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Information about importing items from Russia

Note: This information is being written from an American perspecitive, which may not be the same perspective of all readers.
Once you discover the breathtaking beauty of the art available for sale in Russia, you need to keep a few things in mind. First, Russia has only been a capitalist country for a very short time. Confusion about regulations still abounds, as does opinion about the "fairness" of making profits. It is easy to get scammed if you try to do this on your own.

The solution we have found is to buy through a legitimate Russian business (like Russian Legacy) that understands the ins and outs of securing items for sale, pricing and selling them through a secure site, and then shipping them internationally with attention to the rules and regulations for exporting art and other hand made items out of the country.

Over time we will gather as many different representations of available Russian exports as possible, but we will do so through the company Russian Legacy. You can read more about this company if you click through any of the product links on this site.

The most popular Russian art item exported has to be the Nesting dolls. Start here for information about these breathtaking folk art dolls.

A constant favorite among collectors is handmade porcelain pieces, like these Gzhel style pieces. A description of what makes a piece authentic Gzhel porcelain can be found here.

I have a personal favorite (or two) among the gifts exported from modern day Russia. When you think of modern art, I'm guessing that the American version of Modern Art has caused your brain to conjure up canvas and colors, shapes and illusions. But in Modern Russia, the art of the skilled individual craftsman is still Modern Art.

The exporter featured on this site (Russian Legacy) categorizes these wooden boxes as Folk Art, Wood Carvings - but when I see one I can't help but think I'm looking at the most perfect jewelry box ever made. If my grandfather had carefully planned a perfect handmade treasure for me, cut and carved the wood, fitted the pieces together carefully for a perfect join, made drawers that slid in and out without a hitch, and then assembled it and carefully finished it so that my youthful treasures could save a place for my jewels and gemstones of later life - that perfect box would have looked like these

My next favorite "find" being exported out of the folk art gold mines are these hand carved Santa figurines. In fact, there are several types of wooden figurines called guardians, which seem to be popular religious icons both in Russia and among the Russian immigrants here in the USA.

The Santa figurines, however, represent what looks to me like two very distinct schools of artistic craftsman and their expression of Christmas and Santa. The less expensive ones are usually shorter, more cheerful looking, and usually depict Santa in what I think of as an elf-like mood. An example of what I mean is here. When I say less expensive, I don't mean cheap. The example shown was in the $150 range at the time this link was posted. It's not unknown for them to go on sale, but I have also seen them discontinue a certain figure when the supplies dry up. There are folk artists in Russia who create these beautiful figurines specifically for import, but the colors, styles, and painted scenes do change a bit over time to reflect the growth and development of the artist.

Here's the entire product catalog of Russian hand carved wooden Santas: Click here for all Santas

The most magestic of the Santas carved from wood sell for $1000 and more. These are not created for the casual collecter. I will post a picture that represents the type of Santa figurine you will find in this price range, but you must understand that each one is an individual work of art and may not be available for long. There is a steady supply of these art pieces available, but they will vary slightly in theme, color, and design. Here is an example of these handmade treasures. Owning one might be as elusive as a glimpse of the red-clad Christmas gentleman himself, but if you're fortunate enough to add one to your collection, you'll certainly be asked to display it when your home is added to the "Christmas Walk" for charity.

Today's edit brings information about Samovars, the icon of the Russian tea drinking ritual. It may not be as stylized in perfection as the Japanese tea ceremony, but drinking tea is not about swigging some iced Liptons when you're in Russia.
Find out more about Samovars and where to buy authentic ones here