Gold Embroidery Style Features of the Mishar Tatars of the Ulyanovsk Region

Abstract

The article reveals the origins and style features of the gold embroidery of the Mishar Tatars of the Ulyanovsk Region. Though surrounded by a population that is not uniform in ethnic composition, including the Chuvash, Mordovian, Mari, Udmurt and Russian peoples, the Mishars have preserved the aesthetic preferences of their ancestors. For centuries, the bib — an element of the national costume — has maintained the visually expressed originality of its decorative design conditioned by the traditions characteristic of this local group. The gold embroidery was a hereditary female occupation; its technique, as well as unique ornamental elements, were imparted from mother to daughter. Samples of needlework by masters of the past indicate the uniqueness of the patterned finish as well as the main trends of its development. The design techniques include large floral elements arranged in a certain compositional order. Its artistic structure uses the principle of symmetry as a reflection of the balance and stability of the universe. The repetition of images symbolizes the cyclical nature of being and reproduction processes. The style features of the Ulyanovsk Mishars’ gold embroidery include the homotypic impregnated technique and the relief of finishing elements. The interpretation of the key character-symbol in the center, which combines solar and floral forms, is diverse. The stylistic features of the Mishars’ gold embroidery reflect the system of the spiritual values common to the Tatars that were feeding the artistic forms of decorative art, originally sourced by the Bulgarian urban culture of the Golden Horde period, and then the Kazan Khanate. For many centuries, the best samples were selected and polished in the course of time. The style-forming elements of the national costume components’ gold decoration were steadily reproduced. The tradition of their application allows us to assume that the ancestors of the modern Mishar Tatars living in the rural part of the Ulyanovsk Region were of urban origin.