Bogorodskoye toy is a wooden carved toy made of soft wood — linden, alder, aspen. Even though the craft got its name from the village, it is difficult to establish the exact place of its origin. Bogorodskoye was located not far from Sergiev Posad, and, as a rule, these toys were made in close cooperation by the Bogorodskoye and Sergiev Posad carvers. The craftsmen were engaged in the manufacture of toys seasonally: from late autumn to early spring, when there was a break in agricultural work. For a long time, the Bogorodskoye carvers worked directly at the orders of the Sergiev Posad buyers, made wooden blanks, which were finished and painted already in the Sergiev Posad.
Bogorodskoye became the center of carving already in the middle of the 19th century. The 1840s — 70s were the heyday of the Bogorodskoye handicraft industry. The most important event for its further development was the opening in 1891 of the Educational Toy Workshop in Sergiev Posad. In addition to training, the workshop sold toys in Russia and abroad. Nikolai Bartram, an artist, collector, later the founder and first director of the State Toy Museum, played a significant role in the development of the Bogorodskoye craft and in the growth of interest in toys in general. Bartram introduced the ideas of sculptural carving to the craft, which made it possible to enrich the plot and increase the interest in the craft. In 1913 an artel was organized in Bogorodskoye. This helped the residents of Bogorodskoye to acquire economic independence from the buyers from Sergiev Posad. The artel was headed by a kind of ‘art council’, which consisted of the most experienced craftsmen. In the same 1913, an educational demonstration workshop with an instructor class was opened in Bogorodskoye, and in 1914 a county school was opened on its basis, in which boys studied at full board.
The Bogorodskoye toy is distinguished by its angularity and simplicity of forms. As a rule, masters depicted people — peasants, officials, hussars, musicians — or animals. Various movement mechanisms were often used. For example, many people know the composition ‘Blacksmiths’ — a kind of symbol of the Bogorodskoye toy: due to the sliding slats, the blacksmith and the bear alternately hit the anvil with a hammer. Such toys appeared in the 17th century. Another popular version of a moving toy is the ‘Pecking Chickens’, which begin to move by spinning the counterweight weights.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the style of the Bogorodskoye toy changed, new subjects appeared. The depiction of genre scenes from prints and popular illustrations became widespread. The elaboration of details has become more subtle and thorough. The sculptural composition ‘The sleigh with riders’ presented in the exposition is very characteristic of the works of the Bogorodskoye masters of the early 20th century.
Bogorodskoye became the center of carving already in the middle of the 19th century. The 1840s — 70s were the heyday of the Bogorodskoye handicraft industry. The most important event for its further development was the opening in 1891 of the Educational Toy Workshop in Sergiev Posad. In addition to training, the workshop sold toys in Russia and abroad. Nikolai Bartram, an artist, collector, later the founder and first director of the State Toy Museum, played a significant role in the development of the Bogorodskoye craft and in the growth of interest in toys in general. Bartram introduced the ideas of sculptural carving to the craft, which made it possible to enrich the plot and increase the interest in the craft. In 1913 an artel was organized in Bogorodskoye. This helped the residents of Bogorodskoye to acquire economic independence from the buyers from Sergiev Posad. The artel was headed by a kind of ‘art council’, which consisted of the most experienced craftsmen. In the same 1913, an educational demonstration workshop with an instructor class was opened in Bogorodskoye, and in 1914 a county school was opened on its basis, in which boys studied at full board.
The Bogorodskoye toy is distinguished by its angularity and simplicity of forms. As a rule, masters depicted people — peasants, officials, hussars, musicians — or animals. Various movement mechanisms were often used. For example, many people know the composition ‘Blacksmiths’ — a kind of symbol of the Bogorodskoye toy: due to the sliding slats, the blacksmith and the bear alternately hit the anvil with a hammer. Such toys appeared in the 17th century. Another popular version of a moving toy is the ‘Pecking Chickens’, which begin to move by spinning the counterweight weights.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the style of the Bogorodskoye toy changed, new subjects appeared. The depiction of genre scenes from prints and popular illustrations became widespread. The elaboration of details has become more subtle and thorough. The sculptural composition ‘The sleigh with riders’ presented in the exposition is very characteristic of the works of the Bogorodskoye masters of the early 20th century.
