Factory "Rostov finift" (Soviet Union, founded 1918)
Rostov finift – it is a name of the traditional Russian artistic craft, the color painting on enamel. Rostov Veliky has been the center of enameller's art in Russia since the 18th century to the present day.
The pioneer of the technique was the French jeweler Jean Tuten. In 1632 he was the first to reveal the secret of enamel colors and thus expanded the scope of artistic enamel use.
The first enamel workshop was organized at archbishop house around 1760. At that time, individual craftsmen worked on orders from local churches and monasteries. They painted small icons, which were used mainly to decorate ritual church objects. Since the 1770s, various workshops appeared in Rostov, uniting craftsmen by specialty. Rostov artists were strongly influenced by the Baroque style – they combined it with icon painting traditions and elements of folk crafts.
During 19th century manufacture of enamel goods and jewelry in Rostov has got mass production scale. Small enamel production factories were found – they consisted of a master owner, one - two journeymen and one or two pupils. During the second half of the 19th century, the mode of production and distribution changed. The leading position in the entire organization was occupied by the merchant, who delivered materials to workshops, purchased and sold finished products in different Russian cities. Mass production increased, with small icons taking a large share of it. Art language of the Rostov enamel in 19th century was less homogeneous, than in the previous period. In general, since 1820-1830s classicism had more active influence on this art.
After the revolution of 1917, old masters of finift was organized in the artel. Its craftsmen made boxes, brooches, powder compacts, photo frames and other items with enamel painting. Often the subjects of the paintings were portraits of political and public figures of the Soviet state, writers, genre compositions, and floral patterns.
After the WWII in 1960 artel was transformed into the factory "Rostov finift". In the second half of the 20th century, there was an increase in production, expansion of the range and improvement of the quality of production. Now there are three enamel factories operating in Rostov. The work of modern Rostov artists develops in a variety of genre and stylistic directions.