Baltic Imports Newsletter: Ornament Open House, Fall 2010

BALTIC IMPORTS NEWSLETTER

www.balticimports.com Ornament Open House 2010

Members of the International Amber Association and

The International Conference on Amber and Archeology

Twenty Years Serving Our Community

"It is Peter and Paul's day, the stalk of the wheat is torn, and when the wind touches it, it undulates in golden waves… The great importance and distinction of bread makes it necessary that it shall be duly honored when still in the form of wheat, all the more so as the Creator Himself carved man's face on every ripe grain. " Viski, Karoly Hungarian Peasant Customs Dr. George Vajna & Co, Budapest 1933

I fall in love with the books of old Europe. I found Karoly Viski's book in the Antiquarian Book Shop in Old Riga in 1986. It was rare that it would be there. Few books in English were allowed, especially if they were not international and approved by the Soviet authorities. Karoly Viski was the Keeper of Public Collections, formerly Keeper of The Ethnographical Collection of the Hungarian National Museum, and he, like I, loved and remembered the passing agrarian world of faith, beauty, and custom. From August we have moved to the grace of Fall. From standing grain we have touched harvest and more. Soon we will be moving into the Time of Spirits and Souls. The Greening of the World has ended and the Winter King must come to topple the old Summer King from his throne so that winter may bring spring.

In discussing what to write for our little essay the beautiful women in my house suggested St. Martin's Day. A day shared throughout old Europe as the end of Harvest and the very beginning of Winter. Gathering my words, I remembered the small, perfect, little room, and the grandmother in it, whose grey-white hair was pulled back under her country scarf. She had brought out a bowl of windfall apples, just beginning to wrinkle, and had set them on her proud dark table in a Latgallian green ceramic bowl. It was she who told me that Perkons, the Balt God of Thunder, comes to Martin's Feast, hidden under Martin's cloak and that he, Perkons, brings to the celebration the gift of Winter Lightening. My life is richer for her being in it… and I imagine that Doctor Viski too loved as well, as often and richly, as he moved among a world where there was great formality in the exchange of important words, a great formality, and deep, sweet, open caring.

Here, at the store, we are moving into the Time of Spirits. We have gathered goods in amber, stone, ceramic, wood, linen, and wool to celebrate the world of grandfathers and grandmothers. We hope that what we have selected is as true as wind fallen apples, and as beautiful as a soft Latgallian bowl that blesses the world with a green that will never fail in its promise.

NEWS

20th Annual Ornament Open House Our Annual Ornament Open House will be on Sunday, the 10^th of October, from 11 to 3 o'clock, our normal Sunday hours. The Open House is an invitation for everyone to come see some of our new hand blown glass ornaments from Eastern and Northern Europe, and to purchase a selection of last year's glass ornaments at 20% off their retail price before we hang them on our trees. Other winter related items will also be on view and for sale… our Advent Calendars, German Winter Linens and Vintage Ceramic Steins, German Smokers, Victorian Winter Cards, Slovakian Nativities and Winter Embroidered Pictures, and Czech glass Friendship and Witch Balls, just to name a few. The Open House is a friendly get-together of hot cider and convivial talk with lots of staff to answer questions.

Travel Abroad
Ingrida and Sean will be in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and hopefully Northern Poland, the last weeks in October, bringing back winter amber designs and vintage masterworks. The store will send out an e-mail when the antique pieces go on display.

September found them meeting with the Siberians and bringing back fall Siberian Healing Gems, a new stone, Volga Septarian, and the perfect leather-wrapped pieces of our young female stone healer.

Ukrainian Glass Ornaments
Our Ukrainian Glass Ornaments are taking a little bit longer to ship and should arrive at the store around the 1^st of November. Please feel free to check out product arrivals on our fun Baltic Imports Facebook Page.

NEW PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

Our New Siberian Healing Gems for Fall and Winter
are being put out this week and I must say we are very pleased with their quality. We bought new pieces of every single gem as we sorted for hours through the Siberians' gem collection for a variety of sizes and shapes. Very bold and distinct Sun Pillars of Charoite, long vertical rectangles of the Transformation Stone, are among the most dramatic and rare cuts of the gem that we have seen. We took the 3 that the stone master had cut. A new vein of very rich Eudialyte, the Stone of the Heart, has been found and its dark, dark - almost violet - reds and crisp pinks are as visually subtle as they are compelling. The new pendants are really the very best that I have seen so far. Ingrida and I spent hours picking small tear
drop pendants of Seraphinite, The Great Healer, each of which contains an unblemished single bloom of a shimmering angel's wing, pointing up, pointing down, pointing to the east or west. Struggling to find a perfect heirloom gem that is affordable to everyone, and which can be given as a spontaneous act of love and concern by any of our customers.

Dendritic Agates
Our largest selection of gems for fall are Dendritic Agates, The Stones of the Animal World, that are sacred to the Siberian shamans. We brought them not just for their cultural power but because the gentleness, purity, and grace of their beauty is remarkable. The older Siberians divide the high, gem quality, agates into 2 divisions, 1) Picture Agates, a beautiful world held in stone that you may offer to your totem or to yourself as a place of rest and peace… a pure world of nature, unspoiled and sublime, given back to us in stone by nature as a sacred gift. And 2) Writing Agates, the written words of the natural world caught in stone: the writing of the words of the Wind Horses; individual, powerful, and prophetic.

Each of our stones is a rare, remarkable gem: a picture of fog coming down the side of the valley, the trees darkened by its moisture, the grass transformed into a ribbon of green that looks like a jeweled feather; the first snow storm that touches the barren trees and makes their windblown branches look like they are suddenly filled with buds; the double pillar of a great horse word, echoing through time and wise beyond our comprehension.

Do come in and see them. Ingrida loves the Double Pillar of the World of Fall, its gentle burnt sienna bushes offering a place of rest for us and all the spirits that we carry.

Volga Septarian We have brought back a new gemstone for the store that is mined, along with rare hematites, on the sides of the Volga river about 600 miles east of Moscow on the Volgarian shelf that moves into Siberia. We first noticed it because many of the male miners were wearing it. The gem is made from the nodules of marine life that occupied the area millions of years ago. Interestingly enough, it is found in the layers of blue clay, the same clay strata that we look for when searching for amber. Composed from the shells of ammonites, it is a gentle transparent golden yellow edged with deep black and warm blue greys. In the West, Septarian is often called Dragon Stone, a gemstone for all aspects of Communication. The Volga miners are collecting a description of its traditional folk use and healing properties for us so that we can present the gem culturally, but with its amber-like transparent yellows and rich liquid blacks the gem will be bought for its beauty.

Siberian Gem Carrying Pieces
Looking for gifts for men who wouldn't wear pendants, we asked for more simple carrying pieces, that is, a sizeable piece of gemstone more naturally cut that felt good to hold and that was geologically interesting if placed on a desk or a curio cabinet. The Siberians responded with 15 Charoite disks the size of a 50 cent piece, that are the very best of the great stone and 20 disks of Shungite, the dark grey black grounding stone. They also shaped Septarian nodules into forms that could be held with the whole hand and used as massage tools, if desired. The carrying pieces are really wonderful, selected and shaped by the stone masters with great love and care, perfect for anyone who finds the lore of stones compelling.

Leather-Wrapped Guardian Stones
We always love to meet our young stone master who prepares guardian stones traditionally, wrapping them in braided leather bezels, for we love all the sensitive work that she makes, afraid in our hearts that such ancient work will simply fade away in our age of silver and gold. This year she set the stones in rich, soft, dark leather, the color of the heart of summer's night. From wonderful green serpentine to perfect agatized ammonite shells, she binds the stones in an ancient luck braid that is blessed by a flower of the sun… making with her own hands the amulets that her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother made before her.

The Feast of St. Martin: A European Thanksgiving

a folk art essay by Sean McLaughlin, copyright 2010

For centuries, St. Martin's Day, celebrated on the eve of November 10^th and/or through the day of the 11^th, has been one of the central festival days of old agrarian Europe. Celebrating the end of field work and the very beginning of winter, The Feast of St. Martin touched almost every culture in Europe and continues to do so today. Whether it is children carrying lit paper lanterns, the giving away of small bags of nuts and fruit, the baking of St. Martin's Bread or the preparation of Martin's Croissants; whether it is marking the calendar for the slaughter of harvest fed fattened pigs and beef, the start of the souring of cabbages, or the first day that new wine can be tasted; whether the celebration occurs in acts of mumming, ritual begging in the church, or people going door to door dressed as animals, this great Feast Day brings together two distinct calendar worlds, that of harvest and the first snows.

Here is the central point between that of the critical time of Souls and the great fasting of "Quadragesima Sancti Martini" which lasted 40 days and was later shortened and renamed Advent. Here is a cultural marker that signifies the economical end of "rich" autumn and the beginning of "lean" winter, between harvest's last possible end and the change of agricultural labor itself.

The great Feast Day is named after Martin of Tours who started out as a Roman soldier who was baptized in adulthood and became a monk. Kind, quiet, and preferring the simple life, St. Martin fled when he was asked to leave the life of simple quiet devotion and serve in the early hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Whether caught out by the cackling of geese in the goose pen where he went to hide, as folk custom decrees, stating that he roasted and ate the goose that betrayed his hiding place, or left the geese after great introspection, as the Church states, Martin became a devout leader and defender of the early Catholic Church in France serving as Bishop of Tours in the 4^th century.

Famous for his compassion, the critical story of Martin's riding through the city streets and his subsequent cutting of his Roman cloak in half during a bitter first snow storm to save a beggar is found in all the countries of Europe. To understand many of the folk traditions it should be remembered that in the story St. Martin was a horse rider, a converted Roman Knight, riding at a time when only the powerful rode, who turned away from power to embrace compassion, which he did so virtuously that he became the Patron Saint of Beggars. A great mounted rider, who comes with the first snows, bringing aid and blessings to those in need who are his "children," brings St. Martin in line with the old consciousness of mythic Europe and its pagan past, whose figures too acted as an aid in the changing face of the natural world.

The ancient pre-Christian traditions that existed before the veneration of Martin's day were well established in folk tradition and as the veneration of St. Martin moved from France, towards Spain and Portugal and on to Germany and the Scandinavian countries including the tribes of the Balts and Finns, onward across the fields and rivers of Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, and stretching through Catholicism until it enfolded Slovenia, Croatia, and Malta, the veneration often became a symbiotic calendar date that often had little to do with Martin other than a name.

Everywhere it goes, previous pre-Christian folk tradition adds a bit here and there. Aistaeus, of Greek myth, who discovered the pruning of grape vines, becomes an aspect of Martin. Martin the Rider is easily introduced to Latvia whose Sons of God ride to the great calendar feasts, and the blessing of the horses and the marking of the horse troughs with cockerel blood go on under Martin. The ancient traditional cockerel of the sun becomes the very blood of Martin's blessing and the food of the Martin Feast.

The great White Horse of Martin brings snow. If no snow comes then the great horse brings Martin's Little Summer, the horse reminiscent of the white horse of Frey and Odin.

In many countries goose is eaten to remind one of the geese who gave away Martin's hiding place, but the ancient symbol of prosperity is also a blessing to sustain the household through the fast of Advent and the hardship of winter. If the goose's cooked breast bone is fair, winter will be cold and full of hard frosts, if it is dark, then the winter will be full of rain and sleet.

In Ireland, where the four corners of the house are traditionally marked with cockerel blood and no wheel can be turned on Saint Martin's Day, the old prohibitions against spinning were written down in Church ledgers.

And his great Feast is best begun on the 11^th minute, of the 11^th hour, of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

So why have we bound this simple generous Saint with an ancient world of sacrifices? Why have the old world and the new world come together in that great collective consciousness that we each are culturally bound to? Why, in this world of technology and communication are there still the 1,000 year old horseshoe-shaped cookies of the Polish children, and the ancient chestnuts, a traditional food for the souls of the ancestors, in the Feast of Holy Martin.

Nothing is simple. Culture is often a host of contradictions that are layered one upon another. Each true for their time. But I think one type of answer lies in the Estonian children who sing from house to house to be let in for "Dear Mardi's fingers and toes are freezing in the cold." With St. Martin's we pass from a world almost in control to a world that isn't. And we, like children, carry that anxiety with us, even more so, in those pivotal times of nature's winter change. Throughout Europe, a world of adults tells the children that it is alright, that together we are more and stronger, and blesses that telling with a gift.

Another, I think, is the cultural importance of the constant retelling of compassion stories, compassion being a human trait that must be taught and learned, just as we must learn the concept of mercy as regards strict justice. The cutting of a cloak, the gift of a penny, the fires on St. Martin's along the Rhine and the Mosselle, where you rid yourself of that which you have done to your regret and shame, all move us towards that which is the better part of the human spirit and so keeps the larger society valuable for the individual.

And lastly, perhaps there is an additional answer in the human need for celebration in this short world, celebration and an acknowledgement of gratitude for what has been provided so that we may see the greater world in the work of our hands and the food we bring to our table. Sharing our union with nature with our neighbors in peace and thanksgiving lightens the spirit for the failing of the day's sweet light.

The French traditionally launch their Beaujolais Nouveau on St. Martin's Day, since he is the Patron Saint of Wine Growers and Tavern Keepers. This year, as in all the years before, the Catholic devout throughout the world will offer thanks for the Intercession of the Saints and honor a quiet simple ancient bishop who teaches through word and actions. While in Latvia the great season of ritual mumming will start and last through the Winter Solstice.

I, here in my little house, far away from the beautiful sea, will celebrate for the simple joy of celebration, and devoutly thank the world of God and Nature for its constant bounty. In gratitude, I will cut a cloak in half and share it. In acknowledgement of the coming night, I will mark the four corners of my house in ancient pattern. Missing the neighbors who do not come marching and singing here, I shall lay pennies in my fallen garden as a promise… and I will pray in a thousand ways that the beauty of this human heritage of stories and actions will not be lost.

Together with Ingrida, we will set out a Latgallian green bowl that is marked with the earth and sun, filling it with farm apples, and we will tell stories to our children about a gift of winter lightening and the blessings of God, nature, and good people.

For Recipes and Additional Customs for St. Martin's Day Please See Our Facebook Page in November and Directions to Our Blog.

Do feel free to comment on the Newsletter on our page as well.

Sources

Grins and Grina, Latviesu Gads, Gadskarta un Godi American Latvian Association 1987

Trinkunas, Jonas Ed. Of Gods & Holidays Tverme Lithuania 1999

Spicer, Gladys Dorothy The Book of Festivals The Womans Press 1937

Russ, Jennifer M German Festivals and Customs Owald Wolff 1982

Fish Eaters http://fisheaters.com

Amber Sale Newsletter August 2010

BALTIC IMPORTS NEWSLETTER

www.balticimports.com August Amber Sale 2010
Members of The International Amber Association and
The International Conference on Amber and Archeology
Twenty Years Serving the Amber Community

“Theomenes says that near the Greater Syrtis are the Gardens of the Hesperides, and Lake Electrum: on the banks, he says, are poplars, from the summits of which amber falls into the water below, where it is gathered by the maidens of the Hesperides.”
The Ancient Amber Routes and the Geographical Discovery of the Eastern Baltic Arnolds Spekke

“Pārvedu brālim/Dzintara sievu. Viss māršas pūriņš/Dzintariem vizēja Tēvam iedeva/ Dzintara kreklu; Mātei uzsedza/Dzintara sagšu; Brālim uzkāra/ Dzintara dvieli; Māsai uzlika/ Dzintara vaiņagu.
Daina 13282v.6

“I brought my brother an amber wife. Sister-in-law’s entire dowry sparkled with amber. Father received an amber shirt. Mother was covered with an amber shawl. An amber towel was hung for brother. An amber crown was placed on sister’s head.” Latvian Oral Tradition Daina 13282version6

August is a perfect time for our Annual Amber Sale. As the month brings its rich light to our changing world, we at the store will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of our business. In the old agricultural world of Northern and Eastern Europe long August was the ending of “haytime”, the season of sun and hard work, where open “courting” would occur and the young men and women would prepare for the blessings of the Earth and the weddings of fall.

Here, at the store, we have set out the new amber that we have gathered in our summer travels. If there is a predominance of perfect clear golden amber, then blame it on the beauty of summer’s light and the blessings that were given, again and again, by the sweet summer Sun.

NEWS
20th Annual Amber Sale Our Annual August Amber Sale will start with the Pre-Sale, on Tuesday, August 10th and continue through Friday, August 13th. As always, it is a time set aside for our newsletter clients and amber collectors to purchase from all of our stock before the public sale begins. The Sale to the Public will begin on the 14th of August and run through Labor Day, September 6th.
Please do not ask to have amber set aside prior to or during the sale. During the amber sale the store has pledged to have all its amber open for purchase. All amber sales will be considered final sales.
Amber Pre-Sale Coupon An amber pre-sale coupon is included at the end of this newsletter for a 25% savings off any of our amber products during the Pre-Sale. The coupon may be used for a purchase of multiple items of amber. The Pre-Sale is our way of saying thank you for your support throughout the year.

Neighborhood News
A number of special events from Dog Parades to Special Lectures are constantly happening in our Northeast neighborhood. For current neighborhood news, Internet links, and unannounced sales, go to our Baltic Imports Facebook Page. Two up and coming special events that Baltic Imports will participate in are The Polish Festival on August 14th and 15th that will run along the Mississippi riverfront on Main Street, just down from our store, and the Kielbasa Fest at Kramarczuk’s on September 10thand 11th. The Polish Festival is a great family event and the 1st Ever KielbasaFest will feature European beers and, of course, plenty of Kielbasa.
On August 30th, the series“Diners, Dives, and Drive-Ins” from the Food Network will be airing a show about Kramarczuk’s. It was quite fun watching the Star of the show slam the door of his car and say through 20 takes, “We’re here in Northeast Minneapolis, or as the locals call it, NordEast.”

NEW PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
A number of special products have been brought back to the store from our travels. Among the most spiritual are the Exceptional Hand Painted Miniature Icon Paintings by one of Russia’s greatest artists, Andrey Kotukhin, a registered artist from the famous village of Palekh. Small handmade papier-mâché lacquer forms, traditionally made with horsehair and powders, have been shaped into Orthodox crosses and medallions and painted on. The traditional Byzantine iconography and gold leaf on such a small form is instantly compelling. Through the years we have brought many of the now famous contemporary iconographers to our store. Kotukhin’s work rivals the best we have ever brought. Please come in just to see the small masterworks. Their beauty and spiritual authority creates a sense of reverential awe in the observer as if we are looking through a window onto a faith and a time that is pure and unsullied. In 1990, Baltic Imports supported the reformation of the Novgorod School for Traditional Iconography in the soon to change Russia. In 1992, we supported the creation of a three- part miniature triptych made by A. Kotukhin for the ancient Church in Palekh. We have been in love with the work of this 5th generation Palekh painter, and his family’s, since the beginning of our store.
Along with the hand painted icons, we found a small selection of vintage, the older forms, of Rostov Enamel(also called Finift) Icon Medallions for the store, that are patterned on Russian Orthodox religious imagery popular in the 17th century. Rostov enamel jewelry, finift, is created by layering enamel powders on metal, usually German silver, and heating it to temperatures reaching a thousand degrees. The small paintings on the forms are famous. The vintage icon medallions are important for they show the old mastery of the form and contain much more difficult detail and Orthodox imagery than the contemporary. I love the little Guardian Angel in the vintage case. The filigree silver has darkened on its edges but the simple sweetness and tenderness of the hand that wrote the image can be felt today.
The ancient lyrical patterns of the Sun and the Moon grace the cut and layered Large Karelian Birch Bark Barrettes that Ingrida fell in love with. It feels like a hundred years since we left the beauty of the forests and walked along the dirt and gravel roads to the market and that little store in Latgale, to buy root crops from the men in horse carts and simply talk to the women who had their hair carefully braided or pinned back with blessings, while the yellow birch leaves of fall shook on their tall trees, shaking with beauty before they would fall. The birch is the gentlest tree in Northern and Eastern Europe. Not strong like the Oak, not as feminine as the Linden, not as unreliable as the Alder, not as great a guardian as the Mountain Ash. It lives with us during our lifetime. And, like our lives, it often falls when we fall. It is the tree that we cut a cross upon when someone in the village passes. It is the tree that one binds back their hair with, in their youth through their old age, so that they too may live and pass in beauty. Perhaps that is why Ingrida loved them, old-fashioned as they are.
The last of the many new products that we have gathered and would like to introduce is a very rare Steel Grey/Black Stone called Shungite. At 2.5 billion years of age, this carbon ferrous rock is one of the very oldest stones in our world and is being mined in Karelia as a sustainable community resource. We’ve obtained it from the Siberian Mining Guild who is helping them organize. The surprisingly light stone for its size has moved through Europe as the new grounding stone, 10 times more effective than Hematite. In addition, the ancient stone is being labeled as producing medicinal waters. Many documented studies by Russian scientists conclude that Shungite dissipates the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation. For the Karelians it has always been their very own amber, that is, a healing stone and a great guardian.

AMBER HIGHLIGHTS
For our 20th Amber Sale, Ingrida and I searched for the very best amber we could find. Any shopping outside of the studios that we have known and supported these past twenty years, even as knowledgeable as we are, was very difficult. 85% of the amber available in shops, markets, and amber factories was manipulated or made from amber that was fused into a block and computer cut. Green amber with no gem value was everywhere, along with dyed red, lemon, and rose. Often we found ourselves seduced by the beauty of a setting only to find that it hid skillfully manipulated amber. Every little piece that we bought was checked by both by Ingrida and me as we laughed and shared and talked our way through the hot days and still nights, looking for beauty.
One of our missions was to find reasonable pendants, earrings, and rings for the last festivals of summer and the changing colors of fall. Among my favorite pendants are the Ice Amber Sun Axes, made from water-clear amber that has filled with gasses. The silver bails on the ancient forms are simple and deeply thoughtful, making the old Indo-European migration axes look like modern, perfect, curves of rare amber.
The small, gentle, Polish Golden Leaf Pendants are made from naturally shaped small sea pieces of golden amber with the rind only slightly buffed. The little handmade silver flower and leaf bails hold the amber within them and offer an ancient symbol of renewal reminding one of the promises of the Tree of Life.
The Silver Bound Heart with Tear: a Symbol of the Soul amber pendants are made with the most beautiful amber, from white and pearl to opaque yellow and traditional cognac. Here again, with modern design we have taken a medieval concept and made it visually striking and contemporary. The shining beauty of each little pendant tells the story of when the symbol of the heart was not simply “love” but the image for the seat of the soul, where the qualities that could sustain love sat, perseverance, courage, and the tear of compassion.
Since all of our pendants, earrings, and rings are one of a kind and made with natural amber, they all differ. In addition, the studio production that produces them never produces a lot. Of our fine pieces we may have only 1 or 2 in a series. A large series for us is perhaps 6 different pieces made by one master.
We’ve brought a large number of new amber rings in many designs and colors. Our Deep Cherry Oval Amber Rings are quite dramatic and going quickly. Among our favorite rings are the Ancient Amber Sailor’s Rings of the Sun and Ship’s Wheel which offer protection on land or sea for the traveler. This 1st century ring has a sun of amber set on a silver spoked wheel. On the clear golden amber rings you can see the wheel shining beneath the amber. The Silver Master Bands of Inlaid Amber are appropriate for both men and women and preserve the folded silver work and cut circles of the old great studios.
Of the many earrings that we returned with, some of the most distinctive are the Old Fashioned Slab Cut Earrings, made by the older Latvian masters to stress the natural form of the individual ambers. They are visually rich in both amber rind and in the colors of their inclusions. The Double Sun and Moon Earrings in White and Pearl Amber are marked by the thick sterling silver work that binds each of the 2 rounds of amber. The Hand Pounded and Rolled Sterling Amber Earrings that hold the amber in a cornucopia form are outstanding in their workmanship and are perhaps the most elegant earrings we have in the store.
My favorite necklaces are the Two Stacked Multicolor Sun Disk Necklaces hand tied between each bead. The colors of the older and newer ambers & the opaque and transparent ambers create a stunningly beautiful and immensely feminine heirloom masterwork that is elegant, classical, and timeless. But looking around the store there is so much that is beautiful: the little ice amber necklace with a perfect cherry amber sun tear, the knobby golden sea amber necklace that comes brilliantly to life when it is placed around the neck, the long, 22 to 24 inch, strings of hand rounded beads, the little necklace of čūska, the grass snake, whose layered diamond form goes back to ancient Balt mythology and represents Knowledge, and the multicolored amber guardian moon necklaces. Come in and meet with our knowledgeable staff and find a perfect piece, full of meaning that holds your heart.

The Miniatures of Palekh
A folk art essay by Sean McLaughlin. Copyright 2010
The little essay that follows is a story of two revolutions and a village of peasants that grew to become some of the most recognized artists in the world. It starts in the seventeenth century, and climbs aboard the last Soviet Russian trains that would run from Ukraine to the Baltic Station in St. Petersburg, pausing in Riga late at night, to take on passengers. It goes on from there, both forwards and backwards, to the solemnity of a vow, and a man contemplating the history of his family. Like all good stories that pretend to be scholarly, or at least thoughtful, it starts with a quote.
“Could one have supposed that icon painting, the most conservative craft, might have enabled Palekh craftsmen to arrive at their present perfect mastery which evokes admiration… Palekh, its history is a striking example of how wisely the revolution can link the past with the present. Palekh will always represent poetic images of the people.”
Maxim Gorky
Palekh, before the Bolshevik Revolution, was a large trading village in Central Russia. During that revolution it was changed into one of the administrative centers for the Ivanovo Region, situated as it was on the slopes of two hills which are separated by the beautiful little river, the Paleshka. In the Russia of the Soviets the term Palekh was often used to describe a specific school of Russian art, most notably the elaborately decorated miniature paintings that graced the famous black lacquered boxes and fine brooches which were made by the “Old Style Guild” of the village Palekh.
It was these brooches and black lacquer boxes that Ingrida and I went to St. Petersburg to purchase on the last Soviet trains that would run freely, that is without border stops and customs, from deep in the Ukraine to the beautiful Baltic Station in St. Petersburg. Traveling without visa papers, our wonderful Latvian friend who had lived for years in St. Petersburg studying geology and underwater mineral excavation, pushed me into the corridor of the overly crowded train and told me in whispered Latvian to “absolutely not talk to anyone,” as he directed Ingrida to the hard sleeping palette and conversed in Russian with the other 4 people in the crowded little compartment.
St. Petersburg at that time was in shambles, still heartbreakingly beautiful, but like a city preparing for siege. The goodwill construction projects started by the Finns and Swedes were abandoned with fragments of framing wood still left in doorways. There was open water running down the walls of the Hermitage, behind the priceless dark Rembrandts. Even then, when we finally found the Palekh master boxes, we could not afford them and bought instead the small numbered editions of the last scholarly books on archeology and iconography, some only printed in the hundreds.
Palekh was to us, as it was to most of the people in the West at that time, so closely associated with the miniature painting that stressed the subject matter and themes suggested by Russian history, folk songs, legends and fairy-tales, that one was not aware that its rise, and very aesthetic, was based on holy iconography.
It was in the early 17th century that the Palekh peasants, serfs of Buturlin’s estate, took up various crafts and, in particular, that of icon painting. Working in a loose guild where different people took the responsibility of preparing the panel, priming it, blocking it, etc, with certain individual serf artists being responsible for drapery, landscape, and holy faces, the village soon gained a reputation as an Icon producing village. By the late 17th century and early 18th century, icon painting in Palekh attained the level of a professional art, with Palekh artists traveling throughout Russia on assignments for churches, monasteries, and nunneries. Indeed, The Church of the Raising Cross in Palekh was so full of icons that spanned Russian history that “the great proletarian writer”as noted by the State Museum of Palekh Art, Maxim Gorky, made a plea to the Soviet authorities in 1927, which, while still championing “ the new Soviet style of the creative awakening of the working masses” asked that “one of the Moscow museums collect pre-revolutionary Palekh works, icons executed in the Byzantine and European manners, and exhibit them side by side with the achievements of today.” Gorky’s plea was heeded, and The Museum of Palekh Art was opened in 1935 on the 10th Anniversary of the Old Style Guild.
The Icon painters of Palekh drafted into World War 1 came home to a changed Russia where iconography was neither sought nor permitted. Most had little option but to try to farm. Then in 1922, Ivan Golikov, a Palekh artist who had refused to stop painting, chanced to notice a painted papier-mâché box at the Moscow Museum of Handicrafts and painted a plate in a similar “modern” manner. But he would use the Palekh icon aesthetics of inverted perspective, highly ornamental treatment of form, two dimensional figures, conventional backgrounds of hills, grasses, and chambers, as well as gold and silver paint to do it.
By 1924, the demand for Palekh papier-mache was so extensive that Golikov, Marichev, and A. Kotukhin and I. Kotukhin to establish the new guild of artists which, because of their icon training, they called the Old Style Guild. Alexander Kotukhin, was elected its first chairman.
It was the revolution of 1990-91, with the fall of the Soviet Union, that allowed another A. Kotukhin – Andrey- a famous box painter, member of the Palekh Guild, and Registered Artist of the Russian Republic, to return to iconography. All that had been learned in the 75 years of painting miniatures, and all that had been forgotten… the patron icons of the Stroganov School of Tsar’s Iconographers and the Armory Chamber School, was there to be used. Like his father and grandfather he was ready to move into the future in a way that acknowledged his own past and the past of the village he cherishes.
We can remember the excitement that his first miniature icon triptych, which was placed near the altar in the church in Palekh to be sanctified, generated. For us, it is an honor to represent his work. For our customers, the Kotukhin name ensures a history of mastery and value rarely seen outside of Russia.

Sources
Ancient Palekh Icon Painting, Mural Painting Vitaly Kotov and Larisa Taktashova Moscow 1981
Palekh The State Museum of Russian Art Moscow 1990



CUSTOMER APPRECIATION COUPON
25% Off Any Amber Purchase

Store Hours
Monday 10:00-4:00
Tuesday-Friday 10:00-6:00
Saturday 10:00-6:00
Sunday 11:00-3:00

Coupon valid August 10th – September 6th, 2010

A Quick Guide for Ukrainian Egg Symbols

This is among the best quick guides for approaching Ukrainian Egg symbols that we have found. It’s a wonderful introduction to the classification of symbols and how one might start that process. It’s at Tripod.com. As in the history of all symbols it is important to realize that they are rarely static and that being definitive about any single cultural symbol is generally a problem. But with that said, “Enjoy!”

--Sean

AN INTODUCTION TO CLASSIFICATION

In the folk life of Ukrainian people, the pysanka possess talismanic powers. Receipt of a pysanka is not only a token of friendship or esteem but also brings with it protection from harm. Ukrainian ancestors believed that pysanky in the home would bring good fortune, wealth, health, and protection from lightning and fire. Pysanky are said to possess curative powers for both men and animals. With the acceptance of Christianity in 988 A.D., the pysanka has been part of the Christian tradition and Easter ritual. The pysanka came to symbolize the rebirth of man, as represented by the Resurrection. Beeswax was considered as a magical ingredient of the writing process. This was entwined with the sun cult. The wax was made from honey; the honey was collected from flowers; flowers grew because of the sun.

Symbolism of design... The most ancient symbols are of geometric character. Geometric ideograms consist of the simplest design elements. Each has its own meaning.

Solar symbols include variations of the circle, swastika, tripod and star or rose. The sun and cosmic symbols signify happiness, prosperity and good fortune.

	Circle. It represents completeness, continuity and the cyclical nature of the universe. The pre-Christian interpretation denoted the sun as the center of the universe, the giver of fertility, the victory over evil and darkness. The circle containing a dot is said to represent the moment when the earth receives the light of the sun and comes to life in the spring. In the Christian tradition, the circle may be associated with God because of its perfection and its ability to unite. A circle enclosing the cross represents the millennium, the center and four directions of the universe. The circle cut in two represents polarity such as night and day, summer and winter, life and death. A circle within a circle is said to denote androgyneity. The circle depicted as the poppy denotes consolation, oblivion or sleep; as a spider, the rays of the sun or human frailty. Pre-Christian representations of the circle with symbolic meanings were also seen in the round dances of the spring festivals.
	Swastika. Is a symbol of happiness, blessings, good fortune and goodwill. The swastika is often seen with rounded corners or in the form of the windmill or Maltese cross. The hooks are sometimes stylized to form leaves. Tripod - a three part swastika is known from Trypilljan times. It reflects the significance of the magical number three.
	Star or Rose. This ideogram is most commonly found in its eight-pointed form. It is one of the most beautiful and versatile of the geometric representations and is said to signify purity, life, the giver of light, the center of all knowledge as well as beauty, elegance and perfection. In the Christian context, the star or rose becomes the herald of Christ's birth, a symbol of God's love toward man.
	Dots. Dots of all sizes represent the stars in the heavens, tears or fixed points that have no beginning or end. They may represent a cuckoo's egg, which is a symbol of spring and carries with it the magical powers of predicting the future. A dot with a circle enclosing it represents the axis of the universe, eternity seen within an egg.
	Triangle. The triangle is a very basic ideogram and, like the tripod, always signifies a trinity. In pagan times, the trinity represented was the elemental air, fire and water or the heavens, earth and air. In Christian symbolism, the Holy Trinity is most often represented.

Lines. Formed by a series of dots, there are many linear variations:

	Straight Line. The straight line encircling the egg symbolizes eternity or the continuous thread of life.
	Ribbon or Belt. This motif symbolizes eternity and is almost always seen in unbroken form so that the thread of life will not be broken.
	Embattled Line. This variation signifies a forest or enclosure, something to be contained.
	Engrailed and Invected Line. This suggests a place of meeting of union of opposites such as land meeting water.
	Indented Line or Saw. This is a common line variation indicating fire as the symbol of the sun or life-giving heat. It may also represent water or waves with its growth and cleansing properties.
	Meander. This ancient form of the line is popular in all regions of Ukraine. This motif emphasizes harmony and motion depicting infinity, waves and immortality.
	Gypsy Roads. The meander is a continuous route between two colored fields. Evil is, therefore, unable to find its way off the Gypsy road and harm the recipient of the pysanka.

Variations of the Line:

	Sieve. A very common motif on the beautiful Hutsul pysanky. Is a symbol for dividing good from evil.
	Basket. This ideogram suggests contained knowledge, motherhood as well as the giver of life and gifts.
	Ladder. A motif taken from everyday agricultural life, the ladder is symbolic of searching; rising above the petty problems of life.
	Comb. This motif is sometimes classified as a sun symbol because of its teeth or rays. It may also suggest the putting of things in order. Three teeth or rays may symbolize the Holy Trinity in the Christian tradition or the three major stages of life: birth, adulthood and death.
	Rakes. Similar in meaning to the comb, rakes have the additional reference to the harvest.
	Bends. Signify defense or protection.
	Spirals. The mystery of life and death is portrayed by spirals since they denote divinity or immortality.

Cross. Even in ancient times amongst the Ukrainians, the cross was revered as a symbol of life. There are many variations of the cross in pysanka design. They are always symbolic of the Christian faith.

Two Line Cross. The simplest form of the star, this cross represent four cardinal points of reality, or the four ages of the world; child, youth, man and elder. The Maltese cross is another variation of this motif. Standing Cross. This motif was found even before Christian times in some areas, as a symbol of clan worship, and later incorporated into the Christian context. St. Andrew's Cross. Because St. Andrew was the patron saint who preached Christianity in Ukraine, his X-shaped cross became a popular pysanka motif.

Churches. The Church also appears at the time of the acceptance of Christianity. The basic outline depicts stylized versions of the beautiful wooden churches of the Carpathian mountains, with their characteristic triangular roofs. This motif appears only in western Ukraine. The sieve motif within the outline represents the Church's ability to separate good from evil. The motifs used are symbolic in nature; a combination of crosses, triangles and quadrangles, more rarely seen are the partial representations such as widows and belfries.

Plant motifs. Compositions in which plant motifs predominate fall under the category of spring, symbolizing the rebirth of nature and life. These designs reflect the unrestrained longing expressed by the dormant plants. These pysanky are talismanic not only for the growth of plants but for the general well-being of humans as well.

	Pine Tree. This motif was known in the Trypilljan culture and is common to most parts of Ukraine. Its qualities of permanent greenery and endurance symbolize strength, boldness, growth and eternal life.
	Broad Leafed or Deciduous Tree. Known as the tree of life, this design is a symbol of renewal, creation and organic unity. It is usually surrounded by stags or birds, often both. Common to many cultures, this representation is seen throughout the world.
	Apple Tree. This is a beautiful example of stylized plant representation. Very contemporary in design, it is, nevertheless, a pre-Christian ideogram. Other orchard trees such as the pear or plum are occasionally seen as well.
	Willow Branch. In the Ukrainian religion, the Willow branch is traditionally blessed on Palm Sunday. There was an ancient belief that the sun was held in the sky on a large willow.
	Grape Wine. This motif symbolizes continuity, good fellowship and strong, loyal love. Representing the wine of the Holy Communion, it also denotes the love of God and of Christ for mankind.
	Apples or Plums. These orchard motifs denote knowledge, health and wisdom.
	Three Leaf. This ancient symbol denotes immortality and eternal love. The plant most often stylized is the periwinkle which forms an integral part of spring and wedding rituals. The traditional wedding wreath is fashioned from the periwinkle plant, the sacred plant of Venus the goddess of love. Like the evergreen, it retains its green color year round. From the Christian viewpoint, it symbolized pure love and the eternity of the Holy Trinity. Oak Leaf. Many regions of Ukraine display a version of this ideogram. Highly stylized, it signifies strength and persistence. As the leaves of the oak tree die in the fall only to be replaced in the spring, so are humans caught up in this cycle of life and death.
	Rose or Star. Used interchangeably with the star motif, the rose is a predominant floral motif and occurs in many varied forms. Some variations are highly stylized and abstracted. This ideogram is symbolic of the female principle, wisdom, beauty and elegance. Lily of the Valley. An early spring flower, the lily of the valley suggests purity and humility as typified in the young bride. Sunflower. An ancient floral symbol denoting the sun, this symbol signifies the love of God because of its intense love of light. It is allied with the concept of motherhood and, therefore, becomes a life symbol. Vase. This is a striking floral design predominantly from the region of Sokal. This region also displays characteristic floral representations showing the whole flower.
	Cucumber. Known since the pre-Christian era, the cucumber is a symbol of the preservation of life because of its ability to retain water.
	Ears of Cereal Plants. This is a beautiful example of stylized plant representation. Very contemporary in design, it is, nevertheless, a pre-Christian ideogram. Other orchard trees such as the pear or plum are occasionally seen as well.

Animal motifs. Motifs based on zoomorphic representation are not as commonly used as are other categories. Generally speaking designs from the Carpathian mountain region of western Ukraine use these motifs along with geometric forms. Their use reflects the close association of the mountainous peoples with their natural surroundings. Many of these motifs were in use during pre-Christian times.

	Stag. An ancient ideogram dating back to the Trypilljan culture, the stag signifies leadership, victory, joy and masculinity.
	Horse. The horse appears as the ancient sign of the sun. Archeologists claim that the horse was first domesticated in Ukraine. This motif symbolize wealth or prosperity, endurance and speed; it also emphasizes the motion of the sun.
	Ram. Chiefly a male symbol, it represents leadership and strength in the face of opposition. The popular motif of numerous variations also suggests perseverance and dignity.
	Rooster. This motif is considered a talisman of coming good fortune. In ancient times, it was related to the coming of the sun. It also denotes exultation and vigilance. As a symbol of masculinity, it predicts a rich married life with the blessing of many children.
	Hen. Symbolic of fertility, the revered hen is the bearer of the talismanic egg.
	Birds. Many different species of birds were considered to be harbingers of spring. The swallow foretold the coming of spring to the householder; the stork symbolized the coming of new babies; the lark brought spring into the fields; the nightingale announced it to the orchards; while ducks and geese were precursors of spring to the lakes and rivers.
	Butterfly. Representing the pleasure and frivolity of childhood, the butterfly motif suggests the ascent of the soul into immortality. It also reminds us that things of delicate beauty must take their own course rather than be contained.
	Spider. This ideogram was first seen as a variation of the sun motif with projecting strokes or rays. It symbolizes patience, artistry and industry.
	Fish. The fish, a symbol of Christianity, suggests abundance, baptism, regenerative powers and sacrifice.
	Hen's feet. This is a delightful motif which stresses protection of the earth toward her young. They also denote guidance or direction of the young in their search for knowledge. Goose Feet. These represent the soul or spirit as well as giving an intimation of warning of wakefulness.
	Horns. This motif suggests nobility, wisdom and triumph over problems. There is also an implication of manhood and leadership.
	Ram Horns. Strong leadership or further strength in the face of opposition as well as perseverance and dignity are suggested by this motif.
	Bear's Paws. The bear was associated with the forest guardian spirit and this motif speaks of bravery, wisdom, strength and endurance as well as the coming of the spring. It also suggests a protective concept and is associated with the master of a home.
	Rabbit's Ears. This ideogram denotes the humility of man as he attentively listens to the lessons offered by nature.
	Wolves Teeth. Wolves teeth denote loyalty, wisdom and a firm grip. So strong was the talismanic belief in their power that wolves' teeth were given as amulets to both children and adults to help teething and to prevent toothaches.

Said to re absolute, constancy, eternity or the womb, black may also denote death.

White Purity, virginity, innocence, and birth, are symbolized with this color.

Yellow The symbol of light and purity. It speaks of youth, happiness, the harvest, hospitality, love and benevolence. It is the color consecrated to the light deities and is the Christian symbol of recognition and reward.

Orange Symbolic or endurance, strength and worthy ambition, orange is the color of fire and flame. It represents the red of passion tempered by the yellow of wisdom. It is the symbol of the golden, everlasting sun.

Green As seen in the spring renewals, green symbolizes the breaking of shackles, freedom from bondage. It is the color of fertility, freshness, health and hopefulness. In the Christian context, it represents bountifulness, hope and the victory of life over death. It is the color of Christmas, Easter and Epiphany.

Red The magical color of folklore, red is considered a positive color signifying action, fire, charity, spiritual awakening. It also glorifies the sun and the joy of life and love. Consequently, pysanky with red fields or motifs are typically designated for children or youth. In the Christian symbolism, it denotes the divine love and passion of Christ.

Brown Brown is symbolic of the mother earth, bringing forth her bountiful gifts.

Blue Blue is used sparingly. It signifies the blue skies or the life-giving air and is a talisman of good health. Also symbolizes truth, fidelity, higher life and trust.

Purple When used in pysanka ornamentation, purple speaks of fasting, faith, patience and trust.

Symbolism of Color... The colors used in pysanka design are steeped in symbolism. The most magical ancient pysanky were considered to be those having four or five colors, each carrying a message of good will for the recipient such as happy family life, peace, love, good health, or success

Black; Dark before Dawn

Black and White: Protection from Evil