Gzhel Ceramics

Gzhel is not one village but a group of about thirty in a clay-bearing district southeast of Moscow, potting since at least the fourteenth century and making majolica, stoneware and then porcelain from the eighteenth. The blue and white that everyone recognises is comparatively recent, standardised in the Soviet period from earlier polychrome and blue work. The technique that surprises visitors is the painting: cobalt oxide applied by brush is black or grey when the painter puts it on, and only turns blue in the firing, so painters work knowing the colour they see is not the colour they are making, judging tone by the thickness of the stroke. Factories in the district run tours where the stages can be watched, and a museum holds historical pieces. Quality varies widely between producers, and a great deal of what is sold as Gzhel in Moscow markets comes from elsewhere entirely.

What you actually see

• The black brush - cobalt applied dark and grey, turning blue only in the kiln.
• The stroke technique - tone judged by pressure and thickness, not by visible colour.
• The factory stages - moulding, glazing, painting and firing on a working floor.
• The older ware - majolica and polychrome pieces predating the blue and white standard.

When to go

All year. Two to three hours. Tours run on weekdays and need booking.

Honest expectations

Tours are booked ahead, run in Russian, and factories are closed at weekends. The villages are spread out and hard to move between without a car. Much of the Gzhel sold in Moscow is not from here; buying at the factory shop is the only reliable route.

Nearby

Ramenskoye is the district town; Moscow is about an hour and a half by train.