Easter eggs are attribute of one on the main religious holidays of Christians - bottom of pominoveniya of the "wonderful resurrection" of raspyatogo on the cross Iisusa of Christ. On the legend, the first Easter egg holy ravnoapostol'naya Mary magdalina presented to Roman emperor Tiberius. Soon on Christ's ascension rescuer at the sky Mary Magdalena appeared for the Evangelical sermon into Rome. It was accepted in those times, coming to the emperor, to bring to it gifts. Well-off brought to treasure, and poor people that that they could. Therefore Mary magdalina, who did not have nothing, except the faith in Iisusa, lengthened to emperor Tiberius chicken egg with the exclamation: "Christ To voskrese!" Emperor, after doubting the aforesaid, noted that no one can rise again from the corpses and into this so is difficult to believe as into the fact that the white egg can become red. Tiberius did not have time to agree these words, but egg began to be converted from the white into the clear red. Sprayed eggs in the carriers of the faith in Christ always served as the symbol of the resurrection Of iisusa, and with it and purification into the name of new best life. The red painting of eggs symbolized Christ's blood and it simultaneously served as the symbol of resurrection. And if man lives on the holy commandments, he is introduced to the expiatory merits of rescuer and to new life. "believer, even if he dies, will revive, testifies Christ, and I will resurrect it".
     As of the egg is born the life, which was hidden in it, so from the coffin rose son God, and there is no time dead persons rise into the life eternal.
     Giving to each other Easter eggs, Christians confess the faith in their resurrection. If the resurrections of Christ did not occur, then, as teaches apostle Pavel, new faith would not have a base and a price, it would be useless - not rescue and not saving us. But the Christ of voskres, voskres the first of that originated on the earth and this appeared his force and godly paradise.
     But why precisely egg became one of the proofs of the resurrection of the son of God. In the antiquity magic value was given to egg. In the graves, the barrows, the ancient burials, which relate to the pre-Christian epoch, find the eggs both natural and made from different materials (marble, clay, etc.). With the excavations in the Etruscan tombs are discovered carved and natural ostrich, chicken eggs, sometimes even painted. All mythologies of peace store the legends, svatannye with the egg as the symbol of life, renovation as by the source of the origin in all, which exists in this peace.
     It was considered in the east that there was the time, when chaos everywhere reigned, and was located this chaos in the enormous egg, in which were hidden all forms of life. Fire warmed shell, giving to the egg of heat- creation. Because of this godly fire appeared from the egg mythical essence - Panu. Entire weightless became sky, while entire dense - by Earth. To panu connected sky with the Earth, created wind, space, clouds, thunder, lightning. In order to heat that appearing I will break, To panu it gave to it the sun, while in order to resemble about cold - Moon. Because of Panu the sun warmed Zomlyu, the Moon lit, planets and stars were borne.

   From the antiquity the egg served as the symbol of the spring sun, which carries with itself zhi<vn', happiness, heat-, light, the revival of nature, deliverance from the fetters of frost and snow, in other words, passage from nonexistence to existence. It was once accepted to bring egg as the simple small gift to heathen gods, give eggs to friends and benefactors during the first day of new year and during the birthday. Rich instead of the painted chicken eggs often brought the gold or gold-plated eggs, which symbolized the sun. In ancient Romans was the custom in the beginning of holiday meal eat baked egg - this symbolically it was connected with the successful beginning of the new matter.
     Byzantine theologian and philosopher Hans damaskin emphasized that the sky and ayemlya in everything were similar to the egg: shell - sky, membrane - cloud, protein - water, and yolk - earth. The life appears from the dead material of egg, in it consist possibility, the idea, motion and development. On the legends, even corpses the egg gives the force of life, with the aid of the egg they feel the spirit of life and find the lost forces. The protoplastic popular belief exists, that because of the miraculous force of egg it is possible to enter into the contact with the dead persons and they seemingly revive to the period. If we place on the grave sprayed egg - the first of that obtained to Easter, the deceased will hear everything that they tell it, i.e., seemingly it will return to the life and to the fact that gladdens or grieves the one living.
     The first written evidence about the sprayed eggs to saint Easter we meet in the manuscript, executed on the parchment and relating to X to century, from the library of monastery SV Anastasiys, that not far from Fessalonik in Greece. At the end of the church regulations, given in the manuscript, after prayers to Easter it was necessary to read also prayer to the blessings of eggs, cheese, and father superior, kissing fraternity, had to give out to them eggs with the words: "Christ To boskrese!" On the manuscript "nomokanon of Foty" (XIII century), the father superior can subject to the punishment of that monk, who during the day of Easter does not eat red egg, since the same opposes to apostolic legends. Thus, the custom of the donation of eggs on Easter originates even from the apostolic times, when Mary Magdalena first podala believing an example of this glad daroprinosheniya.
     The celebration of Easter in Russia was introduced at the end X of century. Orthodox Easter is noted in us during first Sunday, which follows after the vernal equinox and the March plenilune.
     Easter in Russia it were accompanied by the rites, which arrived from the heathen times, but now blessed by light Christ's. These are - osvyashcheniye of cakes, the production of cheese mass, dyeing eggs... To Easter into the tub with the grain of wheat they placed the egg and coast these seeds for the sowing.
     Easter coincides with the time, when spring enters into its rights. Boiled eggs in the different colors since ancient times colored to the same day into the sign of flowering. These were as if flowers of 4rily- god, them they spread on the green grass. They reared this verdure as follows: they took hemp tow, fibre, wound in them grains, each day poured on on the plate, and to Easter they germinated by grass. The eggs placed to it, were prepared any viands, whose sense - the spring, heat-, fire, life, love.
     In Russia, according to the researcher and the collector of the Russian people traditions Of yu. p. mirolyubov, Easter it always had universal, universal nature. During this day they was glad at everything: to heat, to light, to sky, to the earth, native, by stranger... Holiday of the resurrection of Christ - this and the resurrection of nature, the renovation of life. Russian spring is characterized by unusual tenderness, heat and constancy, and Easter - very paradise of life. Since there is no death! It trampled the one who voskres from the coffin on the third day.
     In each people there are their holidays, but among them is a holiday of holidays, most important. Such event in Russia for a period of many centuries was saint Easter. Church celebration has truly immense nature. Church gradually is prepared for happiness of the resurrection of Christ's. Predpaskhal'naya of apparitor is painted on the days with the increasing stress of religious life.
     The tradition of the exchange of sprayed eggs to Easter has in Russia old roots. It is known that in the times of tsar Aleksey Mikhaylovich's administration for the distribution to Easter it was prepared to 37 thousand eggs. They were wooden and bone, carved and painted together with the natural (hen, swan, goose, pigeon, duck) sprayed eggs. Naturally, the size of the eggs of natural was unique standard for the size of eggs from the tree, the bone, the porcelain, the glass, the stone.
     In 1664 of travshchik (i.e., artist on the plant ornament) to the trinity -Sergieva of monastery Prokopius Ivanov was specially caused to Moscow paint eggs. Two years later he brought to the court 170 wooden eggs, pisannykh on gold by "colored paints by different good travnymi models". The student of well-known iconographer Sergey Rozhkov Ivan Petrov Masyukov painted sharpened eggs on dual gold. Tsarist iconographer Armenian Bogdan Saltan in 1675 presented to Aleksey Mikhaylovich to Easter the original gift: "three dishes - on one of them five eggs of the goose travchatykh gilded, on other - seven eggs of utyach'ikh, pisannykh by different paints on gold, on the third - seven kuryach'ikh gilded it is strong; and another box after the mica, and in it forty aits of kuryach'ikh, pisannykh on gold by different paints ". In 1677 almost all of the master of Armory Chamber made gifts to tsar Fedor to Easter in the form of eggs. In 1680 the same Bogdan Saltan, who wrote icons on taffeta, i.e., carried out painting on the cloth with the application for the iconostases of Kremlin churches, placed to the court 50 sprayed eggs. During February 1690 the student of Simon Ushakov iconographer Vasiliy kuz'min and zhalovannyy tsarist iconographer Nikifor bavykin painted by "different colored paints" the wooden sharpened eggs, made "against the the kuryach'ikh, the duck and the pigeon". In 1694 painted eggs the sons of the salient isograph of Armory Chamber Fedor Zubov Ivan and Aleksey - future founder of Russian historical engraving.

     In Xviii-xix centuries the artistically designed Easter eggs receive this wide acceptance among different it is layer Russian population, that from this time about the Easter eggs can be spoken as about the unique form of decorative- applied and people skill. By this time sufficiently traditional became jewelry precious eggs, and simple peasant "pisanki" and "krashenki". The appearance of jewelry Easter eggs was mobile and changed in the course of time. "pisanki" and "krashenki", characteristic for the peasant medium, were less subjected to stylistic temporary changes. The Russian applied skill OF THE XVIII century obtained qualitatively different nature in comparison with the skill of the preceded centuries. It acquired the clearly expressed secular directivity. This was connected first of all with the economic, political and cultural conversions, carry ouied by Peter I. The epoch of the entry of Russia in the Pan-European artistic process came, the development of depictive and decorative- applied skill occurred about the united river bed.
     In 1703 Peter velikiy on the Neva coasts placed city, and since 1712 was here transferred the capital of Russian state, and Petersburg became the center of the economic, political and cultural life of the country. Tsar, constantly needing artists and craftsmen, it caused from the Moscow workshops of the Armory Chamber into Petersburg of the skillful. The especially large number of Moscow masters (gunsmiths, jewelers, engravers, etc.) was sent from the Kremlin to Petersburg on the edict of Peter I in 1711. Toward the end of the 20th it is annual THE XVIII century the number of masters of Armory Chamber it was reduced almost four times. So gradually the center of applied skills moved from the Kremlin artistic workshops to Petersburg. Office from the structures, after accepting relay race from the former Moscow Armory Chamber, it is possible to say, it became the chapter of the entire artistic life of the new capital. The nature of the work of the masters of office from the structures in THE XVIII century remained the same, what existed in the workshops of the Armory Chamber, when painters, besides the paintings of churches and tsarist chambers, dealt with the composition of drawings it was municipal, figures for the engraving, they painted banners. At the discretion of state the grandee of painters they used for the coloring of the "amusement" books, the chessboards, lartsev, Easter eggs. But together with them - lattices, it is pole, pipes, furnaces, honey-cake boards and other articles of daily life. Unfortunately, the Easter eggs of this period did not reach our time. How it is possible to judge, these were, most likely, the wooden eggs, plate with goldd or plate with silverd and painted by master- painters, and also bone carved eggs.
     The appearance of new for Russia materials, connected with the Petrovskiy conversions, namely porcelain, glass, to pap'emashe, contributed to the development of the skill of the production of Russian Easter eggs. First reached our time china Easter egg is created to Easter of 1749 by the inventor of Russian porcelain by Dmitriy Vinogradov. With the discovery in 1748 of porcelain the production of decorative eggs in Russia was set to the industrial basis. In 1749 Vinogradov wrote down in the diary: "eggs sharpened and they formed". From now on and up to the revolution emperor china plant manufactured Easter eggs. Earliest of them was egg with the image of the amurs, probably, according to figure Francois Bush, which relates to the middle OF THE XVIII century and is located in the state Russian museum. To each to Easter the plant made Easter eggs for the terms of emperor surname "to the distribution" with khristosovanii. With 1820- X it is annual the particular china factories of Russia also they began to let out Easter eggs. To date the models, which were single-time order to the Easter days, is possible according to the stylistic artistic signs.
     The decor of the Easter eggs, especially china and glass, most mass for a period of entire XIX century, corresponded to these or other artistic directions in the depictive skill. Beginning from the second-half OF THE XIX century the formulation of Easter eggs was acquired more specific nature with the use of traditional religious Easter subjects ("descent into hell", "resurrection", etc.), religious symbolism and atributiki. In the scene "descent into hell" the Christ, surrounded by patriarchs and prophets, stands, holding Adam for the right hand, above dver'mi of hell, which it recently broke.
     In 1874 to order of the Moscow old believers of "priest's sense" by brothers Tyulinymi, well-known iconographers from Mstery, were pisany of image on the Easter eggs for the greeting of high persons. Tyuliny by that time became famous by clearing and repairing of the ancient icons of the temples of Old Faith Rogozhskogo cemetery. Eggs turned from tree. Each of them consisted of two halves, it was inside gilded by lusterless gold, outer side was painted with bright raspberry-colored paint. Egg was very the lung, extremely elegant and polished as mirror. Master tyuliny painted the eggs of two sizes: ten value goose, eight - are duck. In all eggs on one of the sides was the subject "descent into hell of rescuer", and on another - the image of saint, which patronizes to that person, to whom the egg into the gift was intended. Entire were three eggs with SV Aleksandr nevskiy, on one - with tsar Constantine, prince Vladimir, metropolitan Aleksy. , masters noted the middle, where egg, is revealed by ornament. The painting of images is characterized by the accuracy of details, Old-Russian stylistics, use of pure-gold gold. For the painting on these Easter eggs there were vyplacheny the large for those times rewards: for the large eggs - on 25 rubles, while for the small - on 15 rubles for one rarity.

     Well-known iconographer o. S. chirikov from Mstery in 1887 carried out a series of the models of the "painting of the holy and dvunadesyatykh holidays" for the painting of the china Easter eggs of the eggs, completed on these models, they are considered some of the good among those created at the emperor china plant. They were most expensive - on the painting of one such egg the painter spent 40 days, and it cost 75 rubles. A quantity of these eggs to each to Easter for the emperor family was strictly defined: emperor and empress obtained on tyuey sorok-pyat'desyat eggs, the Grand Dukes - on three, and great princesses - on two. In the painting participated Moscow architect A. S. Kaminskiy, who in 1890 painted the wrong sides of china eggs with the "painting of the saints". China eggs were frequently suspension with the open-end hole, into which put through the tape with the bow below and the loop above for the suspension under the icon case with the icons. For this work they specially hired "bantovshchits" from the number of requiring themselves widows and daughters of former employees of plant. The sufficiently high remuneration for their labor was considered as Easter charitable aid.
     In 1799 at the emperor china plant were prepared 254 eggs, 1802- m - 960. In the beginning OF THE XX century in the production of 3308 eggs per year at the same plant were occupied approximately thirty people, including students. To Easter of 1914 china egg is released by 3991, in 1916 - 15365 pieces. Furthermore, in Russia appeared thousands of Easter eggs, life to which gave different small enterprises, and people skillful individuals.
     Sovereigns themselves sometimes appeared in the role of the unique controllers: thus, Aleksandr III recommended the painting of eggs not only by colors, but also by ornaments, he loved one-piece glassware with the engraved pattern.
     Easter eggs from to pap'emashe at the end OF THE XIX century made at the Moscow factory pommel slime, the now famous Fedoskinskeye factory of varnish miniature painting. Together with the religious subjects of the master of factory orthodox cathedrals and temples frequently depicted a pommel of the type on the Easter eggs. One of the favorite subjects of lukutinskikh masters was St. Basil's cathedral over Red Square. At the end OF THE XIX - the beginning OF THE XX century together with the icons in the Moscow icon-painting workshops, formed by descendants from the traditional icon-painting it is center Russia - Palekha, Mstery, toady, they painted Easter eggs.
     In the letters from Russia, which relate at the beginning OF THE XIX century, sisters of the Irishwoman Of vil'mot, who stayed in famous prosvetitel'nitsy Of e. r. dashkovoy, they said, what to Easter at the end of subbotney service all began to give to each other Easter eggs - painted, carved, painted in different colors. Sisters note that the gifts during this day are required, and as princess ye. r. dashkov's "egg" it presented to one of them two diamonds. With the presenting of gift, wrote the sisters Of bil'mot, they say: "Christ To voskrese!" They answer this: "Truly Boskrese". Pronouncing these words, sisters continue, even peasant has the right to kiss hand to any important person (although to emperor himself), and cannot be refused no one. It is evident from this evidence that in the role of "Easter egg" could come out other gifts, namely - treasure.
     By one of the first to connect Easter egg with the intricate adornment it attempted Faberzhe. Karl faberzhe's name most frequently is associated with the bright skill of decorative Easter egg. For the known reasons the decorative eggs of firm Faberzhe were until recently more known beyond the limits of Russia. Workshops Faberzhe created % Easter eggs for the emperor Aleksandr Sh and the emperor Nikolai II. Aleksandr Sh in 1885-1894 presented 10 Easter eggs to his wife. Nikolai II in 1894-1917 ordered 46 Easter eggs for the gifts of his mother, vdovstvuyushchey empress Mary fedorovne, and to the wife of Aleksandr fedorovne.
     Twelve Easter eggs was created for L. f. kelch, owner of several gold mines in Siberia, for prince f. f. yusupova and duchess Mal'boro; also were carried out the elegant and expensive Easter gifts, which frequently contain different surprises. These were Easter eggs with the complex mechanical mechanisms, the being miracles of jewelry skill, the creation of each of which bypassed very dearly. Models were stored in the special cases or the safes and were extracted from there for the demonstration only during Easter. Is at present known the location of some raritetnykh Easter eggs To faberzhe: twelve copies are stored in English queen, eleven manages the American journal "forbs" and ten are located in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.
     The first Easter egg of 1885 with the strips from turn blue enamel it was executed by master Mikhail perkhin. 26-year petrozavodchanin, it in 1886 becomes the chief master of firm To faberzhe. Up to 1903 - the year of death Of perkhina - its initials were placed on all egg- surprises of firm To faberzhe, made for the emperors of Aleksandr Sh and Nikolai THE II egg, executed By perkhinym, it consisted of shell- shell "from the ivory. In the shell - covered with enamel hen of i<z of gold with the ruby eyes. Inside it - the gold crown, studded by pearls. But in the crown - gold ring. Specifically, since 1885 began the tradition of the yearly donation of the Easter egg- souvenirs of firm To faberzhe. "Your Majesty will be sufficiently" - famous master to a question about the subject of sequential egg usually gave this answer.
     The production of the jewelry decorated Easter eggs had old tradition in Russia. For example, silver-plated egg- surprise was conducted by master nordberg for Aleksandr II. But precisely to firm Faberzhe it was possible to bring the skill of the production of jewelry Easter eggs to the unsurpassed level of craftsmanship, refinement and creative fantasy. To faberzhe never made precise copies. On all its works the press unique individual handwriting, world skill forever remained in the history lies.
     Russian emperor dynasty and its numerous royal and princely relatives in England, Denmark, Greece, Bulgaria, Gessene, Hannover obtained eggs To faberzhe into the gift from Russia, highly valued these precious things and transferred to their following generations. Many articles To faberzhe were sold after the First World War, drop in the monarchy in Europe and depletion of aristocracy and send to other owners. In 1920- e years for completing the treasury by currency Soviet government sold a number of the works of skill from the state collections. From the emperor collection, konfiskovannoy after 1917, was sold large part, apparently, "absolutely useless" for the Soviet State of unique Easter eggs.
     In spite of the militant atheism of post-revolutionary decades the custom of the celebration of Easter was transferred from generation to generation: this tradition for the orthodox person on entire Russia is too important. When the production of gift artistic Easter eggs ceased, Easter they continued to celebrate with "krashenkami" (by those most adorned into are one or are somewhat color by the eggs, which they were noted for almost all in our custom) and "pisankami" (painted by ornament). The tradition of the production of "pisanok" was strong in the Western areas of the Ukraine. Local "pisanki" remind one of the pre-Christian nature of figure, which exits to the times, when Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians were united people, about the sources of pan-Slavic traditions. The ornament of "pisanok" is divided into the geometric, the plant and the the zoomorfnyy. In West Ukrainian "pisanok" are many symbolic designations, characteristic for the ancient Slavs of heathen period, triangles, star, crosses, point, spiral, circles, the stylized plants, the cockerels, horses, etc.
     "pisanki", as a rule, makes in the rural localities. In each village there are two-three raspischitsy. Eggs ornament as follows: they cover egg with wax with the aid of the thin metallic small tube, fixed on the wooden knob. By small tube are brought the basic lines of figure. And when wax ostynet, egg is lowered into the paint. Thus it is colored with pillar, besides the object lines of figure, which are remained white. Then the parts of the eggs, which want to preserve by those painted into this initial paint, cover with wax, and egg is lowered into the paint of another color. And so several times. After this, tyuey nagrevayut egg, they light wax - and "pisanka" it is ready. Are used commonly vegetable dyes. "pisanki" have two or more than color. There is a special technique of ornamentirovaniya of the eggs: pattern scratches out one or by other sharp "tool or another". Such eggs are called "skrobankami".

     "in the city Gor'kiy, wrote the historian of skill M. l. il'in, on the Sunday market (best anything on so-called" willow Sunday ", in the week to Easter) on the collective farm markets you will reveal authentic scatterings, you will not otherwise name, remarkable people of skill. That there will be wooden painted eggs, box- caps, children's toys and much other, covered with surprisingly bright "chemical- aniline" painting. This painting sat down Maydana and Kruttsa. It has long ago stepped over the boundaries of city... It is the authentic contemporary creation of the skill of our people, living, beautiful, bright ". True, for a long time this was not encouraged by official authorities; therefore the living skill of wooden Easter egg was concentrated in the deaf villages of trans-Volga edge - Polkhovskom Maydana and Kruttse. The production of polkhovsko-maydanskikh turning painted articles arose in the beginning OF THE XX century. In 1914-1916 local handicraftsmen began to decorate "tararushki" (turning articles: containers, box and toy) on an example Of sergiyevskikh masters with the aid of the burning-out and the subsequent coloring. Only in the 20's of our century is added the specific style of polkhovsko-maydanskoy painting - it is carried out by the locally substituted paints: ruby-colored, yellow, turn blue. With the imposition appear red and green tones within the limits by the clearly outlined India ink of outline. Plant ornament is combined with the depictive elements of the painting: by trees, by river, by the sun, by houses, by birds. Usually the size of models does not exceed the size of present chicken egg. Sometimes, as exception, are sharpened eggs by size a little more. It is more frequent than other motives and subjects are encountered the images of cockerel or pullet, sun, temple or church and other precisely forewoman krutts they did not fear in the Soviet time to write on the eggs "X in", to depict churches and in every way possible to designate, that the egg is Easter.
     There is the assumption that the style of polkhovsko-maydanskoy and krutetskoy painting carried into these of edge in the beginning of the 20th it was annual THE XX century the migrants from the Ukraine. The naive peasant painting of these eggs testifies about the proximity to the painting and the ornamentation of Ukrainian "pisanok". The same heathen symbolism on the egg - rooster, the hen, the sun, what is the symbol of revival. Size - close to the natural size of hen; the same principles of "formulation". Thus, we see that in the articles of new artistic it is center people skill, that arose in THE XX century, tightly interlaced Christian and heathen traditions.
     In The babenskeye cooperative, located in the village of the wench of Podolskiy of district, were sharpened the polished turning articles made of the tree and the bone, including the egg. Specifically, hence drew the highly skilled personnel of turners both the Moscow workshops of primitive museum and the primitive cooperatives Of sergiyeva of settlement. The traditions of high turning craftsmanship continues the sergiyevo-posadskoye enterprise "souvenir", which for the duration entire of Soviet period let out the egg- souvenirs, decorated by painting with the burning-out. Most frequently on these one -, two- and three-seater egg- souvenirs are depicted the memorable architectural places, connected to trinity -Sergievo1 as monastery.
     From Sergiyeva of settlement is not far located one additional center of people skill - city Khot'kovo, famous by its engravers on the tree and the bone. Specifically, hence went original, that arose on boundary Xix-xx it was age-long the abramtsevsko-kudrinskaya thread, creator of which was talented peasant from the village Kudrina B. p. bornoskov. Abramtsevsko-kudrinskaya relief thread with the zaovalennym outline and the a little deep background organically combines traditional people methods with the new methods of the treatment of tree. Frequently the masters use mordanting- mordant for creating different color nuances - from the golden to the dark brown. After exterminating the article sometimes is polished to the luster. For this thread the plant ornaments, which completely cover one or other article or another, including surface of egg, are characteristic.
     Together with the Moscow area, noted for the high technical and artistic quality of articles made of the tree on the turning basis, is glorious also the Nizhniy-Novgorod edge, where one of the first places belongs to legendary Khokhlome. For the khokhlomskoy painting are characteristic two varieties of the ornament: painting "upper" and "under the background". "upper" figure is brought by the smears of brush to the surface of background, forming light open pattern. Through the plant ornament with the colors, the grasses and with berries x-rays golden background. Painting "under the background" has the golden silhouette figure, surrounded by black or colored background. This ancient trade exists from THE XVI century; therefore in the figures of khokhlomskogo ornament be present many elements, which ascend to the ornament of ancient Russia. The Easter khokhlomskoye egg, created by the main artist of the productive- artistic association "khokhlomskaya painting" Of e. dospalov, is characterized by such perfection, that is recalled the legend about by gold egg. Specifically, gold egg many peoples presented as the gift both into the heathen and in the Christian times.
     If in the people artistic centers on the treatment of tree the skill of the turning ornamented egg not was lost in the Soviet period, then in the traditional centers of varnish miniature painting on pap'emashe it arose only into the post-Soviet time after prolonged interruption and the oblivions. By some of the first to the painting Easter eggs turned themselves miniature-painters Mstery. Having the splendid tradition of the painting of Easter eggs, which was personified in the work of the brothers Of tyulinykh, O. chirikova, contemporary msterskiye masters it worthily continued. By it the time of the celebration of the 1000- anniversary of Christianity in Russia religious workers noted that from the ancient was center tempernoy miniature painting on pap'emashe Mstera it most fully preserved the traditions of Old-Russian painting.

     As before the revolution, Easter eggs with the varnish miniature painting Of fedoskina, Palekha, Mstery and toady are custom-made and they cost sufficiently dearly. Usually only experienced highly skilled masters are taken for the painting of Easter eggs in these centers. The painting of Easter egg makes demands on good Anany iconography. These centers had not only icon-painting workshops. Old-Russian skill was the skill of synthesis, which unites iconographers, the chasers of payments, masters on the enamel and the filigree, vyshival'shchits of marshy sewing and other today painting of Easter eggs revives not only in the center of msterskoy varnish miniature painting, but also in enterprise "msterskiy jeweler". ye"des' produce eggs with the open filigree, executed on the basis of geo-meterfromtank plant ornament.
     Skill of Kholmogorsk masters known long ago. Aleksey Mikhaylovich in KH.VII century invited them to the court for the execution of articles made of the bone, in KH.VSH century they were given to the new capital - Petersburg, where the not exceeded on the craftsmanship works of skill created. In the creations of Kholmogorsk engravers are inherent special naryadnost' and solemnity, them distinguishes the high craftsmanship, which testifies about the unique artistic traditions of this center in the village Lomonosov Kholmogorsk region. At present Kholmogorsk masters soadayut unique in the method productions Easter eggs. The work of Kholmogorsk master s. Minin is the grooved from the one-piece piece of mammoth bone open case, base of which is the gold-plated sectional silver egg. At will it can be converted into two identical with respect to raameru glasses. To this tedious intricate work it is shrewd more half a year, one incorrect motion - and the open case, selected from the bone of mammoth, could be scattered on the eyes.
     It can be, most ancient of all existing Easter eggs - egg from the building, precious and semiprecious stones and the minerals. Building stones are divided into the solid, the averages and the soft. The solid stones include the jasper, rhodonite, agate, malachite, nephritis, lazurite, jadeite and other B the group of the stones of average hardness enter marble, porphyry, onyx, etc. The soft rocks of stones include selenite, calcite, coil and other Easter eggs they made and make from the building stones of different groups of hardness.
     The ceramic productions, which let out articles made of the porcelain, faience, majolica, strive for the mass production of eggs. Approach to the decoration of Easter eggs in these artistic enterprises is sufficiently traditional. The Gzhel6 Easter eggs of the comradeship Of "gzhel'" - china with cobalt and majolica with the multicolored painting - are widely known from the pre-revolutionary times. They continue the classical line of the painting of Easter eggs at the china plants of Kuznetsov. Flower and topical compositions with the image of orthodox temples are most common. Gzhel6 Easter eggs have different sizes. Recently began to let out Easter eggs with the flower painting The rechitskiy china plant, located not far from Gzheli. Recently in Moscow began to appear artistic enterprises, which let out articles made of the ceramics by small parties. This is - "nikand", with the models from the porcelain with the cobalt painting. The majorities of the china eggs Of "nikanda" are author's copies. Thus, Easter eggs paints artist S. r. kern. In essence these are Christian motives, and also architectural views.
     The high professional training of artists and masters is characteristic for the Moscow china enterprise "daki", which arose in 1992. Together with the painting of china articles by cobalt was here fixed the production of sponge cake - the porcelain, not covered with glaze, the decorated lepninoy and by painting. Easter eggs, as a rule, are let out in the single copies and are custom-made.
     Are known eggs from the porcelain from lepninoy kislovodskogo "Phoenix" and earthenware eggs with the painting of semikarakorskogo enterprise "Aksinia". The formulation of Easter eggs in these china productions occurs within the framework of its own artistic style. Recently the known centers of people skill pass the process of breaking up into smaller units. From them are separated the jobbing shops, which more mobile react to the demands of contemporary society. Is such firm "sakva", which arose in the settlement Of mstera of the Vladimir province. Here it is possible to order Easter egg in the author's performance.
     Unique thematics is represented in the painting of the eggs of people artistic trade - comradeships "Vyatsky souvenir. Together with traditional for this center incrustation of solomkoy is the eggs, painted to the religious subjects, in particular to the subject "Christmas Christ's".
     A similar tendency in the formulation of the models, in which is used christmas thematics, is observed also in the articles of the association of the artistic trades of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad region. Apparently, in these cases appeared the influence of the West European civilization, for which the most significant religious holiday is Christmas Christ's. On this score there is a German proverb: "there is no nest higher than aquiline, there is no holiday higher than Christmas".
     With the artistic traditions of pre-revolutionary Saint Petersburg is connected one additional phenomenon in the contemporary skill of the formulation of Easter egg - creation by the St. Petersburg masters of Easter eggs on the models To faberzhe. Miniature coulombs with the use of a Christian and heathen symbolism are separated among them. Open coulombs one to one repeat the open beads of barm from the Ryazansk treasure, which relates to the monuments of the jewelry skill of pre-Mongol Russia. The first attempts at the creation of articles in the style To faberzhe were undertaken in the beginning of the 80th it was annual present century. One of the initiators of turning to the traditions of famous jewelry firm was Andrey ananov. After Ananov presented the locket in the form of Easter egg to the representative of firm To faberzhe, from the company "Cartier" arrived the conclusion about its high quality. With The the ananovym they concluded contract, and was at the same time manufactured the special form of mark To "faberzhe from Ananova" (simply to place mark To faberzhe on these articles it it refused). The eggs of the firm of Andrey ananov is had in the outstanding singers Montserrat To kabal'e and Plasido Domingo, Nensi Reagan and Barbary Bush.
     Contemporary Easter eggs in the author's performance are original phenomenon in the Russian artistic culture of the end OF THE XX century. They - the sign of living free artistic search. Present Easter eggs in the author's performance can be divided into several subject groups: religious, landscape with the architecture, simply landscape, literary (on the motives of bylinas, Russian folk tales, works of Russian writers), with the heathen motives...
     It is interesting to note the fact that some artist- professionals, who turned themselves to the painting of matryoshkas, in three or four years studied Easter eggs, and it is later ikonopisaniyem. Thus, was repeated the evolutionary way, which, in the opinion of Russian theologian, philosopher, the scientific Is. of Pavel florenskiy, from the painted Egyptian sarcophagus through the fayumskiy portrait led to the icon. The sea-scape Of tsvetayeva said that all gifts are given nevedayushchim and thankless, except the gift of soul, which nothing else but conscience and memory. In their best manifestations Easter eggs with the religious images possess such a power engineering, this force of action, that it is actually capable of waking up historical memory and of illuminating our showers.
     The skill of the traditional and contemporary formulation of Easter eggs - these are entire peace, bright primes to the living means of Russia.