Applied Arts of Khiva
One of the most ancient and well
developed of the artistic trades of Khiva is artistic
ceramics. An important early chapter in its long history
the Kushan period, when new types of ceramic vessels
with various and original ornaments appeared.
The pottery of Khorezm reached a new level of development
in the Kangyu period. The moulding techniques of the
wheel were fully mastered as the basic means of technology
and ornamentation. The polished red pots of Toprak-kala
exemplify this.
In the Afrigid period (fourth — seventh centuries)
Khorezmian ceramics declined. The big handmade vessels
of this period were made from rough clay dough with
the large amount of admixture. The process of polishing
disappeared; the red clear tone changed into greenish-gray
and greenish-yellow colors. And the form, the ornamentation,
and techniques for making the vessels changed.
When Islam came to Central Asia and international
trade developed rapidly, the market for ceramics also
grew. In connection with the demand for glazed ceramics,
guilds of pottery craftsmen appeared. In the eighth
— twelfth centuries ceramic art and technology
developed and new types of ceramic vessels appeared;
and correspondingly, the style and character of their
decoration changed. Ornamental pattern took on a new
importance related to marketability. The masters created
new varieties of cups, dishes, and jugs. The main
achievement of the potters was the improvement in
the production of glazed items. They developed double-glazing
with a wide variety of including green, lilac, brown,
white, yellow, and red. They also used modest forms
of engraving. Different compositions were developed
in decorating the cups and dishes. Using various ornamental
motifs — zoomorphic, cosmogony, geometric, epigraphic
— the ceramists worked out their artistic language.
The style was one common all types of applied art
in the Middle and Hear East, but with characteristics
peculiar to Khorezm.
The destructive invasions of the Mongol Horde at the
beginning of the thirteenth century disrupted the
economy and culture of the Central Asia, including
the work of its craftsmen. But owing to the perennial
demand for ceramic vessels, the pottery production
revived earlier than the other trades. By the fourteenth
century the local artistic ceramics arose again. The
size of ceramic items became more varied in this period,
as did forms and colors. Innovations in the baking
and stamping processes made possible the mass production
of items with relief ornament. Water pots and cups
took on new colors — an elegant gamut of blue
and black and green-turquoise colors. The ornamentation
included stylized plant elements, spotted patterns,
and rosettes in the form of stylized fish and other
figures.
Many examples of cups and vases from this period have
been recovered from Kunya-Urgench, Mizdakkhana, and
Khiva. An ornamental medallion fills their inner surfaces
or bird figures against a background detailed ornament.
The colors included black-green, cobalt blue and turquoise-blue.
In the fourteenth century the ceramics of Khorezm
influenced the regions of Volga and the northern Caucasus.
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Khorezm ceramics
with blue painting were widespread, in imitation of
the China porcelains of the cobalt type, which were
imported to Central Asian.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the ceramics
of Khorezm, like other types of applied art, declined,
and the skill of forming and painting of vessels dropped.
But many traditional features were preserved in the
work of masters, such as items with painting on a
white background and one-color vessels covered with
a turquoise glaze.
The rise of architectural ceramics was a major event
in this art form in Khiva in the first half of the
nineteenth century.
One of the Russian travelers wrote: «They make
very nice large vessels, more durable than ours and
they know to glaze them with various colors».
The potters made not only large items, but also whole
wedding-sets; consisting of several hundred dishes,
separate tureens and cups. Traditional forms and sizes
developed during this period: koshin-badiya, ulu-badiya,
mashadi-badiya, chanoq-badiya. For solemn occasions
special vessels: tuy-tavoq or pudshoi were made. The
centric, four part radial and combined styles of painting
occupied the whole surface of the badiya. The elegance
of plant patterns combined harmonically with refined
cold color in these items.
At the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning
of the twentieth century, despite the hard conditions
of the life and cultural decay, the masters managed
to preserve the traditions of their art. In ceramics
well-known masters were Allakora, usto Yusup-kulol,
usto Veis, Iskandar, and Kalantarov. In general, the
coloring of the painting of ceramics is somewhat darker
at this period; a new green became prevalent, and
white and blue colors were used only for details.
New forms of ornamentation appeared, with new themes
represented.
The art of Khiva ceramic specialists preserved its
peculiarity in the twentieth century as well. In modern
ceramics of Khiva, the dark blue-white-sky blue combination
of colors predominated. Such masters as R. Matchanov,
B.Vaisov, E. Sapaev, A.Yakubov, K. Doschanov and others
prefer it. S. Masharipov, E. Razzakov, M. Bekchanov
prefer yellow-green and brown tones. Two types of
ornament predominate: arabesque and plant-motif.
Artistic ceramics can be divided into three types
according to form. The first is items of small size
and horizontal configurations — badi-ya, chanoq,
deep chanoq, big badiya, deep badiya and taghora.
The second type includes items of big size and high
forms — big jugs, guppi, digirs (vessels for
water mills), big jugs and others. The third consists
of items with vertically elongated forms, but of small
sizes — vases, ceramic forms for making traditional
headwear (chugirma), flowerpots, water vessels, vessels
for milk products (chorquloq), etc.
During the twentieth century one can see development
in the decorative style of Khorezm ceramic art. By
the mid of the twentieth century the large ornament
began to dominate.
Motifs varied. The motives: yaproq (leaves), turt-yaproq
(four leaves), khushruy gul (beautiful flower), olma
(apple flower), combined with patterns: doira (circle),
uchburchak (triangle), yarim doira (semi-circle),
turtburchak (square). The following zoomophic pictures
are widely used: qargha tumshuq (raven's beak), ???
(snake), baliq (fish). The specialists of ceramics
use different methods: engraving, brush painting arid
carved pattern.
The leading place among the Khorezm ceramists belongs
to the potter from the village Madir, R. Matchonov
who continues the traditions of the Khiva School,
as a skilful orria-mentalist and master-painter of
the traditional badiya. The ceramics of this master
is marked by its clearness of the style and vivid
graphics. R. Matchonov mostly uses cobalt; that is
why dark-blue, sky-blue, and darker colors prevail
in his work. The lighter-colored work of S. Atajonov
from Kattabogh is also well known. The badiyas made
by the master E.Sapaev are also highly prized for
their ancient motifs.
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