Tea - a traditionally favorite Russian drink. The practice is to drink tea in colorfully painted cups. With jam, bagels, rusks or pies. They usually put the samovar or the kettle on the tray and if suddenly the water is spilled it goes on the tray and not on the tablecloth. Look at the tray. It is black, with a bunch of bright, red flowers in middle and there is an almost invisible tiny gold ornament along the rim. This is famous Zostovo Tray.

The history of the trade is over 150 years old that is since 1825. When the Vishnyakov brothers opened their business painting metal trays in the village of Zhostovo, not far from Moscow.

The production of trays is based on lasting traditions. The trays are usually black, though they can be green, dark blue and others. They have various forms, up to thirty. Zhostovo craftsmen created their own original art style - Russian folk paintings on daily tray is put up in final form with a special technology. The trays had been lacquering black a few times and only after that an artists started working on it. The artists use a number of traditional techniques that have been proved over the years.

Usually the artist does only a slight marking of the future painting. Neither a preliminary drawing is used, not a suggested one. The artist improvises every time, composing right on the tray. Therefore every single tray - they will have their distinctions.

Though the most traditional painting is flowers on the tray, sometimes they depict fruits and cherries, rarely animals or insects. The flower paintings are realistic and most common, but the artists never copy the natural forms, though they know their structures and colour well. Usually the painted flowers are more luxuriant and calorific than the ones we can see in the field or in the garden. The artists combine reality and imagination. They create a bright and pageantry picture of individual with its own favorite themes, compositions and a kind of flower. After the tray is painted, it is covering by color-free lacquer and brilliant polishing. Now the product is done!

A brush of talented Zhostovo artists turns an every day thing into an alight, festal piece of work that can be adored timelessly. Also the trays can adorn any room as a painting on the wall or on the shelf. Zhostovo art is very democratic - it doesn't take unique knowledge or training to feel the painting.

The Zhostovo tray is a perfect gift at any event. It makes turn having tea in a celebration if you serve tea with this tray.

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