The porcelain factory “Vozrozhdenie” was opened in October 1966 and based on the foundry of the factory called “Proletary”. In the first decades of its work, Tamara Gavrilova and Vladimir Smolyar, the leading artists of the enterprise, developed the design of numerous porcelain products. They designed new collections, created sketches of tableware and small sculptures, came up with patterns for paintings, learnt how to use new materials, and fostered other innovations.
From the first years of their work, Gavrilova and Smolyar used the technique of cobalt “coating” — painting porcelain with a dark blue pigment, which was created from the mineral of the same name. The artists of the factory “Proletary” used this technique back in the 1940s-1950s. Gavrilova and Smolyar no longer designed the usual tea and coffee sets; however, they retained the recognizable trademark — the dark blue coloring. “Blue tableware” and Novgorod souvenirs — miniature copies of city attractions — were the most famous items of the cobalt collection.
The dark blue pigment used by Vladimir Smolyar in the decorative teapots “Novgorod” and “Bylina” emphasized their simple and strict shape. Tamara Gavrilova liked intricate silhouettes and openwork details. The artist decorated her works with gold ornaments and white embossed lines on top of the cobalt coating. For example, she used this technique to decorate the service “Wreath”.
The “Bogatyr” water set was the first joint work of the artists. It consisted of three items: a decanter with the capacity of 1.2 liters — and two cups. The form of the decanter resembled the shape of a “bogatyr” — a hero of the Russian folk stories. The body of the decanter looks like a long shirt or a cloak. The hero’s head in the helmet is a stopper.
Apart from tableware, Tamara Gavrilova and Vladimir Smolyar worked in the genre of small plastics — they created small porcelain sculptures on household and folklore subjects. Smolyar created an “Ethnographic” series — figurines of young women in traditional costumes of the northern regions of Russia. In addition, Gavrilova created the sculptures “Sadko”, “Horseman”, “Slavutich” and a coffee service “Bogatyr”.
From the first years of their work, Gavrilova and Smolyar used the technique of cobalt “coating” — painting porcelain with a dark blue pigment, which was created from the mineral of the same name. The artists of the factory “Proletary” used this technique back in the 1940s-1950s. Gavrilova and Smolyar no longer designed the usual tea and coffee sets; however, they retained the recognizable trademark — the dark blue coloring. “Blue tableware” and Novgorod souvenirs — miniature copies of city attractions — were the most famous items of the cobalt collection.
The dark blue pigment used by Vladimir Smolyar in the decorative teapots “Novgorod” and “Bylina” emphasized their simple and strict shape. Tamara Gavrilova liked intricate silhouettes and openwork details. The artist decorated her works with gold ornaments and white embossed lines on top of the cobalt coating. For example, she used this technique to decorate the service “Wreath”.
The “Bogatyr” water set was the first joint work of the artists. It consisted of three items: a decanter with the capacity of 1.2 liters — and two cups. The form of the decanter resembled the shape of a “bogatyr” — a hero of the Russian folk stories. The body of the decanter looks like a long shirt or a cloak. The hero’s head in the helmet is a stopper.
Apart from tableware, Tamara Gavrilova and Vladimir Smolyar worked in the genre of small plastics — they created small porcelain sculptures on household and folklore subjects. Smolyar created an “Ethnographic” series — figurines of young women in traditional costumes of the northern regions of Russia. In addition, Gavrilova created the sculptures “Sadko”, “Horseman”, “Slavutich” and a coffee service “Bogatyr”.
