Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts (Latvia), Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion (Belarus) and Panevezys Local Lore Museum (Lithuania) joint virtual exhibition – pottery.   Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts   In Latgale, the folk pottery, which has been developed over a long period of time, has survived to this day. It has developed in two directions – practical and, since the 1930s, also decorative. The brightest examples of decorative pottery are a candle holder, a whistle (a clay whistle in the form of an animal or a bird, or a mythical creature), a wall or table plate, a set of dishes, also a vase or a flower pot. Since the 1930s, the works of Latgale potters can be seen not only in exhibitions in Latvia, but they also travel to other countries of the world. The largest exhibition of Latgale ceramics in Western Europe takes place in 1937 at the World’s Fair in Paris, where ceramic Andrejs Paulāns receives a diploma and a gold medal. The profession of pottery is often inherited from generation to generation, so to this day we can speak of the families of potters. The largest folk pottery center not only in Latgale, but also in the whole of Latvia is located in the vicinity of Lake Feimaņi. Whole families of potters have formed here (for example, Paulani, Ušpeļi, Vilcāni, Čerņavski), which have produced many notable potters during the last century. In terms of artistic language, this area is united and has entered the literature of art history as “Silajāņi pottery”. The ceramic collection of Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts contains 398 objects, and a significant part of it consists of the works of Silajāņi ceramics.     The relief depicts a hunting scene, white clay glaze, decorated with a zigzag, scratched pattern, ornament of pressed holes. Covered with a copper green. Andrejs Paulāns was born in Šembeļi village, Silajāņi parish, Rēzekne district. The potter learned his work skills from his father – the famous potter Izidors Paulāns. He began to work intensively with pottery in 1918. Starting from 1933, he participated in exhibitions not only in Latvia, but also abroad. In the 1930s he became the leading potter in Latgale and Latvia. 1958 admitted to the Artists’ Union. A. Paulāns made mugs, flower vases, multi-branched candle holders, decorative wall plates, but a special place in A.Paulāns’ works is occupied by whistles and everyday scenes created in figural compositions. After the death of A. Paulāns, his workshop in 1974 was transferred to Rainis Museum in Jasmuiza.     The photo was taken at the ceremony honouring the old master of ceramics Polikarps Čerņavskis (1923-1997) in Preili after receiving the Order of the Three Stars on March 4, 1996. P. Čerņavskis was born in Jurīši village, Silajāņi parish, Rēzekne district. He learned the craft from his godfather, the potter Polikarps Vilcāns (1894–1969). Worked in Babri, Silajāņi parish. In 1983 he moved to Preili, where he established his own ceramics school. P. Čerņavskis devoted most of his creative life to decorative ceramics. He made vases, mugs, candle holders, wall plates, tableware, and at the end of his life he was engaged in small sculpture. He has participated in exhibitions since 1942. The most important: in Rezekne, Riga, Geneva, Moscow, Vilnius, Kaunas, Romania, Poland, Germany. The successors of his work Jāzeps Caics and Raivo Andersons still work in the workshop of Polikarps Čerņavskis in Preiļi, where the exposition of Preili Museum of History and Applied Arts dedicated to his work is also located. Photo: Igors Pličs.     A. Ušpelis received his education at the ceramics department of Rēzekne School of Applied Arts. Since 1964, he has participated in many exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, as well as in local and international fairs. In 1972 he was admitted to the Latvian Artists’ Union. The bowl is made in the form of a traditional bread bowl. Antons Ušpelis dedicated this decorative ceramic bread bowl to the memory of his grandfather Aleksandrs Kancāns. On the lid are female and children’s figures, the inscription “My grandfather’s life in the old field…”, a plastic zigzag at the top of the bowl, surrounded by a relief composition with plots: plowing the earth, sowing seeds, mowing, threshing grain, grinding grain, kneading dough. The dish can be seen in the exposition of the Preili Museum of History and Applied Art “Museum Stories for Latvia”   Hrodna State Museum of the History of Religion   The Pottery Museum Collection of the Grodno State Museum of the History of Religion began to form in 1977. It is based on artifacts made of clay, porcelain, and faience (sculpture, dishes, art and craft items, household items, souvenirs, toys, including penny whistles). At the beginning of 2021, the Pottery Museum Collection numbered about 1,500 museum items, including items created by local craftsmen in accordance with folk traditions, as well as industry samples used mainly in urban environments.     Among the most valuable items in the collection is the figurine “Cupid with a baby goat” (Berlin, 1763-1765) from the “Seasons of the Year” series. The European porcelain appeared not earlier than 1709 and items made from it were a luxury for a long time. The presented “Cupid” was part of a pair composition and depicts autumn in allegorical form. The composition was complemented by “Girl with a lamb”, which was associated with spring. Friedrich Elias Meyer is considered to be the author of the model on which the figurine was created. He was a talented sculptor who worked at the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory in 1748-1761 and in 1763 he moved to Berlin. Porcelain cupid figurines were produced for centuries. Even after World War II, cupids remained the favorite heroes of plots captured in porcelain.     The item was made by the famous folk master, hereditary potter Anton Tokorevsky (1904-1984). It is made in the archaic technique of smoked black ceramics, which continues to be used in some regions of Western … Continue reading Virtual exhibition “Pottery”