Khokhloma is a Russian folk art design named after the village where it has been produced for over 150 years. The bright, lacquered, red, black, and gold designs are ubiquitous in nearly every Russian household, where it is most common to find Khokhloma wooden spoons, dishware, serving containers, and vases along with other decorative art pieces.
The wooden items are fired in a kiln after several applications of aluminum powder and paint are applied to get the high gloss and bold colors. Although safe for food and beverage use, it is not recommended to wash in the dishwasher as the heat may warp the wood. It is not unusual at all for a house-hold in a Russian village to eat their soup with a large Khokloma wooden spoon; it prevents burning the lips while colorfully decorating any table, and other nearby Khokloma pieces like bread boxes or serving trays stand out!
The art styles and the bright colors make Khokhloma art look so distinctly Russian. The color red is said to symbolize the color of beauty in Russia, whereas the golden hues within the art is said to suggest wealth and lastly the black is to represent the Earth. If we trace the meaning of the Khokhloma colors back to around the 17th or 18th centuries, the color black was meant to represent the religious symbolism that is cleansing the human soul from its sins and the Golden colors were meant as the light coming from heaven. The symbolism of using the golden leaves and flowers is for a happy life and are believed to bring light and wealth.
We have been directly importing this folk-art from Russia for over 30 years; and Khokhloma tableware is both a highly decorative and practical inexpensive hand-made gift to brighten up any household.
