Abramtsevo ceramic workshop: to the question of authorship

The Abramtsevo kustar workshops, which existed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were founded by the Mamontov family, patrons of the arts, who wanted to revive traditional folk crafts and create a new style. The workshops produced a wide range of decorative objects, including ceramics and joinery. Many of the artists who worked in the Abramtsevo workshops were associated with the Russian Art Nouveau movement, so the works created there were characterised by flowing lines, intricate patterns and naturalistic motifs. The ceramic workshop in Abramtsevo was founded in 1889-1890 and became a centre for the production of ceramics decorated with complex patterns and motifs from Russian folk culture. The article explores the insufficiently studied problem of authorship in the creative union of artist Mikhail Vrubel and master technologist Peter Vaulin - active participants of the ceramic workshop. In existing scientific works and museum expositions, Vaulin's contribution often goes unnoticed, which leads to a one-sided perception of the works of art created according to Vrubel’s sketches. The need for a more detailed analysis and illumination of the contribution of all participants in the creative process for an adequate representation of the historical and cultural significance of the works is emphasised. The theme of the creative alliance between Vrubel and Vaulin is revealed on the basis of the sketches of the master technologist and the artist, and attention is paid to the achievements of Peter Vaulin, which enabled the Abramtsevo ceramic workshop to reach the highest technical level and receive awards at the Paris Industrial Exhibition of 1900. Based on the sketches that have survived to this day, a new perspective is offered on the attribution of a number of ceramic products created by the union of Mikhail Vrubel and Pyotr Vaulin, such as the “Peacock” ornament and the mirror of the cooker from the outbuilding of Savva Mamontov’s house on Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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