April 19 at the State Museum of Architecture. Shchusev exhibition " Tiles in Russian architecture"The museum shares the best examples of its collection of building materials, the history of which is dramatic. The collection was collected as a result of expeditions in the 1930s, which the museum sent to save perishing architectural monuments. Many tiles are still handed over by restorers, realizing that through The variety of building materials that were used in Russia in different centuries makes it possible not only to adequately appreciate the art of Russian architecture, but also to recreate lost masterpieces.
Antique tiles
The exhibition presents the most interesting tiles from the 17th - early 20th centuries. In the 17th century, tiled tiles. They were called that because they were covered with green glaze. Green is the color of ant grass, hence the name. Here, for example, is a relief mural tile from 1660, used in the Trinity Church in Kostroma, “There was a vision in Constantinople.”
Tiles were used to decorate churches, bell towers, building facades and stoves. The main artistic themes of the drawings were scenes of battles, images of fabulous animals and birds, plants, as well as heroes of popular literary works of that time. In the 18th century, more colorful tiles began to be used.
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| 8th century tile "Unfortunate Lady" |
During the reign of Peter I, the tastes of the Russian public changed - the sovereign's passion for Europe had an impact. Therefore, by the 8th century, the tiles began to resemble Dutch tiles - thin patterns, white and blue colors.
In addition to individual tiles, at the exhibition you can see panels with saints used in churches
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As well as compositions created in the 1890s by the famous partnership for the production of porcelain and earthenware products M.S. Kuznetsov, from the formal dining room of his estate, and also a lion mask made according to Vrubel’s sketch.
Details and location of the exhibition
The exhibition is currently closed. It took place in Enfilade, hall No. 9 State Museum of Architecture named after. Shchuseva. Address: Moscow, st. Vozdvizhenka, 5/25
The first appearance of tiled decoration in Russia dates back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when ceramic slabs with ornamental relief patterns appeared. Perhaps their appearance is associated with the resettlement of Belarusian artisans who fled from their homeland to Muscovy from the Polish and Lithuanian oppressors. Glazed tiles (covered with poured glaze and fired in a kiln) decorated the Cathedral of the Intercession on the Moat (St. Basil's Cathedral).
At the end of the 16th century, widespread production of “red” antique tiles (stove terracotta tiles made from red clay) began in Moscow. The tiles were molded in wooden molds (photo below) with a cut-out three-dimensional pattern (by analogy with the ancient technology of preparing Russian gingerbread) using the so-called “stuffing” method.
At the beginning of the 16th century, mass production of “murky” tiles, usually covered with green glaze, began in Moscow.
The heyday of Russian tile art came in the second half of the 17th century and is associated with the widespread distribution of multi-colored relief tiles. Belarusian craftsmen brought the secrets of making opaque glazes (usually called enamels) to Moscow. Bright multi-colored stoves became the main element of the interiors of houses in Rus', and tiled facade elements decorated numerous buildings and structures of that time. Moscow has preserved some of them, for example, the Intercession Cathedral (1671-1679) and the Bridge Tower (early 1670s) in Izmailovo, the tiles for which were made by Moscow masters Stepan Ivanov (Polubes) and Ignat Maximov. Some elements of tiled decor in Moscow of the 17th century are shown in the photo in the materials of this article.
Tile art in the exterior decoration of churches reaches special heights in Yaroslavl. The seventeenth century becomes golden for him. At this time, Yaroslavl acquires those unique features that have become its distinctive feature for centuries. At that time there were seven monasteries and 50 churches in the city. Massive churches made of red brick, crowned with green domes, with slender bell towers directed upward, competing in beauty and monumentality, stood in one line on the high bank of the river. Rich tile patterns with multi-colored canvas covered the walls of cathedrals, window frames, and dome drums. In terms of the richness and variety of tiled decoration, other churches cannot compare with such churches as St. John the Baptist, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Nicholas the Wet. Some unique Yaroslavl cathedrals are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The 18th century in Russian life is characterized by the further penetration of European artistic trends into traditional art, which entailed some changes in the artistic tastes of society. Tiled art did not escape this either. Here, first of all, it is necessary to note the role of Peter 1, who, during his visit to Holland in 1697-1698, noticed with his keen eye the beautiful “tiles” that almost every citizen had in the house. He gave the order to produce smooth white tiles, on which to apply designs with blue glaze, and thus opened a new and promising direction in tile art. This direction is the main one to this day - smooth, beautiful, dear to the heart and eye tiles brighten up life and provide warmth in our cold winters. And today, smooth, silky from the vitrified glaze, tender under the hand, storing the heat of the oven and giving it to people, multi-colored - the tiles are irreplaceable and impeccable. Moreover, their sparkling surface is always new, you just need to wipe them with a wet cloth. The stoves in old estates still amaze and attract our attention. In addition, smooth glazed ceramics have other properties, for example, dust does not burn on clean tiles (which is harmful to health) and they increase the heat transfer of stoves by about 10% (compared to the brickwork of an unfinished stove).
The tiles of the 18th century became different - a smooth front surface, a restrained color scheme, a variety of plots made in the style of painting. The heroes of the plots were people from different walks of life and in different situations.
By the end of the century, multi-colored images of flowers, bouquets and birds prevailed in tiled painting. Ancient ceramic tiles in the form of individual elements or panels were an integral part of the complex architectural composition of stoves, the main decoration of the interior.
In the 19th century, tile production became widespread; products were produced in a wide range and varied in cost and artistic value for a wide range of consumers. The tiles were intended primarily for finishing stoves, which are perhaps the main and absolutely necessary element of Russian life.
Occupying a very special place in Russia, the production of M.S. Kuznetsov, who produced porcelain and earthenware, also produced antique tiles in a fairly wide range. Thus, the 1899 catalog of the “M.S. Kuznetsov Partnership” offered 18 types of stoves and fireplaces, many different types of individual tiles and tiles, two icon cases and one iconostasis.
Simultaneously with factory production, individual production was also developing, creating a number of remarkable works of Russian tile art.
In 1858, during the restoration of the chambers of the Romanov boyars on Varvarka, according to the sketches of the architect F. Richter, ancient stoves with tiles in the style of the “ancient masters” were recreated. Although they differ from the ancient originals, they are nevertheless interesting as the works of a talented artist who rethinks ancient art from the perspective of his time.
At the end of the 19th century, major artists and ceramists became interested in tiled art, primarily Mikhail Vrubel, who created a number of masterpieces on the Abramtsevo estate. He has made very good progress in his work and has developed a number of new glazing and firing technologies using his own glazes in a wide range of colors. He created sculptural compositions previously unseen in Russia (for example, a bench in the garden and a stove bench with a lion's head, wonderful arrangements of stoves and fireplaces), lined with colored ceramics, which are masterpieces of ceramic art. Mikhail Vrubel was at the same time a great artist (it is not for nothing that his paintings occupy an entire room in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow), a significant sculptor and a strong innovating technologist in ceramic production.
At this time, significant interest in ancient cultural heritage, in particular, tiled art, appeared in Russian society. This interest was embodied in the widespread use of multi-colored tiles to decorate the facades of buildings and structures, and also contributed to the production of copies of ancient tiles and new tiles in the “retro” style.
After the 1917 revolution, tile art, like all types of art, underwent very significant changes. In the first post-revolutionary period, constructivism and modernism became the main directions in almost all types of art; tiled art also did not escape this influence.
Then art returned to realism (socialist realism). In literature, in painting, in sculpture, and, of course, in ceramics, industrial themes began to predominate; people of labor and nature were depicted, mostly without artistic refinement and complexity. But the production of tiles has practically disappeared
The geography of the products presented in the collection is equally extensive, including tiles from Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ustyug, Vologda, Kaluga, Vladimir and other famous centers, as well as samples of European and Oriental ceramics.
The collection includes the oldest ceramic glazed tiles, which were used to decorate the buildings of Kievan Rus in the 10th–11th centuries; relief terracotta slabs, which at the end of the 15th century came to Muscovite Rus' to replace traditional white stone carvings; The first, so-called “red” stove tiles - ceramic tiles with a box on the back for fastening, adorned stoves from the end of the 16th century.
Terracotta slab from the decoration of the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of the Moscow Kremlin
1485–1486
Stove tile
End of the 16th – beginning of the 17th centuries.
Exhibition “Milestones in the history of Kolomenskoye”
at the Front Gate of the Sovereign's Court in Kolomenskoye
The basis of the museum collection consists of relief mural and polychrome tiles of the 17th century. They arrived at the museum at the end of the period 1920–1930, when monuments of church and secular architecture were being destroyed everywhere. Thanks to the enthusiasm of P.D. Baranovsky and his associates in the funds of the Kolomenskoye Museum managed to preserve fragments of tiled decoration of numerous Moscow churches and bell towers: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Pillars (1669), St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Appeared on the Arbat (early 1680s), Adrian and Natalia in Meshchanskaya Sloboda (1688), Kozma and Demyan in Sadovniki (1689), Trinity in Zubov (1680s) and others. A special place among the examples of facade ceramics is occupied by ceramic panels depicting the Evangelists, made by Moscow craftsmen at the end of the 17th century.
Second half of the 17th century. – truly the “golden age” of Russian tile art, the time of the appearance and widespread distribution of multi-colored tiles in the decoration of stoves and building facades.
Mural tile from the decor of the Trinity Church in Kostroma
Moscow production,
Around 1650
Exhibition “Milestones in the history of Kolomenskoye”
at the Front Gate of the Sovereign's Court in Kolomenskoye
Ceramic panel “Bird with Fruit”, from the decor of the bell tower of the Church of Kozma and Demyan in Sadovniki in Moscow
1689
Exhibition “Masters. Technique and art of the Russian builder of the 15th–19th centuries"
in the Atrium of the Repository in Kolomenskoye
Ceramic panel “Evangelist Luke” from the decor of the Cathedral of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils of the St. Danilov Monastery in Moscow
Exhibition “Masters. Technique and art of the Russian builder of the 15th–19th centuries" in the Atrium of the Repository in Kolomenskoye
Tiled stove from St. Michael's Church of the German Settlement in Moscow
1680s
Exposition “Milestones in the history of Kolomenskoye” at the Front Gate of the Sovereign’s Court in Kolomenskoye
The 18th century stove tiles presented in the collection, made using the enamel painting technique, which replaced ancient Russian products, reflect a new “living acceptance of the world”, a change in a person’s idea of his place in life.
Smooth painted stove tile
Mid-18th century
Russia Moscow
An outstanding work by artist Mikhail Vrubel, the tiled fireplace “Mikula Selyaninovich and Volga,” made in 1898, is evidence of the return of Russian artists to the “art of clay” at the end of the 19th century and the embodiment of ancient Russian traditions in a new artistic language.
Fireplace "Mikula Selyaninovich and Volga"
M. Vrubel
1898
Ceramic products of the Soviet period, primarily experimental tiles with portraits of V.I. Lenina, I.V. Stalin, with images of workers and Red Army soldiers complete the thousand-year history of Russian tiles presented in the museum’s collection.
Ceramic tiles
D. Tsipirovich
1928.
Moscow, Institute of Silicates
Currently, the tile fund continues to be replenished mainly due to archaeological finds on the territory of Moscow, as well as individual tiles or complete stove sets from old Moscow houses.
Interior is a multifaceted word that evokes its own associations for each person - some see themselves in a room with a classic design, for others historical motifs are the main ones in the style, and some imagine placing a stove in the living room, which will be decorated with antique tiles .
The beauty of the tiles successfully complements the modern interior. A modern fireplace, which is found in most country houses, can be easily turned into a luxurious source of heat at the owner’s request; all you need to do is lay tiles.
Tiles: what are they?
Tiles are ceramic products that differ from the usual tiles in that they are a work of art, since the production process uses hand-painting techniques, which makes them a unique product and arouses genuine interest among connoisseurs of antiquity.
The patterns on the tiles are not repeated; the brightness of the colors allows the glaze to be preserved. These elements are made from a certain type of clay and are fired in a kiln, traditional for ceramics, but they are distinguished from others by their unusual shape - a box. It allows the finishing material to conserve heat more effectively. The tile fits tightly into the masonry and leaves no gaps, which makes it strong, durable and unique. Thanks to this material, you can bring back to life old stoves that have an unpresentable appearance.
Variety of antique finishing materials
Tile stoves have a long history, so it is not surprising that there are quite a lot of styles and trends in design. The most unusual and original is Russian - it is based on bright color combinations and unusual, intricate patterns.
The Dutch style is based on monochrome painting, which is emphatically strict, but imparts coziness to the room. Used in the homes of wealthy citizens. The Flemish style is similar to the Dutch, but the main colors of the painting are blue and brown.
Ancient tiles often depicted stylized plants and flowers, fairy-tale characters or animals, and mythical scenes, so everyone can choose an option for themselves.
The firing process is complex and cannot be done with your own hands without special devices. The blanks are filled with fireclay clay, then dried for two weeks and only then sent to an electric oven, where they are fired at very high temperatures. The first batch is called the title batch, and the quality of all other elements is determined by it. Then comes the turn of applying the glaze and re-firing, after which the corresponding design is applied and another firing is carried out.
Furnace lining: features
Whether a modern or antique stove is present in the house, they are all part of an art that is passed down from generation to generation. In order to keep it in good condition, it is necessary to carry out cladding, which must be carried out according to certain rules that guarantee durability.
Cladding existing and functioning stoves, as well as modern fireplaces, with tiles is a task that requires special skill and knowledge. Specialists who can carry out all the work taking into account the standards and requirements are respected and appreciated, since they not only decorate the stove, but also improve its functionality. Lined with tiles, it increases its heat transfer several times.
The main and most important feature of the masonry process that exists is that first the ceramic products - tiles - are installed directly, and only then the brick body of the furnace itself is mounted on them. Ceramics for cladding can be flat, cornice and even corner.
What all ceramic elements used in lining stoves and fireplaces have in common is that they all have a box shape, a glaze coating (plain or colored) and a special fastening system called a rump. If you are just planning a stove or fireplace in the interior, then you should not abandon the cladding, as it will allow them to be integrated into the decor of the room as harmoniously as possible, and will also preserve the strength of the structure. It is important to remember that the distinctive feature of these finishing elements is that they save time - they can be stolen immediately, that is, the finishing of the stove with tiles is carried out simultaneously with its laying. However, the work is very labor-intensive, so doing it yourself, you should prepare as much as possible or trust it to professionals who know all the nuances and subtleties of this construction art.
Preparing materials for work
The peculiarity of the preparation of materials is directly related to the fact that tiles are inherently a one-piece, exclusive product. That is why the first stage of preparatory work is sorting, which includes type and size, as well as color and pattern if ornamental masonry is planned. The sorting of defective products deserves special attention - all tiles that will be used in the cladding process must be of high quality; defective glaze or cracks are unacceptable, since the effect of their use will be lost. It is not difficult to do all these actions with your own hands.
When doing the laying with your own hands, you should remember the rule - dark colors are laid down, light rows are up, so you can arrange the existing ceramic products by shade in advance to save time. Unnoticeable “defects” are allowed for installation in the side areas.
The next stage of preparation is “adjusting” the size and sanding the sides. For convenience, it is recommended to create a standard according to which to process all other elements.
Immediately before laying, the material is soaked in water - this will improve the adhesion of the ceramics to the clay solution.
Cladding process
The actual process of do-it-yourself cladding begins with carefully laying out the first row of ceramic elements. This step is the same for both stoves and fireplaces. After the stove is decorated with the first row, the stove body made of bricks is attached to it. Recommendations for installation: first, installation is carried out without using clay mortar, the position of the elements is fixed, then you need to disassemble the row and, starting from the corners, work using mortar. Next, you should proceed according to the following simple scheme, which is not difficult to reproduce with your own hands:
- 1st row – brickwork
- 2nd row – tiles
- 3rd row – tiller
- 4th row – pin
- Row 5 – staple
- Row 6 – wire
- Row 7 – loops for fastening.
The pump needs to be filled with clay mortar to ½ volume and small pebbles pressed into it as tightly as possible - it is better to use river pebbles. A layer of masonry mortar is applied on top, which should reach the sides. Next, you need to press the brick to the product. At the moment when the brickwork becomes equal in height to the level of the tiled row, the finishing material needs to be tied together with wire.
Advice: it is best to pass the wire through the bends of the fasteners, which should then be upset, and the ends of the wire should be carefully brought out into the brickwork.
It is recommended to fasten the vertical rows of tillers with steel brackets for better strength of the oven; it is important to ensure that they snap into place. The thickness of the seam between two horizontal rows, which is allowed when laying, must be at least 3 mm, since the decorative part will settle along with the brick base. In order for the stove or fireplace to look attractive, these recommendations must be strictly followed.
Having completed the finishing and creation of the brickwork, you need to thoroughly clean all the seams formed during the process using an awl, and then rinse the surface of any remaining mortar and dry it well.
The next stage in improving stoves or fireplaces is applying gypsum dough to the seams. It should dry for a few minutes, and the excess amount can simply be removed with a dry cloth. The final stage of finishing stoves and fireplaces with your own hands is drying, which lasts 14-21 days depending on the microclimate in the room. Attention - during this time it is prohibited to light the stove or fireplace..
Conclusion
Today you can preserve the ancient art of decorating stoves by turning to a master or doing all the necessary steps yourself. Among the main decorative styles, you can choose the one most suitable for your existing interior. If you want something unusual, then the painting can have oriental motifs or be based on a mythological plot.
The front side of the three-dimensional ceramic decoration for the stove has a pattern, which is additionally covered with glaze, which performs not only decorative, but also protective functions. The unusual shape of the open box allows you to increase the strength of the product, and with it the reliability of the entire masonry. The durability of the structure is ensured by the air cushion between the layers, which prevents the formation of fungus or mold. It’s not difficult to do such masonry with your own hands, but if you don’t have enough experience, then it’s best to turn to a professional.
If you want to create an exclusive decoration option for the fireplace, then you need to contact a craftsman who, based on the provided sketches, will be able to carry out the work of creating tiles.
Izraets is an original Russian word, derived from the ancient “sample” - this is what ceramic decorations for the outer walls of temples, palaces and the lining of stoves in state rooms were called until the end of the 17th century. The art of architectural ceramics itself has a long history, its roots go back to the times of Ancient Egypt, Assyria and Babylonia. The widespread use of ceramic tiles in the architecture of different countries could not bypass Rus'. However, Russian masters used tiles in their own way to decorate the exterior and interior of the building, which made this type of art unique and inimitable. Tiled decorations were an integral part of the architectural design of buildings; tiled stoves played a large role in decorating the interiors of temples, palaces, princely and boyar towers.
The origins of Russian tiled art should be sought in ancient Kyiv of the 10th-11th centuries, Ryazan and Vladimir of the 12th century. During archaeological excavations in these cities, the first Russian ceramic products covered with transparent multi-color glazes were found.
Almost simultaneously in Rus' in the 17th century, several types of different designs of tiles developed in parallel. These are the so-called terracotta, which were made from red types of clay, tiled (tiles covered with green lead glaze) and colored, covered with various types of colored glaze, mainly turquoise, yellow, green and white.
In the 18th century, Peter I brought to Russia the famous “Dutch” tiles painted with cobalt on white enamel, which became trendsetters in tile stove fashion for many decades.
The magnificent fireplace in the Bishop's House in Krasnoyarsk, which was later destroyed, was decorated with German tiles. These few photographs are practically all that remains of this fireplace, and in many ways I used them to create my first tiles.
To produce stove tiles, wooden molds were used; the tile's rumpa (leg) was made either by hand or using a potter's wheel.
By the way, the rumpa is one of the biggest and most important “secrets” of the tile. Indeed, it is thanks to the presence of the rumpa that the tile is not simply glued to the surface of the stove or fireplace, but is mounted using wire during installation of the product, which undoubtedly increases the reliability of fastening - this not tile glue, which can fall off. Look at the Dutch ovens in the Hermitage, or the fireplaces decorating the Menshikov Palace - some of them are several centuries old!
In addition, the rumpa, which is hollow inside, becomes a wonderful source of long-term heat. During the heating of the furnace, the air inside the boiler heats up and then evenly releases heat into the room over several hours. The temperature in these voids reaches 100° C, which, however, does not affect either the brick or the tile at all. The stable heat transfer of lined stoves and fireplaces, which is significantly higher than that of brick ones, is maintained for several tens (or even hundreds) of years.
The environmental friendliness of tiles also plays a significant role. Due to shrinkage, the tiles do not have microcracks, and stove gases do not escape into the room. The installation method developed hundreds of years ago also contributes to this.
Today, tiles are also made by hand, but the molding is no longer done in wood, but in plaster molds. How a tile model is developed and then the tiles themselves are produced is in the next master class.
In preparing this master class, materials from the book by S.A. were used. Maslikh "Russian tiled art of the 15th-19th centuries"
