Most art historians date back the origin of the Khokhloma painting style to the 17th century. At that period the northernmost lands of the Nizhni Novgorod province were just starting to recover after the desolation brought by the Mongol invaders. New settlers moved into the ravaged area beyond the Volga. The handicraft of manufacturing wooden utensils with peculiar decorative painting imitating gilding received the appellation of Khokhloma art from one of the villages where it originally had been practiced in ancient times and which grew to become a trading post to which the local craftsmen brought their wares for sale starting from the 18th century.