Figurine “Girl with a Rabbit”

Technique: Porcelain, painting, gilding.
Size: Height 14 cm.

Figurine “Girl with a Rabbit”, USSR, 1950s, Dmitrov Porcelain Factory (Verbilki), author O. Artamonova, porcelain, polychrome overglaze painting, incised gilding. Height 14 cm. Excellent condition, no cracks, chips or signs of restoration. Olga Sergeevna Artamonova (30 April 1926, Smolensk Oblast – 2004) – a Soviet and Russian ceramic sculptor. Olga Artamonova was born on 30 April 1926 in the village of Nikitino, Smolensk Oblast, into the family of an engineer. In 1933–1937 she lived in the city of Skopin, Ryazan Oblast. In 1938 she moved to Moscow. During the Great Patriotic War she was in evacuation in Ufa, where she finished secondary school. In 1944 she returned to Moscow and entered the preparatory department of the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Art (MIPIDI). She practised sculpture and painting. In 1945 she entered the Faculty of Ceramics of MIPIDI. She studied under Z. V. Bazhenova, V. A. Vasilyev and R. R. Iodko. In 1951 she graduated from the institute with honours. Her diploma work was three sculptures, “Ballerina”, “Violinist” and “Girl with a Book”, united by the theme “Young Talents”. In 1951 she joined the Union of Artists of the USSR. From 1952 she regularly took part in art exhibitions. In 1953–1962 she worked as a sculptor at the Dmitrov Porcelain Factory. With a group of sculptors she made trips to Pereslavl-Zalessky, where she executed numerous studies in plaster and in clay. Among her first works at the porcelain factory were figurines on the theme of theatre and circus: “Ballerina with a Rose”, “Chinese Woman with an Umbrella”, “Cellist”, “Pierrot” and others. She executed a number of genre sculptures: “Postman”, “Girl with a Rooster”, “Lying Girl with a Book” and others. Later Olga Artamonova moved away from sculptures on everyday themes. The circus remained one of the favourite themes of her works executed in porcelain and faience: “Mime with a Mask” (1976), “Clown on a Ball” (1980), “Harlequin” (1980), “Torero” (1982), “Clown with a Ball” (1985). Olga Artamonova made sculptures of specific individuals: Charlie Chaplin, Maya Plisetskaya, the Spanish dancer Maria Rosa. A 1971 series of figurines is dedicated to the mime Marcel Marceau. A number of Olga Artamonova's works are dedicated to classic works of Russian literature: “Anna Karenina” (1975), “Asya” (1976), “Eugene Onegin” (1980). She also worked on services in porcelain and faience. Solo exhibitions of Olga Artamonova's work were held on several occasions: in 1956 (Moscow), in 1976 (Moscow), in 1977 (Smolensk), in 1987 (Magnitogorsk), in 1989 (Smolensk), in 1989 (Chelyabinsk), in 1991 (Moscow). Works by Olga Artamonova are held in the collections of the State Russian Museum, the State Historical Museum, the Kuskovo State Museum of Ceramics, the museum of the Dmitrov Porcelain Factory, the Penza Picture Gallery, the Perm Art Gallery, the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum, the Oryol Picture Gallery, the Magnitogorsk Picture Gallery and other museums