From November 1 to December 2, 2025, the Local History Museum in Kireevsk (Tula region) will host the exhibition “The History of Fashion with Yasnaya Polyana Dresser Dolls,” created by Yasnaya Polyana artisans.
In the 19th century, dresser dolls were known as “dolls for admiration.” These dolls were not toys for children; they were placed on dressers to attract the attention of guests.
Today, dresser dolls are a separate direction in Yasnaya Polyana ceramics. Figurines of ladies and gentlemen are made from clay sourced in Yasnaya Polyana. Their images are created based on plots from Leo Tolstoy’s novels. According to museum artisans, the main goal of the artist is to recreate color combinations as closely as possible to the descriptions found in the writer’s works.
Ceramic pieces are painted using colored clays (engobes). This technique does not allow for precise color selection, so to better convey the color palette of costumes, faces, and hairstyles, artist Yulia Lykova paints the dresser doll with tempera paints after firing. Even before firing and painting, artist Elena Barabanova creates the heroines’ voluminous skirts on a potter’s wheel.
At the exhibition, visitors will see ladies in elegant dresses with bustles, beauties in coquettish hats, and ladies with sun parasols. These are exactly the kind of women who might have been heroines of L. N. Tolstoy’s works.
In the 19th century, dresser dolls were known as “dolls for admiration.” These dolls were not toys for children; they were placed on dressers to attract the attention of guests.
Today, dresser dolls are a separate direction in Yasnaya Polyana ceramics. Figurines of ladies and gentlemen are made from clay sourced in Yasnaya Polyana. Their images are created based on plots from Leo Tolstoy’s novels. According to museum artisans, the main goal of the artist is to recreate color combinations as closely as possible to the descriptions found in the writer’s works.
Ceramic pieces are painted using colored clays (engobes). This technique does not allow for precise color selection, so to better convey the color palette of costumes, faces, and hairstyles, artist Yulia Lykova paints the dresser doll with tempera paints after firing. Even before firing and painting, artist Elena Barabanova creates the heroines’ voluminous skirts on a potter’s wheel.
At the exhibition, visitors will see ladies in elegant dresses with bustles, beauties in coquettish hats, and ladies with sun parasols. These are exactly the kind of women who might have been heroines of L. N. Tolstoy’s works.
Posted : 30 october 2025