The group Murava

1904-1918, Moscow

Members: I. V. Averintsev, N.. Andreev, A. A. Bernardazzi, P. I. Galkin, M. T. Gericke, M. A. Derkach, V. E. Egorov, M. V. Egorov, S. T. Konenkov, M. J. Lions, S. V. Malyutin, D. I. Mitrokhin, A. D. Sakharov, A. V. Filippov, V. J. Worms and others.

Artel artists-гончаров; was formed at the initiative of the pupils of the Central Stroganov school of technical drawing. "Ant" — ancient name of the glaze covering the pottery, making pottery ware is often called the "Muravlenko". Artel United connoisseurs of pottery, technologists, artists-керамистов, sculptors and graphics, which sought to expand the artistic possibilities of ceramics, but also to revive the tradition of ancient Russian pottery, largely forgotten and lost to the late nineteenth century. In their work they focused on the tiles of Ancient Russia, has used shapes, images and ornamental motifs of the art of pre-Petrine era.

the Workshop is located in Malaya Gruzinskaya street, 28, then — on the Big Presnya, 5 (both buildings have not survived). The General meeting was chaired by custodian of the cooperative attorney V. A. Ivanov.

the members of the cooperative has researched and developed new technological methods, in particular the "metallic" glazes reductive roasting, and also made to order decorative panels, majolica decorations of architectural structures, monumental sculpture, garden ceramics (benches, vases, fountains, balustrades, flower pots), interior (furnace, moldings, fireplaces), arts and crafts, Church plates (iconostases, icon-cases).

P. K. Vaulin, founder of the rival pottery in Kikerino near Petersburg, critically wrote about the farm in the review of artistic ceramic industry in Russia (1912): "...opened in Moscow workshop "Ant", organized from graduated from the Stroganov school and serving the main district of Moscow. In the works she has your face, as, judging by the house Pepper in Moscow and home Gorodetskogo on the corner of Ofitserskaya and English Avenue in St. Petersburg how-то collection, where there is everything: Wrobel, Malyutin, and V. Vasnetsov, and Bilibin, which generalized-то total turbidity, random patches, as in the purse of a beggar..."

currently, such criticism seems clearly exaggerated and unjustified, given that many of the works of "the Ant" were textbook examples of Russian art Nouveau.

the Most significant monumental works are the majolica decoration of the house already mentioned Z. A. Pepper in Simonovska travel (1906; S. V. Malyutin), house, V. S., Kazakova on the Garden-Спасской the street (M. V. Egorov), pharmacy Rutkovsky on Tverskaya street (1907; M. V. Egorov), Filatov house on Ostozhenka (1907-1909) in Moscow, the house P. I. Koltsov on English Prospekt in St. Petersburg (A. Bernardazzi), the picture "Peter the Great spends the first ships of the Russian fleet" for the house Petrova in Voronezh (M. L. lions), restoration of the gate towers of Krutitsy metochion in Moscow (1913).

Small plastic farm was exhibited at the 12-й the exhibition of Moscow Association of artists.

In July 1918 the members of the cooperative was organized by the Departmentceramics at the Union of figures of applied art and art industry. In the Union Board was composed of the ceramics A. V. Filippov, B. N. Lange, V. E. Egorov, G. M. Luzan. In August 1920 on their initiative was created by ceramic Department VKhUTEMAS.