Peasant with Shield and Spear [Kalinin]

Product Description

Peasant (Bauer) with Spear and Shield (Крестьянин (Бауэр) с копьем и щитом). Hamd made wooden figure portrays a steely peasant wearing a red embroidered shirt and an elaborate helmet, tall spear and shield. Unusual and collectible arts and crafts piece with enhancements that include wood burning (pyrography), painting and lacquer that was made in the 1970s. "Made in USSR" paper label and factory number. 9⅝" in height. Uncommon in fine condition. 1 only.

The Kalinin Toy (Калининская игрушка) is similar to the Kalinin Matryoshka (Калининская Матрешка). These were popular items made in Kalinin, situated on the Upper Volga River. In actuality, Kalinin was the medieval city of Tver, but had been renamed Kalinin after one of Stalin's loyal henchmen. After 1991, many cities were restored to their pre-Soviet names, for example Sergiev Posad (Zagorsk), Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin), Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) to name just a few. Thus, Kalinin was restored to Tver. History prevailed.