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HOUSEHOLD WARES MADE OF CERAMICS AND METAL.
The art culture of the country is more than 5 millenniums old. The clay dishes (and their fragments), found in the territory of present Tajikistan by archaeologists, are dated by the fourth millennium BC. Potters were mainly women who had to take care of increasing the number of household wares. Over 5 thousand years before they manufactured ceramic wares not using the famous potter wheel. In the II century BC on the territory of present Tajikistan there was developed mining (mining of lead, gold, lal, lapis lazuli, and coal) along with agriculture and cattle breeding. Mining reached the height of development in IX-XII centuries before Mongol invasion.
Archaeological works testify that along with mining there were well developed such activities as handicraft, pottery, jewelry, fine art. For instance, weaver manufactured over 15 types of cotton fabrics. The technology of ceramic art, stamping and wood and metal carving reached a high level. The IX-Õ centuries represented the period of the highest prosperity of economy and culture of the first Tajik state – Samanid state, where the process of formation of Tajik nation was completed.
Traditional culture (handicraft) the beginning of which go deep back in centuries is the national property of Tajik nation. In the country there is a lot of centers where the traditional handicrafts are still preserved: Khujand, Kulyab, Istaravshan, Kanibadam, Isfara, Darvaz, Karategin, Hissar, Karatag, various settlements of Badakhshan, etc.
The monuments of decorative and applied art testify the significant level of artistic culture of the IX –X centuries. Among them there are especially distinguished the wood carving and ceramics. The painted glazed ceramics of the IX –X centuries is differed by great artistic peculiarity that promoted its world fame. It pattern is strict and pale. More often – a white, ivory background covered with black and red geometrical figures, green bines and inscriptions. Sometimes dishes were decorated with an inscription only implemented by “kufi” writing along edges or crossing them by the diameter; such inscriptions usually contain good wishes. Often the patterns contained images of birds or an animal, as can be seen on the big jar found in the ruins of ancient Samarkand. The spherical body of the jar is divided by a horizontal stripe; the bottom is decorated by a border made of stylized spiral-type curly footstalks. The upper part of the jar is decorated by a mixture of broad light stripes and the space between them is filled with dots. The picture contains a large image of a walking bird. One can also meet bowels covered with black glaze as a background with white letters.
A relative strictness of household wares decoration in the IX –XII centuries was replaced by a splendid ornamental decoration. This evolution can be clearly seen when comparing strict paintings of Samanid ceramics with glazed painted jars of the IX –XII centuries. The latter were decorated by a complex geometrical image and differed by their vividness. The character of treatment of zoomorphic motives, which never disappeared in applied and national art, also changed. In ceramics of the IX –XII centuries the images of birds and animals become of a relative schematic form. For instance, the bird of happiness – pheasant is treated as a almond-type figure.
The ceramic painting of the XIV –XVI centuries differs by its freedom and living feeling. During this period there were especially distinguished the jars covered by transparent glaze with blue (cobalt) painting of plants and living creatures. There are still preserved dishes and cups of the XIV –XVI centuries painted by motives of flying or sitting birds among the green leaves. The impact of Chinese porcelain can be seen in these paintings.
During the whole middle age epoch there has been developing the mastership of ornamental wood carving and metal stamping. In Central Asian artist domestic wares there appeared a great plastic sense, sharpness of vivid viewing, emotional expressiveness of the ornament, ability of craftsmen to find harmonic link between the image and the form of the decorated thing. Household wares used both for the governing levels and ordinary urban and rural population was decorated with great taste.
General decline of the economic and cultural life in Central Asia during the period of late middle ages affected almost all types of artistic craft. However the national craftsmen who manufactured fabrics for clothes, carpets, embroideries, clay and metal jars, jewelry and decorated dwellings with wood carving, ganch carving and paintings, managed to keep the sense of ornament and coloring in their art. Bright features of originality distinguished the domestic art.
Nowadays people use various types of jars, dishes and cups; in shops one can easily buy any bowels, dishes, sets. But in rural are of Tajikistan where the national traditions are very strong the population tries also to get rough dishes. Thus, for instance, in the jars manufactured in a rough way water is kept cold for a long time even in summer, and milk does not turn sour but gets a special very pleasant taste. Kosa (a big cup), oftoba (a jar for water), kuza (a jar), charog (lantern), children’s toys – any of these goods are similar to those that archaeologists reveal to the world. Even the way of painting is the same – simple patterns that had some definite meaning – made by clay on clay.
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