On January 15, four postage stamps dedicated to the Palekh lacquer miniature were put into postal circulation in the Decorative and Applied Arts of Russia series

Decorative and applied art is a branch of fine art that encompasses various areas of creative activity aimed at creating artistic objects with utilitarian and artistic functions. It is a collective term that broadly combines two extensive types of art: decorative and applied.

The Palekh miniature is a Russian folk art craft that originated in the village of Palekh in the Vyazniki District of the Vladimir Province (presently, the Palekh District of the Ivanovo Region). Lacquer miniatures are painted with tempera on papier-mâché. Commonly, boxes, caskets, pouches, brooches, paintings, ashtrays, tie clips, needle cases, and other items are painted. Palekh had been famous for its icon painters before Peter the Great (along with Mstiora and Kholui icon painters). Palekh icon painting reached its peak in the 18th - early 19th centuries.

In 1918, artists established the Palekh Artistic Decorative craft cooperative, which specialized in painting on wood. The founders of the Palekh style were Ivan Golikov and Alexander Glazunov. The masters assimilated the new material and adapted to it the traditional tempera painting technique and stylistic conventions of images of ancient Russian icons. For the first time, Palekh miniatures on papier-mâché, commissioned by the Handicraft Museum, were presented at the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft-Industrial Exhibition in 1923, where they were awarded a second-degree diploma.

In 1928, a vocational school of ancient painting opened in Palekh. In 1935, the school was transformed into an art technical school. In 1936, the technical school transferred to the All-Union Committee for the Arts and was renamed the Palekh Art School named after M. Gorky.

Typical subjects of the Palekh miniatures are taken from everyday life, literary works by classical authors, fairy tales, epics, and songs. A number of compositions are based on the traditions of classical art. The works are usually painted with tempera paints on a black background and decorated with gold.

The postage stamps provide images of exhibits from the State Museum of Palekh Art: box Honey mushrooms - friendly guys by N. Lopatin (2011), powder case By the River by I. Markichev (1930), brooch Snegurochka by K. Kukulieva (1970), powder case My light, mirror, tell me... by N. Lopatina (1979).

In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg and Palekh of the Ivanovo Region.


Design Artist: Kh. Betredinova.
Face value: 30 rubles.
Stamp size: 37×37 mm, sheet size: 152×152 mm.
Emission form: sheets with formatted margins with 9 (3×3) stamps.
Quantity: 148.5 thousand each stamp (16.5 thousand each sheet).

« back