Watch with the bull

Watch with the lion

Ceramics production

The ceramics was made in the city Skopin which is located in the southwest of the Ryazan region, 109 km far from the regional center. The reference to the city is dating back to the period of ancient Russia, but its fame has been brought by local potters. Skopin is located on the banks of the river Virda. It was named in honor of osprey bird (bloodline of Accipitriformes). Its image was immortalized in the coat of arms and the name of the city.

The Skopin ceramics features

The direct analogies of the Skopin figural ceramic of late XIX - early XX century in Russian pottery are not found. The Skopin ceramics art always had a wide range of products. Wonderful imagination of the masters, exceptional courage of plastic solutions and original designs of vessels, candlesticks and sculptures were the distinctive features of the art. In addition to the laconic ceramic forms vessels with rich stucco, various birds, fish, animals, fairy tale and epic characters images were also made. Ornament was applied by different kinds of stamps and modeling tools on wet clay. The ornament could be vegetable and geometrical, but the geometrical one did prevail. The products were glazed by various shades of brown, yellow, green, gray and blue. The Skopin products are characterized by round bulging eyes, wide-open jaws or beak, massive paws and claws. All this gives the characters a funny formidable expressiveness.

The Skopin ceramics history

The Skopin folk art ceramics craft is a unique phenomenon in Russian culture. Its appearance is obliged to the large quantities of clay deposits in the vicinity of Skopin. Pottery in this area was done in the times of Kievan Rus. The product range was typical for Russian folk ceramics: a variety of pots, jugs, toy whistles. Later Skopin potters, competing with each other in imagination and skill, began to create more complex shapes. So there were glazed figured vessels and candlesticks, stacked, decorated with complex stucco, made in the form of wild animals or birds figures, fish and animals. The demand for decorative products encouraged masters to make them up for sale. Fantasy figures were taken to holiday bazaars in Moscow, Ryazan, Lipetsk, as well as to the southern cities of Russia and Ukraine. They were bought by fanciers of "exotic" folk art , collectors and foreigners.

The industrial production was founded by the brothers Ovodovs in the 1860s. At the beginning of the XX century Skopin products were exhibited at handicraft exhibitions and were repeatedly marked by awards. In 1900 they were presented at the exhibition in Paris. Russian largest museums began to collect Skopin pottersТ works.

At the beginning of the XX century the city had about 50 shops. Subsequently some of them were merged into artel "Ceramic". In 1969 the Skopin artistic ceramics factory was founded on the basis of this artel. Now it exists as CJSC "Skopin art ceramics" and CJSC "Skopin souvenir".

The range of products produced at Skopin trade, as in the old days, is various. The most interesting, truly unique works (kvas vessels, kumgans (narrow-necked vessel for water of Asian origin), candlesticks, sculptures, table clocks, frames for mantel clock) are still made manually by the authors on pottery basis. Also they make a lot of small pottery souvenirs, whistles, pots for flowers.

"Yantar" plant

"Yantar" is the Russian plant in Oryol, manufacturing mechanical and quartz watches. It had been working since September 1950 till September 2004. It was a leader in the production of large-sized interior clocks and alarm clocks.

Since the 1970-s its alarm-clocks were used as the currency. For example, Oryol citizens, going to the sea in the south took an alarm clock. It was a gift for the owners of the house in which they lived. As alarm clocks were lacking, they tried to please the hosts and reduce the cost of living.

Now there are shopping centers and a variety of commercial enterprises on the territory of the former factory.

Up to now "Amber" watches are highly valued and considered one of the achievements of the city.