Kandiika-type Bowl

Poltava Region, Opishnia.  Made by I. Hladyrevskyi.

The bowl has a rounded shape with a broad rim and shallow body. The interior surface is covered with white glaze and decorated with characteristic vegetal painting. At the centre of the composition is a stylised flower rosette from which flexible stems with curls, leaves, and decorative elements radiate outward. The ornament is executed in the traditional colour palette of Opishnia pottery, combining green, yellow, brown, and dark blue. The contour drawing is applied with free, confident brushstrokes, giving the composition a dynamic and expressive quality.

The rim is decorated with a descriptive kryvulka (undulating line) pattern, which emphasises the decorative character of the object and provides a visual conclusion to the composition. The combination of horn-drawn decoration, vegetal motifs, and a harmonious colour palette is characteristic of Opishnia painted ceramics of the 19^th century.

No maker’s mark.

The bowl was made in one of the leading centres of Ukrainian folk pottery, the town of Opishnia in Poltava Region. The object belongs to the tradition of painted tableware, combining a practical function with high artistic qualities. The bowl was made by the renowned Opishnia potter Ivan Hladyrevskyi, whose work is associated with the flourishing of the local ceramic tradition in the second half of the 19^th century.

Provenance: From the museum collection, acquired before the Second World War.