Rats Made With Love In Belarusian Ceramics Factory

A ceramic rat gets his snout dabbed with paint.

Long-nosed rodents taking shape under a potter’s fingers.

These scenes of ratty genesis were captured inside the Belkhudozhkeramika ceramics factory in the Minsk region. 
 

The factory is located in a small town north of Minsk.

The entrance of the business, which opened its doors to Belarusian photojournalist Natalia Fedosenko on November 21.
 

A vessel is shaped on a potter’s wheel inside the factory.

A worker carries clay pots that await firing in a kiln and a painter’s touch.

The Belkhudozhkeramika factory opened in 1940 to make simple consumer products, like plates and mugs, from a deposit of high-quality clay in eastern Belarus.

More recently, the factory has focussed on high-end decorative pottery…

…and endearing porcelain rats.

After the clay is molded and dried, the rats are fired in a roaring kiln that heats up to more than 720 degrees Celsius.

The factory makes numerous other animal souvenirs.

But during photographer Fedosenko’s visit, this rat pack stole the show.