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Art department
Art department of the
museum reflects culture and national traditions of Totma. Totma’s
craftsmen have become a part of history of Russian culture as creators
of remarkable works of art. It both woodcarving, and art processing of
metal, ceramics, weaving, an embroidery. For a long time Russian North
was famous for its craftsmen which were engaged in woodcarving. Art of
woodcarving is presented in the museum by a collection of furniture and
subjects of a rural life: distaffs, sewing devices, dishes. Some
products made of birch bark such as baskets, tuesa, pesters, tanks, foot
and even boots are really beautiful.
Products of potter's art:
relief colorful tiles, pottery and amusing toys cause admiration.
Elegant tiles decorated walls of temples and furnaces in houses.
Totma’s women were engaged
in weaving and embroidery. Doormats, linen cloths and towels are weaved
in traditions of former centuries. Sleeves of shirts, sundresses, other
subjects of clothes and house furniture are decorated with embroidery.
In the art department you
will get acquainted with the spiritual culture of Totma’s merchants of
XVIII-XIX centuries. Totma’s merchants were really interested in art,
they had good taste, were engaged in charity and collecting pieces of
art. The furniture made of valuable breeds of a tree refined porcelain
and faience utensils, various lighting devices, female ornaments most
precisely transfer a way of life of Totma’s merchants.
Totma’s people were proud
of Peter craft school founded in 1899. The purpose of school - "
preparation of craftsmen-toymakers, capable to develop a handicraft work
in Totma". There were 6 workshops in school: carving workshop, turning
workshop, picturesque-painting workshop, basket-making workshop,
joiner's workshop, tinsmith’s workshop. Leading branch of school was
toys manufacturing. Pupils made toys of birch bark, willow rod, wood,
tin, paper.
In 1905 on the World's
fair in Liege (Belgium) products of pupils of this school received the
highest award - "Grand prix". At the beginning of XX century Totma got
the name of toy-makers city...
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