A Hand Block Printed Vintage Russian Shawl with Mirabilis

 ...Long time, no see. I know I am supposed to write more often, but my real life has been too busy lately. I will write an update later - it will also help me to take stock of my news - and in the meantime I just want to share this fantastic vintage hand block printed shawl that I have in stock currently.

The shawl is brilliantly bright, even for a vintage piece (modern ones are mostly muted, but vintage were bold and rich). This one is especially vibrant. I love those huge flowers - they certainly make a statement - and the relaxed ease of the drawing, where flowers seem to be moving under the wind. Their playful disarray lends a lot of life to the print. I think that the lily-like flowers are actually Mirabilis jalapa, the marvel of Peru or four o'clock flower, that blooms at night - they are very popular in Russia.

This is a fantastic Russian shawl; they do not print them by hand anymore, which is a good thing, since this was a very hard and harmful work to do. However, these shawls are amazing, and I love them much more than modern mass produced specimens. For now, it is available in my Etsy shop, MulberryWhisper.

On Cherry Blossom and Lost Wanderers

I spent twenty minutes under the Japanese cherry tree today, marvelling at its ethereal beauty. We have only had these trees for ten years or so, I think; they are not native to Uzbekistan. The one I was admiring today grows near the Navoi Opera Theatre which was built by the Japanese prisoners after WWII, and I believe the tree has a symbolic meaning - was planted there for a reason.

I must admit that the topic of Japanese prisoners never was of a great interest to me - you see, our life in USSR was infused by the war, we were eating and drinking war - no, breathing it... every family would have veterans, or someone who was killed, or both; there were all those countless books, films, memorials - what does a handful of prisoners mean compared to this huge array of memories, evidence, emotions? However, when you stand under this tree, next to the theatre build by the prisoners from a faraway country, you have to think about them. I read that there were almost 24 thousands Japanese PoW in Uzbekistan, and that most of them survived - only 817 died and were buried here. Local people are kind, and even in the hungry time after the war they would share food with the foreigners. As one article said, "If civilians treated German prisoners like enemies, the Japanese were looked upon as tired wanderers far from home".

I hope that most of those lost wanderers finally made it home.

Rose Evening - a Real Hand Block Printed Russian Shawl

Many sellers on Ebay or Etsy will claim that Russian shawls they are selling are handmade or at least hand block printed. Well, in most cases that is a complete nonsense. The modern Russian shawls as we know them - those made at the Pavlovo Posad Manufacture - are not handmade. They are mass made at a large factory. However, the Manufacture produced hand block printed shawls till 1974: the last such shawl was Russia by Ekaterina Dadonova. As this was quite a long time ago, and Russian shawls, although strong, are made of wool which deteriorates with time and is beloved by moth, there are not too many around in our days. And I can assure you that in most cases the shawls stated to be hand printed are not. This can be a mistake or a marketing move, it depends on the person I guess. Actually I made this mistake myself a couple of times, thinking that vintage shawls printed by photo film method were hand printed (in all instances they were designed by Simeon Ryjov, and his designs always look like hand printed). Now I know better.  

This topic merits a separate lengthy post with examples of different printing methods, but now I just want to show a shawl which was definitely hand block printed. It is called "Rose Evening" and this was an antique design restored by Victor Zubritsky ("Розовый вечер", художник Виктор Зубрицкий, ручная печать). To me, it is immediately obvious that this is a hand block printed shawl: it has that living and breathing quality of print that I value so much. It is as alive as a watercolour, with same lovely imperfections. Some lines seem to be trembling, and dye can run a little beyond the contours, lending a very touching feel of alive beauty to this design.

This shawl is not for sale at the moment, but we have many others in our Etsy shop.

A Different Shawl

Some Russian shawls are really famous and recognisable. For instance, this one was featured in a very famous old Soviet movie called "The Gypsy" ("Цыган"), where it was worn by a very beautiful young actress, Matlyuba Alimova (Матлюба Алимова). The movie is from 1976, so the shawl is quite vintage.

I do love shawls which are different. I handle so many of them, and some are truly stunning, with lavish and intricate design, with huge roses and rich colours. I like all of them, but sometimes I become a bit tired of sophistication and luxury, and a shawl full of grasses and wild flowers is a welcome change. This one also has hydrangea which I love. I have it in stock, and I foresee that it will not last, so get it now if you want it.

A Sunday Shawl and a Wind Orchestra

Vintage shawls have a very special appeal for me. A Russian shawl was a very important accessory for a Russian woman, and my great grandmother was not an exclusion. She loved her shawls and wore them a lot, both cotton and wool. I am sure she would love a shawl like this - lavish, festive, light, and somehow unmistakably Soviet. It reminds me of city parks of my very early childhood. I cannot describe them to you; they were to be seen. Very well cared for, full of flowers, and with paths covered in red sand. And on Sundays there would always been a wind orchestra, playing tango and waltz, and people danced. And there would be women wearing their shawls...  Or maybe this is not even what I remember myself, because the picture of parks that I see in my mind is more like post-WWII, and I could not have seen it. Feels like genetic memory, rather. 

This rare and beautiful shawl is for sale in my Etsy shop here. 

And this is a song that keeps coming to my mind when I look at this shawl: 

It is an old Russian (Soviet) song, about love and a wind orchestra playing in the park. 

Wine Colored Russian Shawl

This burgundy coloured beauty is now for sale in our Etsy shop, Mulberry Whisper. This is a classic Russian shawl with a traditional design, full of roses and lilies, framed with garlands of smaller flowers. It is vintage from 1970s-1980s. This is a lovely shawl, I have a similar one in black here, also a beauty. Every find like this brings me lots of joy; looking at them, touching and draping them is a pleasure.

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, Illustrated by Kalinovsky

Now I have the privilege of owning this amazing book - Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There with illustrations by Gennady Kalinovsky, an eminent Soviet (Russian) artist. I collect books with his works, and this one is a pearl of my collection. No, not even a pearl. A Cullinan diamond!

I am sure no one needs extended comments and explanations, as everyone has read the book. If you have not, or if you have forgotten - read it! It is a true masterpiece. I have read a good review of the illustrations today and it said that probably the book was so fascinating and outstanding not because it was clever, full of chess and mathematics and absurdities and curiosities, but because it was full of love for the girl, and these illustrations do reflect that love and desire to take care. I think this might be true. And although Alice is not as pretty here as in some other books, she is very touching, vulnerable and alive. And all the creatures are of course immensely cute! The White Queen is so helpless and silly, and the Black Queen is condensed fury and determination. My favourite one, however, is Alice in the boat, floating among flowers and lights. It is pure magic and I love it.

Yes, some people still need and want paper books. Just look at this magic of lines and shades. And imagine a child reading this, and his or her imagination working, transforming this into a different reality, playing with the words and images - instead of just watching a bright movie, as simple as fast food.

These are the illustrations which are clickable - enjoy! I have not scanned them, but found them here.