Opishnia decorative ceramics

Opishnia decorative ceramics (Ukrainian: Опішнянська кераміка) are a type of traditional Ukrainian ceramics from the village of Opishnia in Poltava Oblast, which is one of the largest centers of pottery production in Ukraine. The distinctive decoration emerged during the second half of the nineteenth century, and the region consolidated its reputation for pottery production. Opishnia painting is mostly of plant ornaments: flowers, bunches of grapes, bouquets and wreaths. Characteristic features are the light yellow of the pattern on a red-brown, white or green background.

During the twentieth century, there were further developments in style inspired by Soviet political ideology. Political repression in the 1930s and 1950s affected the pottery industry, with potters and other people associated with the industry being sentenced to death or imprisonment. The industry consolidated in the 1960s, and in 1986, the Pottery Museum was founded in the village. In 2001, the museum became the National Museum-Reserve of Ukrainian Pottery concerned with the study, preservation and popularization of Ukraine's pottery heritage. Famous ceramicists include Olga Shiyan, Oleksandra Selyuchenko and Yavdokha Poshyvaylo.