A closer look: Vasylkiv Cockerel
As the UK Prime Minister and Ukrainian President walked through the empty streets of Kyiv, a Ukrainian woman approached them and handed them two ceramic jugs in the shape of a rooster.
The Ukrainian rooster jug given to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April 2022, at the Edinburgh International Culture Summit.
In March 2022, Ukrainian photographer Elizaveta Servatynska captured a similar jug sitting on a kitchen cabinet in a high-rise building. Russian shelling had destroyed the building in Borodyanka, a town about 35 miles northwest of Kyiv. Amongst the scene of destruction, the cabinet had remained undamaged. So had all its contents: porcelain dishes, spice jars, traditional souvenirs, and a ceramic jug in the form of a rooster.
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Prominent ceramists Valerii and Nadiia Protoriev from Vasylkiv, a town near Kyiv, created these jugs in the 1960s. During the Soviet era, Vasylkiv became well known for its factory that produced Majolica pottery – a style of glazed earthenware pottery.
According to Ukrainian folklore, the rooster has powers of protection and good fortune. So, when the image of the cabinet went viral on social media, the jug quickly became a symbol of the country’s resistance. It has since been added to the collection of the Maidan Museum in Kyiv; today, it is part of an exhibition at the National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art.
With support from experts at the Government Art Collection, the jug given to the Prime Minister is now on display at 2022’s Edinburgh International Culture Summit, as this year’s summit focuses on discussions on culture and freedom, prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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