“Frost” on Tin — a Technique of Russian Chest Production
https://doi.org/10.25281/2072-3156-2022-19-3-274-283
Abstract
“Frost” on tin is a decorating technique widely used in the Russian chest production of the 19th—20th centuries. The technology is based on the crystallization of molten tin plate (a mixture of tin and lead) with the addition of water droplets and a chemical reaction on the crystallized tin plate of a mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. The technique of “frost” on tin as one of the means of decorating chests and caskets has not been previously devoted to a special study. The purpose of this paper is to identify the origins and significance of this technique in the history of chest production in Russia, to determine its artistic features in comparison with foreign items, as well as to analyze specific works. Items from the collection of the Folk Art Department of the State Russian Museum were used as research material. The chronological framework of the study is the 19th—20th centuries. The author of the paper concludes that the “frost” on tinwas extremely popular over a vast territory. This technique was not a feature of the applied art only of Veliky Ustyug. For a long time, it played an important role in decorating chests, caskets, cellarets and boxes. In some centers, this technique successfully competed with painting. Perhaps, the “frost” on tin was a borrowed phenomenon. This had become possible due to the favorable conditions associated not only with trade but also with the development of the culture of certain regions of Russia. The foreign technique was adapted by Russian craftsmen in accordance with local artistic traditions.
About the Author
Gleb A. Pudov
State Russian Museum
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
4, Inzhenernaya Str., St. Petersburg, 198151, Russia
ORCID 0000-0001-7270-8065; SPIN 4343-6211
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- «Frost» on tin is one of the main decorating techniques, which was used in the Russian chest craft. It was based on a chemical reaction that occurred during the interaction of sulfuric and nitric acids.
- This technique was used in all the main centers of the chest production of Russia. It also met abroad, for example, in Turkey.
- It is possible that Russian masters have adopted the «frost» on tin from their Western European colleagues. However, it is not the fact of borrowing that is more important, but the result of adapting foreign technology to new conditions.
Review
For citations:
Pudov G.A. “Frost” on Tin — a Technique of Russian Chest Production. Observatory of Culture. 2022;19(3):274-283. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25281/2072-3156-2022-19-3-274-283
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