The Samara Regional Art Museum displays a plov (rice pilaf) platter decorated with floral patterns called lyagan — a vivid example of Khorezm ceramics, a traditional Uzbek craft.
One cannot grasp the national flavor of this Central Asian country without the lyagan. It is a big flat plov platter used for serving during celebrations or daily gatherings of a large family. It is a symbol of hospitality and friendship, as chatting with a dear guest while eating is a special ritual for any Asian.
A unique local school of ceramics has been formed in each region of Uzbekistan. In the city of Bukhara, one of the pearls of the Great Silk Road, potters have been for centuries as valued and respected as the scientists and merchants.
The Khorezm school of ceramics was established in one of the oldest cities in the world — Khiva. It is distinguished by the monumentality of clear graphic geometric pattern. The local ceramic style of Khorezm has practically not changed and reached us through the millennia in its original form. It is quite time-consuming to make such ceramic tableware. At first, the clay is formed and laid out on a gypsum base, which repeats the shape of the lyagan. The item is dried in natural conditions in the shade, and not under the hot sun. Then it is primed with white liquid clay, and after it dries a pattern is painted. Lead oxide glaze is applied on top of the painting and the item is sent to the kiln for 8 to 10 hours, where the temperature should be at least 1000 degrees. Even the most skilled craftsman cannot know in advance how high-quality and nice the plov platter will turn out.
The Khorezm ceramic ware is ripe with symbols. The patterns on Khorezm ware are restrained, strict and noble. They are created with thin lines of manganese, and the background is filled with dark cobalt-blue or bluish-green turquoise. White paint is applied in very thick layer and forms a convex relief. Cobalt during firing slightly stains the white areas, giving the entire composition a bluish color. A special thick glaze, without using any modern dyes and varnishes, is applied in a very thick layer, enhancing the effect of relief and glimmering pattern. Formulas of paints and glazes are passed down by craftsmen from generation to generation.
One cannot grasp the national flavor of this Central Asian country without the lyagan. It is a big flat plov platter used for serving during celebrations or daily gatherings of a large family. It is a symbol of hospitality and friendship, as chatting with a dear guest while eating is a special ritual for any Asian.
A unique local school of ceramics has been formed in each region of Uzbekistan. In the city of Bukhara, one of the pearls of the Great Silk Road, potters have been for centuries as valued and respected as the scientists and merchants.
The Khorezm school of ceramics was established in one of the oldest cities in the world — Khiva. It is distinguished by the monumentality of clear graphic geometric pattern. The local ceramic style of Khorezm has practically not changed and reached us through the millennia in its original form. It is quite time-consuming to make such ceramic tableware. At first, the clay is formed and laid out on a gypsum base, which repeats the shape of the lyagan. The item is dried in natural conditions in the shade, and not under the hot sun. Then it is primed with white liquid clay, and after it dries a pattern is painted. Lead oxide glaze is applied on top of the painting and the item is sent to the kiln for 8 to 10 hours, where the temperature should be at least 1000 degrees. Even the most skilled craftsman cannot know in advance how high-quality and nice the plov platter will turn out.
The Khorezm ceramic ware is ripe with symbols. The patterns on Khorezm ware are restrained, strict and noble. They are created with thin lines of manganese, and the background is filled with dark cobalt-blue or bluish-green turquoise. White paint is applied in very thick layer and forms a convex relief. Cobalt during firing slightly stains the white areas, giving the entire composition a bluish color. A special thick glaze, without using any modern dyes and varnishes, is applied in a very thick layer, enhancing the effect of relief and glimmering pattern. Formulas of paints and glazes are passed down by craftsmen from generation to generation.
