‘Bird, Old Man’ is a Khludnevo clay toy. It was made by Alexander Zaborskikh who has carried on the artistic traditions of the Khludnevo village.
The Khludnevo folk toys are characterized by distinct integrity. Researcher Svetlana Lichenko wrote that ‘their modeling is not detailed and even primitive, they are small, but they are still quite monumental.’ In this context, the word ‘primitive’ does not mean ‘unskillful’, but rather refers to the type of folk art that uses generalized, but very accurate forms to reflect a naive, child-like perception of the world.
In the Khludnevo craft, there are three main types of clay items: toy whistles, toys with the ‘The Tree of Life’ theme, and rattles. Rattles are most often shaped like a female figure. During the molding, craftsmen put a few lumps of clay inside the toy’s skirt, seal it from the bottom and fire the toy.
The “Tree of Life” theme was first introduced by the craftswoman Agrafena Trifonova. This image reflects a generalized idea of nature and contains different figurines of birds, animals, and people. This type of toy is quite unique as no other craft has such an image.
Although a little simpler in shape, the whistles still feature great artistic qualities. First of all, the end of the whistles is most often decorated with some kind of figurine. Moreover, they create an optical illusion. For example, there are two ways to look at this whistle: from one side it seems like a bird with raised wings, but a different angle turns it into the head of a bearded old man. Historically, the Khludnevo craftswomen enjoyed creating such puzzles, and this tradition has been continued by Alexander Zaborskikh.
The Khludnevo toy making was recognized as a craft around the mid — late 19th century. The fact that this craft has existed for a long time is demonstrated by the ravine behind the village: artisans used to take blue clay from this ravine, and by now there are holes dug all over it. Also, over the years, the whistle toy has been given many names: they are called “nightingales”, “whistles”, “whistlers”, “buzzers”, and “snifflers”. The base of the toy, which serves as a resonator, was named “tail”.
Around the 1970s, the production of toys began to target urban residents — museum workers, collectors, and tourists. Craftswomen were always competing with each other, trying to come up with a new kind of toy and be the first to show it to the customers.
Before that, the Khludnevo toymaking was most famous for its light and small whistles. These cheap toys embodied the noisy atmosphere of a fair. They were designed to fit in a child’s hand and did not even have any points of support to stand on a surface. There were also slightly larger whistles resting on two legs. They had three points of support. Such toys could be easily placed on a table or a bench, be part of a composition, or used in games.
The Khludnevo folk toys are characterized by distinct integrity. Researcher Svetlana Lichenko wrote that ‘their modeling is not detailed and even primitive, they are small, but they are still quite monumental.’ In this context, the word ‘primitive’ does not mean ‘unskillful’, but rather refers to the type of folk art that uses generalized, but very accurate forms to reflect a naive, child-like perception of the world.
In the Khludnevo craft, there are three main types of clay items: toy whistles, toys with the ‘The Tree of Life’ theme, and rattles. Rattles are most often shaped like a female figure. During the molding, craftsmen put a few lumps of clay inside the toy’s skirt, seal it from the bottom and fire the toy.
The “Tree of Life” theme was first introduced by the craftswoman Agrafena Trifonova. This image reflects a generalized idea of nature and contains different figurines of birds, animals, and people. This type of toy is quite unique as no other craft has such an image.
Although a little simpler in shape, the whistles still feature great artistic qualities. First of all, the end of the whistles is most often decorated with some kind of figurine. Moreover, they create an optical illusion. For example, there are two ways to look at this whistle: from one side it seems like a bird with raised wings, but a different angle turns it into the head of a bearded old man. Historically, the Khludnevo craftswomen enjoyed creating such puzzles, and this tradition has been continued by Alexander Zaborskikh.
The Khludnevo toy making was recognized as a craft around the mid — late 19th century. The fact that this craft has existed for a long time is demonstrated by the ravine behind the village: artisans used to take blue clay from this ravine, and by now there are holes dug all over it. Also, over the years, the whistle toy has been given many names: they are called “nightingales”, “whistles”, “whistlers”, “buzzers”, and “snifflers”. The base of the toy, which serves as a resonator, was named “tail”.
Around the 1970s, the production of toys began to target urban residents — museum workers, collectors, and tourists. Craftswomen were always competing with each other, trying to come up with a new kind of toy and be the first to show it to the customers.
Before that, the Khludnevo toymaking was most famous for its light and small whistles. These cheap toys embodied the noisy atmosphere of a fair. They were designed to fit in a child’s hand and did not even have any points of support to stand on a surface. There were also slightly larger whistles resting on two legs. They had three points of support. Such toys could be easily placed on a table or a bench, be part of a composition, or used in games.
