#palekh

[sovietpostcards]

The Firebird. Vintage wooden box made in Palekh, painted by N. Vanilkova (USSR, 1976).

[russianfolklore]

Palekh painting on a small box with illustration of "Morozko" tale.

Palekh miniature is a Russian folk handicraft of a miniature painting, which is done with tempera paints on varnished articles made of papier-mâché (including the creation of small boxes, cigarette cases, and powder cases).

Morozko (Grandfather Frost) is a spirit of frost or sometimes a wizard of winter. Since the 19th century this character has changed, and now he is a symbol of the New Year holiday. Morozko is similar to Santa Claus in his modern role in russian culture.

[agblend13]

"Polina The Pear" is my newest sculpture, currently in What The Folk, a group exhibition celebrating contemporary folk art! 🍐

The path to inspiration started a few months ago while sketching matryoshka and thinking they looked like funny little gourds. What would it be like to harvest them from the wild? I took the idea further, drawing a variety of growing things with decorated skins and sweet faces. When the opportunity for this show came up, I felt my little apple and pear were perfect candidates for sculpture.

The painted surface is inspired by intricate miniatures known as palekh which depict colorful scenes from myths and folk tales on small black lacquered boxes, brooches, and trinkets. The painting on Polina's stylized head scarf tells the tale of how she was turned into a pear, after inadvertently angering an imp which lived in the pear tree.

On the branch she hangs, waiting for the kind bird, brave doll, or hapless fool that will bring about her deliverance.

💚 Anka

Acrylic painting on paper clay, 3x4", 2025. Available online through Poetic Tiger Gallery

[marlocandeea]

Russian lacquers (Palekh, Fedoskino)

[vintagebarvinok]

[karmagotme]

It's been a hot minute, so here is Part Four of KarmaGotMe's Op Shop Finds!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this. For months I've been looking at all sorts of floral brooches online and I'd seen ones like this selling for around $30 or more, but I found this beauty for $2!

So, this hand painted black lacquer brooch comes from the Pakleh artworks. From what I can tell, brooches and boxes seem to be the main 2 bases, with the majority of the artwork either being floral or religion based (there are others that aren't, you just don't see them often). No two brooches or boxes will ever be the same, so getting your hands on something so unique is just an awesome feeling. I highly recommend checking out what other pieces of art there are from this Russian village.

[mastomysowner]

Mouse and bee

[city-flag-tournament]

✯ Round 8 ✯ Final Match ✯

The current flag of Palekh, Ivanovo Oblast, Russian Federation

vs.

The current flag of Tikiraqjuaq (Whale Cove), Nunavut, Canada

Tournament Policies: ✯ Choose the flag that's more meaningful to you! ✯ Be respectful of place names and cultural symbols in your commentary!

[gesray]

[russianfolklore]

Palekh painting on a small box with illustration of "Morozko" tale.

Palekh miniature is a Russian folk handicraft of a miniature painting, which is done with tempera paints on varnished articles made of papier-mâché (including the creation of small boxes, cigarette cases, and powder cases).

Morozko (Grandfather Frost) is a spirit of frost or sometimes a wizard of winter. Since the 19th century this character has changed, and now he is a symbol of the New Year holiday. Morozko is similar to Santa Claus in his modern role in russian culture.

[flagwars]

Flag Wars 2: Finals

[yesornopolls]

[sovietpostcards]

Vintage Princess Frog lacquer box from Palekh, Russia. Designed by Valentina Smirnova (1973).

[evilios]

The Mountain Craftsman

Created in the traditional style of Palekh miniature, this panel by a Palekh-born artist Kaleria Kukulieva features scenes from Pavel Bazhov's collection of fairy tales about the Malachite Maid also known as "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain".

She is a prominent figure of general Russian fairy tales and local Ural folk tales coined around the area of one of the oldest Ural-based copper mines. Having been in use since around mid-2nd millennium BCE, this mine would receive the folk name "The Copper Mountain".

The Malachite Maid is described differently in various sources. Most frequently she is a stone woman in a dress of malachite who guards the mines and the ore reserves deep in the heart of the Ural mountains. She is a benefactor of respectful miners and seems to favor talented craftsmen, but she is also a protective spirit of the mountain region that punishes those who take her patronage for granted.

In Bazhov's fairy tales, she's a woman of medium height, not very tall, and beautiful to look at. Her hair is black and braided, heavy and going straight down her back; the ribbons in it are presumably made of copper. In other tales, she can transform into or is inherently a green lizard with a golden crown on her head (currently depicted on the coat of arms of the town where the Copper Mountain is located).

Photo source: 🏺

[dramoor]

"When Christ says, “No one comes to the Father except by me,” modern Christians take it to mean that non-Christians go to hell. It is, in fact, a statement about the nature of Trinitarian existence. No one can come to the Father apart from Christ because there is no Father apart from Christ."

~Fr. Stephen Freeman

Icon of the Holy Trinity, by Paternitas 1855 (State Museum of Palekh Art)