2026 #2 Ivashkiv H.

« 2026. # 2 (188)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2026. № 2 (188), 436—449

UDK 738.3: 745] (477.8-89)

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/

• Received: 24.02.2026
• Accepted: 10.03.2026
• Published: ??.??.2026

POTTERY IN BEREZHANY: VERIFICATION OF POTTERS’ NAMES

IVASHKIV Halyna

• ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2359-6735
• Doctor of Sciences in Art Criticism, 
• Senior Scholar at the Ethnology Institute
• at the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine,
• Folk Art Department
• at the Museum of Ethnography, Arts and Crafts,
• 15, Svoboda Ave., 79000, Lviv, Ukraine,
• Contacts: e-mail: halynaivashkiv@ukr.net

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to highlight the work of the ceramic center in Berezhany, with particular emphasis on verifying the local craftsmen’s names. The research was conducted on the basis of a thorough examination of parish and church registry books recording births, marriages, and deaths of residents of Berezhany, Adamivka, and Rai, preserved in the Ternopil Regional State Archives, as well as similar documents kept in the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv. It should be noted that systematic record-keeping of such registry books began only in 1765. The study identified several potters who were active in the 18^th century and in the early 20^th century, while the most extensive list of craftsmen dates back to the 19^th century. The object of the research is the archival registry books of the residents of Berezhany and its surrounding settlements. The subject of the research is the search for and verification of the names of Berezhany potters from the 18^th to the early 20^th cc. The methodological framework is based on the principles of historicism and comparative analysis.

When studying the development of pottery in Berezhany, it is also important to take into account other crafts practiced in the town and its surrounding areas. As early as 1570, out of a population of 200—260 people in Berezhany, 20 were craftsmen, including brick makers. Later, craftsmen of various professions formed guilds, and their products were sold mainly at local fairs. Among the artisans, furriers, shoemakers, coopers, and weavers were the most numerous, while potters and tanners were fewer in number. Throughout the 17^th and 18^th cc., local potters took part in fairs held in the vicinity of Berezhany. Although pottery production was primarily associated with the suburbs of Berezhany—Adamivka and Rai — the ceramics were referred to exclusively as Berezhany ware.

Local craftsmen were highly talented, as their works received prestigious awards at exhibitions of the time. Thus, Berezhany ceramics were duly recognized by the organizers of the Regional Agricultural and Industrial Exhibition held in Lviv in 1877; however, unfortunately, not a single surname of the craftsmen was recorded. On that occasion, the potters from Berezhany were awarded a «Medal of Merit» for their «good technique» in producing and burning earthenware as well as for their «very beautiful and high-quality glaze».

While noting the absence of surviving ceramic artifacts from the late 18^th c., we at the same time confirm that archival materials have revealed the names of several pottery authors. A greater number of potters’ surnames was identified in the registry books of the 19^th and the 1^st half of the 20^th c., which are hereby introduced into scholarly research for the first time (a total of 81 names).

Keywords: Berezhany, pottery, registry books, craftsmen’s names, verification.

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