On December 10, a stamp dedicated to clay toys was put into postal circulation in the Decorative and Applied Arts of Russia series

Clay toys is a collective name for products of Russian folk crafts, combining the means of decorative and applied arts, fine arts and musical elements. Traditional folk toys vary in type, material, and manufacture method. Many regions of Russia are famous for their clay toys. They are named after their place of origin: Dymkovo, Filimonovo, Kargopol, and Stary Oskol clay toys.

Each region has its own distinctive features in the creation of clay toys. As a commercial folk craft, the production of Russian toys took shape in the 18th–19th centuries in the regions of the Russian North (Arkhangelsk Region), central Russia (Kaluga, Moscow, Orel, and Tula Regions), and the Volga Region (Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Penza Regions).

Folk artists express their ideas about the world, nature, and people in their toys, creating expressive images. The subjects of these toys are diverse: traditional horses, whistling birds, rams, bears, buffoons, female figures, horsemen, and many other creatures. For people in ancient times, a clay toy was primarily a sacred, magical object. Its shape, ornamentation, coloring, and the sound it produces (whistling) had a specific meaning.

In their work, the craftsmen used clay and several modelling sticks, which were employed to form the figurine, made holes, and applied ornamentation. The finished figurines were dried and fired. In the old days, they were either left unpainted whatsoever or covered with glaze, just like dishes. The main motifs of the paintings were nature and the surrounding world.

The postage stamp features symbolic images of clay toys, corresponding to the traditions of the artistic craft that developed in the Penza region.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamp, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow and Penza, as well as a maxi-card, and an illustrated cover with a tête-bêche and a label inside.


Artist: A. Saltykova; Design: V. Zatologina.
Face value: 25 rubles.
Stamp size: 35×35×50 mm, sheet size: 168×168 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 18 (9 tête-bêches) stamps.
Quantity: 369 thousand stamps (20.5 thousand sheets).

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