a merchant named Sadko. Researchers believe that it was merchants who reigned the city. They were active participants of veche, a Russian popular assembly, they also addressed the citizens’ issues and brought foreign goods. Merchants belonged to artels — professional societies which aim was to defend the rights and interests of their members.
A small decorative plate made at the “Proletary” porcelain factory depicts a crowd of merchants on a ship. The foreman stands on the bow. He is the head of the artel, elected at the general meeting. The rest of the merchants are placed behind him. The four of them in the first row are more outlined, while the rest only have silhouettes.
The clothes of Novgorod merchants could be different: they wore shirts, caftans (traditional Russian clothes), thick frock coats with buttons, and jackboots. In winter, they often wore fur hats, and in summer — knitted hats, that looked like peaked caps. On the decorative plate from the museum’s collection, the merchants' hats are highlighted with gold paint.
Ever since olden times, Novgorod was known as a merchant city even beyond Russia. For example, the Scandinavian written sources mention Novgorod (Holmgard) as a place of trade. The northern travelers and merchants who sailed there were called holmgardsfari. The waterway trade route called “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through the city, so the ships on their way to Russia from the countries of the Ancient East and the Baltic region inevitably sailed past Novgorod. Many sailors stayed there, and soon the city became a place of merchants, artisans, and foreign travelers. There were even foreign merchant yards — Gothic and German.
There were several versions as to what the images on the saucer could symbolize. One of them insists that the ship with merchants not only was supposed to glorify the ancient and prominent history of Novgorod but also embodied hope for the future. The sail blown up by the wind and the flag raised mean that the city will always develop and prosper during any given time and do it as well as it did in the past.
A small decorative plate made at the “Proletary” porcelain factory depicts a crowd of merchants on a ship. The foreman stands on the bow. He is the head of the artel, elected at the general meeting. The rest of the merchants are placed behind him. The four of them in the first row are more outlined, while the rest only have silhouettes.
The clothes of Novgorod merchants could be different: they wore shirts, caftans (traditional Russian clothes), thick frock coats with buttons, and jackboots. In winter, they often wore fur hats, and in summer — knitted hats, that looked like peaked caps. On the decorative plate from the museum’s collection, the merchants' hats are highlighted with gold paint.
Ever since olden times, Novgorod was known as a merchant city even beyond Russia. For example, the Scandinavian written sources mention Novgorod (Holmgard) as a place of trade. The northern travelers and merchants who sailed there were called holmgardsfari. The waterway trade route called “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through the city, so the ships on their way to Russia from the countries of the Ancient East and the Baltic region inevitably sailed past Novgorod. Many sailors stayed there, and soon the city became a place of merchants, artisans, and foreign travelers. There were even foreign merchant yards — Gothic and German.
There were several versions as to what the images on the saucer could symbolize. One of them insists that the ship with merchants not only was supposed to glorify the ancient and prominent history of Novgorod but also embodied hope for the future. The sail blown up by the wind and the flag raised mean that the city will always develop and prosper during any given time and do it as well as it did in the past.
