The small town of Likino-Dulyovo located 80 km from Moscow is known far beyond Russia. Dulyovo is not only a geographical name but also a symbol of the ancient porcelain industry, which is proud of its past and confidently looks into the future.
Porcelain empire
In 1832, Terenty Kuznetsov, a native of the village of Gzhel, founded a porcelain factory on a wasteland near the village of Likino. The company quickly became the leading manufacturer of porcelain in Russia, making folk motifs the special feature of its products. The factory workers used a brush or simply their fingers, creating original images with sweeping strokes. At that time, many women at the factory were called Agafya. Thus, the paintings made in this new technique were known as “agashkas” (a short form of Agafya), creating the unique style of Dulyovo porcelain.
The factory reached its heyday under the grandson of Terenty Kuznetsov, Matvey. He created the Partnership for the Production of Porcelain and Faience Products and expanded his business empire with 10 more porcelain manufacturing enterprises in various Russian provinces. Gradually, the Kuznetsov family owned 18 companies.
The Kuznetsov factories met the needs of all social classes. Ordinary townspeople could purchase crockery made in the best Gzhel traditions, items for reputable merchants were richly decorated with gold, while the noble could purchase refined elegant pieces. Porcelain came into fashion: a high-quality dinnerware set was a popular wedding present, while it was common to give an eggshell tea set at a childbirth. In 1902, Matvey Kuznetsov was included in the honorary list of the suppliers of the Court of His Imperial Majesty and obtained the right to use the image of a double-headed eagle, the symbol of the Russian state, on his products.
World-class porcelain
Even during the upheavals of the 20th century, Dulyovo operated without a hitch. In 1931, Pyotr Leonov became the chief artist of the factory. He established and headed a unique art laboratory with the masters who had worked under Kuznetsov. In 1937, Leonov’s painting Beauty won the Big Gold Medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. Later, at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958, the sculpture Falcon by Alexei Sotnikov became the gem of the Soviet exposition. From 1964 to this day, the image of the Falcon has been a trademark of the Dulyovo Porcelain Factory.
Dulyovo also received special orders. On April 12, 1961, the whole country applauded Yuri Gagarin who became the first human to journey into outer space. A secret order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR approved a list of gifts for the cosmonaut, which included a porcelain vase made in Dulyovo. The factory made the vase, and the next step was to paint the portrait of the first cosmonaut on it. The workers asked Moscow for a photo of Gagarin, while sketching it from live television broadcasts about the flight. Having obtained the photographs, master of photoceramics Viktor Yuryev made a reversal film. Artist Donat Rozhdestvensky made a portrait of the cosmonaut, and Sergei Medvedev decorated the vase with patterns suitable for the occasion. They worked day and night. On April 13, the vase was ready, and it was given solemnly to the hero.
Dulyovo also celebrated the 1980 Summer Olympics. A few years before the event, the enterprise had begun to produce Olympic souvenirs, and the famous Olympic bear became their main character. Viktor Chizhikov, an illustrator of children’s books, developed this image, and the artist of the factory Viktor Ropov transferred it to porcelain items. Tens of thousands of porcelain bears travelled all over the world from Dulyovo.
The Dulyovo Porcelain Factory has long been cooperating with the Russian Vakhtangov Theater. Largely, this is the merit of sculptor Asta Brzezitskaya, who worked at the factory for more than 50 years. Asta portrayed many theater actors in porcelain. To create a composition based on the suite Princess Turandot, she watched this performance at the Vakhtangov Theater as many as 27 times! As theater researcher Boris Poyurovsky recalled, “She was given a seat in the orchestra pit; Asta came with a pencil and a notebook and sketched everyone at every performance.”
From the past to the future
Today, Dulyovo produces over 10 million items a year. The company has a full production cycle, from the preparation of porcelain mass to decoration and firing.
The factory manufactures crockery and tea utensils as well as artistic porcelain with traditional hand-painting, for instance, popular porcelain sculptures inspired by Russian folk tales. The company store, where one can purchase these items, is located right at the enterprise.
Young artists and sculptors both create new works and restore the lost ones, which are then exhibited at the factory museum. After the reconstruction of 2014, the museum has a 1,200 square meters of the exhibition area, and its guests often call the museum the “Ocean of Porcelain.” There you can see the authentic pieces of artists and sculptors who used to work at the factory at different times.
For almost 200 years of its history, the factory has become the key element in the cultural life of the town of Likino-Dulyovo. For three summers running, the town has been hosting the Agashka festival, an old and memorable name for the townspeople. Its program includes porcelain exhibitions, workshops, excursions to the production facilities, round-table meetings, the Porcelain Coquette and Porcelain on Wheels competitions, the Porcelain Wedding ceremony, and much more. The festival has become a hallmark of the city.
Most importantly, the factory still produces porcelain, meticulously and with highest quality, for, as Benjamin Franklin said, “Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked and never well mended.”
Olga Sycheva, Olga Tabunkova