Lately I've been spending too much time scouring every corner of eBay I can for the cheapest and most delightful soviet era porcelain figurines available
I didn't even realize it until diving head first into this rabbit hole, but I have had soviet era porcelain figurines my whole life (a bunny and a bull for those curious), so I guess I was always destined to develop a fondness for the form, and eventually dig a little deeper into it.
There is something so incredibly charming and also incredibly interesting about these porcelain pieces! These little guys!
There's a lot of history to dig into that I've barely scratched the surface of AT ALL, but I'm fascinated by how porcelain reflected the common sentiments* of the times, the economic conditions, the artistic movements and ideas of the day, and also the ability (or lack thereof) of people to stay in one place and hold onto something so "useless" and easily broken.
I have very, very few things from any of my ancestors. Figurines like these make me think about the way history and art are passed down to us, forgotten, broken, left behind, sold in thrift stores and online, if they survive at all.
Figurine collections are kind of a barometer of safety and stability, or at least how dedicated to the illusion of it you might be.
They also make me think about how useful "useless" things can be. How even art that is purely decorative can be thought-provoking (by for example valorizing "folks"), or just make you happy (via being very cute! Or expert use of color and form!).
Grannies collect this shit for many good reasons and I'm starting to catch on.
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* Notably the $$$ collectors type ones are the ethnographic figurines, something I NEED to read an academic paper about.
Especially, because Ive noticed some of these figurines depicting "ethnic types" are inaccurate copies of earlier prints, which themselves should be placed under immense scrutiny! This is all extra interesting in the context of the porcelain industry transitioning from imperial rule to the soviet era. The ways of talking about ethnicity changed, (in addition obviously to y'know, everything!) but the products produced largely remained the same. Lots to think about!!!
Jan 31, 2025
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nostoc if i find any good articles on this I'll definitely shout it from the mountaintops/my tiny soapbox lol
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Despite reading, and then re-reading, and then re-reading a Terence Conran coffee table book as a child, I have absolutely zero interior design sense. Several years ago I started buying ceramic fruits and vegetables as a joke. Doofpot in Greenport N.Y. was a mecca for Italian ceramics before it closed in 2019; now I spend days scouring Etsy for a perfectly plump tomato. Each one is completely ludicrous and absurd, but they make me laugh. There is obviously some symbolism at play here, trying to freeze a moment of ripeness and wholeness in time.
Oct 12, 2021
i love to carefully walk around peering at all the fine china & lamps & dolls wondering the lives they had before. i never buy anything but. i love the way the floors creak
Jan 12, 2025
Are we tired of Ikea yet?? Maybe gloss over some kooky pottery that exhibit our individuality.
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Anders Zorn is beloved for good reason. His work was so skillfully made. Zorn's sense of form in particular is really lovely (and often on display because he loved a nude).
I've seen some of his work irl, but not this piece. Zorn's paintings have a lot of presence in person, so I imagine this one is even more cozy and lively when seen in the flesh. I love the diagonal composition and the use of light, as well as her cute cheeks and socks ♡
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I like to read while I eat (and annotating makes it easier for me to read in the first place with my dyslexia) so printing out stuff I'd otherwise be reading on my phone has been a really nice new habit.
Can't get distracted and I also get to see my initual thoughts later!
(Are.na has a lot of free pdfs btw!)
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