New life for painted bowls

Usually we think about bowls when sitting down at a table. Will the bowl in front of us serve our children and grandchildren? What will dishes be like in 100 years? Will our descendants value the things of beauty we left behind? These questions arise when you see the unique collection of earthenware from the late 19th and early 20th century in the Russian Ethnographic Museum. It was created by our ancestors, the potters of the Ukrainian capital of pottery, from Opishne and the nearby villages of Zinkiv raion, Poltava oblast. The Saint Petersburg Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III (currently the Russian Ethnographic Museum) ordered a collection from the famous Ukrainian ceramics scholar Ivan Zaretsky, who collected the bowls throughout 1902-10 in Poltava region.  

The National Museum-Reserve of Ukrainian Ceramics in Opishne has decided to spread knowledge about pottery art masterpieces. They created a national scientific publication project Pottery Heritage of Ukraine of 17th-20th Centuries, covering 70 books. The first book of the series is dedicated to the Opishne painted bowl. 

Soon everybody who wants to learn about the imperishable beauty of pottery will be able to see the rare album Opishne’s Painted Bowl of 19th – Early 20th Century (part of the collection of the Russian Ethnographic Museum in Saint Petersburg). It was prepared by the Ukrainske Narodoznavstvo Publishing House of the National Museum-Reserve of Ukrainian Ceramics in Opishne. Over 250 bowls, hidden for decades, will be shown for pottery fans of the beauty of Opishne painting and form making.  

By the way, the book’s first public presentation will be held at the Fourth Kyiv International Book Exhibition-Fair, which will take place on August 18-21 at the International Exhibition Centre. The results of the national competition “The Best Book of Ukraine” will be announced during the event. Poltava oblast will present its best publications on ethnographic topics. Among them will be Opishne’s Painted Bowl of 19th – Early 20th century. Hopefully the book will be appreciated and attract many readers.

Viktoria Shevchenko is the head of Ukrainske Narodoznavstvo Publishing House of the National Museum-Reserve of Ukrainian Ceramics in Opishne