The horseman’s figure, made by the Goncharova sisters, features a Cossack in a traditional way. These soldiers came to rescue the inhabitants during the siege of the Oskol fortress in the 16th century, during the reign of Tsar Feodor I of Russia.
The famous local pottery district — “Cossack Sloboda” — owes its name to the Cossacks. In 1616, the Cossacks were granted the land in the southwestern suburb and moved there. By 1658, after finishing the construction of the Belgorod fortification line, the Cossack military service came to an end: there came peaceful times and most of the Cossacks became craftsmen or peasants. It was then that pottery manufacturing began to grow rapidly in the Stary Oskol sloboda.
For a long time, Stary Oskol potters were famous for high-quality crockery and unique whistle-toys. But in the 20th century, the tradition of painted clay figurines almost disappeared. There were several reasons for this. One of them was the emergence of factory-made toys. It was very difficult for potters to beat off the severe competition with massive production. The artisans faced even more difficulties because of the Bolshevik revolution and wars. First, the government forced all artisans to join an artel (a co-operative association). Then the Great Patriotic War began, followed by the long years of restoration. All this had a negative impact on pottery and clay toys.
The Goncharov family also went through tough times. Natalia Goncharova lost her husband during a bomb attack in 1941. She had to live her little son in a cold house without windows since they had been shattered during the bombings. In July 1942, Stary Oskol was captured by Nazi forces and the seven most difficult months of the occupation began. At that time Olga worked as a prisoner of war for the Germans — they made her shovel snow. When the city was liberated, she went to Ivanovo to work at the factory that produced explosives. From 1949, the sisters decided to live together, as it was much easier to cope with the difficulties this way. The sisters returned to making clay toys only in 1985, when the art historian Nikitin visited the town. He was the one who persuaded them to bring back to life the secrets of pottery that they learned in childhood.
Nowadays, thanks to the efforts of the craftswomen the craft of Stary Oskol toy pottery lives on. The figurines of horsemen, women, and animals make the locals proud. They make whistle-toys, draw, study, and collect them.
The famous local pottery district — “Cossack Sloboda” — owes its name to the Cossacks. In 1616, the Cossacks were granted the land in the southwestern suburb and moved there. By 1658, after finishing the construction of the Belgorod fortification line, the Cossack military service came to an end: there came peaceful times and most of the Cossacks became craftsmen or peasants. It was then that pottery manufacturing began to grow rapidly in the Stary Oskol sloboda.
For a long time, Stary Oskol potters were famous for high-quality crockery and unique whistle-toys. But in the 20th century, the tradition of painted clay figurines almost disappeared. There were several reasons for this. One of them was the emergence of factory-made toys. It was very difficult for potters to beat off the severe competition with massive production. The artisans faced even more difficulties because of the Bolshevik revolution and wars. First, the government forced all artisans to join an artel (a co-operative association). Then the Great Patriotic War began, followed by the long years of restoration. All this had a negative impact on pottery and clay toys.
The Goncharov family also went through tough times. Natalia Goncharova lost her husband during a bomb attack in 1941. She had to live her little son in a cold house without windows since they had been shattered during the bombings. In July 1942, Stary Oskol was captured by Nazi forces and the seven most difficult months of the occupation began. At that time Olga worked as a prisoner of war for the Germans — they made her shovel snow. When the city was liberated, she went to Ivanovo to work at the factory that produced explosives. From 1949, the sisters decided to live together, as it was much easier to cope with the difficulties this way. The sisters returned to making clay toys only in 1985, when the art historian Nikitin visited the town. He was the one who persuaded them to bring back to life the secrets of pottery that they learned in childhood.
Nowadays, thanks to the efforts of the craftswomen the craft of Stary Oskol toy pottery lives on. The figurines of horsemen, women, and animals make the locals proud. They make whistle-toys, draw, study, and collect them.
