Interpretation of Fairy Tale Themes in Twentieth-Century Porcelain Sculpture

This article examines the engagement of porcelain art with fairy tale and folklore subjects as a stable artistic phenomenon formed at the intersection of folk tradition, book illustration, and decorative and applied arts. The study considers the specific features of representing fairy tale imagery in painted decoration and small-scale porcelain sculpture, as well as the transformation of illustrative sources into independent artistic compositions shaped by the form and material qualities of porcelain. Based on works produced by various porcelain factories, the article analyzes interpretations of the figures of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird, Alyonushka, Sadko, and the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, revealing differences in the plastic and emotional treatment of the same narrative motifs. The authors demonstrate that porcelain interpretations of fairy tales create a distinctive space of cultural memory in which traditional images are preserved and reinterpreted in accordance with the cultural and artistic characteristics of their own time.