Dymkovo toy has a history of about a century and a half. This type of craft changed with the change of several generations of craftsmen. The Dymkovo toy originates from ancient times, but it is impossible to establish the exact date of manufacture of the very first figure.
The toy is diverse in composition and belongs to different periods of the development of Russia. According to experts, the Dymkovo toy got its purpose in connection with the Old Russian spring-summer festival of Svistoplyaski. Gradually in rural life, ritual whistles and tiaras were replaced by sculptural compositions that decorated shelves with dishes and window sills. The ancient ceremonial content faded into the background, the Dymkovo toy acquired the characteristics of a small folk sculpture. Over time, there was an enrichment of not only decorative elements, but also an increase in the plots from the life and life of different social groups: these were separate figures, and compositions from different figures, and a carousel, and turkeys, bears and horsemen - all this is a Dymkovo toy.
The lady with an umbrella and two newborns in each hand has not undergone significant changes since the pre-revolutionary times, when the toy was only a way to earn a little, common among the peasants of the Vyatka province.
Making toys
In the manufacturing process, every step is important. It is necessary to prepare clay that is suitable for work only from a few small quarries in the village of Dymkovo. This is followed by modeling and giving the toy characteristic curvaceous forms that depend directly on the type of clay. The next step is drying and firing in muffle furnaces, whitewashing with lead white and, finally, painting. Gold and aniline paints were not used in painting toys - these are achievements of our time.
Over time, various trends have emerged in the production of Dymkovo toys. Each generation of masters, especially masters of the Soviet period, brought something of its own to the molding and decoration. But the general canon has never changed. On a white background of figures that have never been completely covered with color, leaving the part always white, draw lines and circles. Masters always use pure colors for painting, never mix paints. Stucco flowers and ruffles - the main signs of the Dymkovo toy - have remained so today. Like “any grotesque and decorative fantasy,” reflected “in the life-affirming feelings that she excites,” such, according to material culture historian A.B.Saltykov, is a Dymkovo toy. A lady in a magnificent dress evokes a smile of tenderness on our faces in our time.
"Visiting card" of Russia
Gradually, a number of signs developed that distinguish the toy from a number of other folk crafts. The canon of sculpting figures is a school of craftsmanship, teaching a conditional language that distinguishes the Dymkovo toy from other folk stucco products.
The ability to convey movement, conciseness and generalization of sculpting - these signs are characterized by the figures of the village of Dymkovo. With a sense of joy, accuracy of character expression, the wit of a joke, the Dymkovo toy continues to respond in our souls. Her story does not end today. Now this once-fun of children has become one of the “calling cards” of modern Russia, known far beyond its borders.