One of the most ancient forms of art, mastered by our ancestors tens of thousands of years ago, is bone carving. Products created in this way are still valued today - some works are equal in value to jewelry made of precious metals. In figurines carved from bone, people are most attracted by accuracy, deep attention to small details and natural composition, which is achieved due to the unique properties of the material.

Bone carving is one of the first artistic occupations of man. Creating tools, he eventually began to decorate them with drawings and patterns, and then moved on to the manufacture of fully decorative household items such as necklaces, rings, figurines and caskets.

The material for such products was both "noble" ivory and mammoth tusks, as well as simple tarsals - dense tubular parts of the skeleton of cows, horses and other household animals.

This unusual craft was especially widespread in eastern countries, as well as in Rome, Greece and Byzantium. Each of these places has developed its own style of carving. Not only techniques differed, but also sets of motifs and plots that hung from the culture, mythology, traditions and rituals of a particular people. But, since a significant part of the products were created for secular collectors, there has always been a wide variety of themes and images.

In Russia, the Kholmogory bone carving is well known, named after the corresponding region of the Arkhangelsk Territory. Her "visiting card" is a complex and ornate carved ornament with through holes, combined with relief plot compositions. In the works of the masters of this style, inspiration is read by the beautiful, but harsh northern nature. Patterns resemble frosty swirls, often with floral motifs. Another feature of the style is the decoration of the ornament with color, whether it is the engraving of individual details or laying the background for the entire work.

Slightly less famous Khotkovskaya carving, originating in the town of the Moscow region with the same name. Her style is distinguished by restraint and conciseness. Artists pay more attention to the image of individual details of wildlife: leaves, flowers, animals. Caskets and women's jewelry made in this technique look especially impressive. They often combine Khotkovo carving on bone and wood or horn, and also decorate products with mother-of-pearl and other materials.

The creativity of the peoples of the north deserves special attention. For example, the Chukchi variety of handicraft is characterized by simplicity of execution and a minimum of details. The main material used in it is walrus tusk. Most often, amulets, amulets and decorated household items are made from it, but more complex compositions are also found. There are paintings of fangs, which are a retelling of entire plots in pictures.

The products of artists working in the Yakut technique are distinguished by complex openwork ornaments, in which geometric figures predominate. Sculptures and figurines of these masters are famous for their attention to detail and are created on the principle of a layout.

Tobolsk carving is known for its miniatures depicting the everyday life of northern peoples. In addition, snuffboxes, key rings, women's jewelry and even icons from her masters are popular.

An interesting style, based on wood carving, is distinguished by Varnavin bone carving. Its basis is an openwork ornament, which can be either flat or convex. Varnavin's craftsmen make not only jewelry and decor items, but also dishes, candlesticks, chess sets and even sewing accessories.

It is impossible not to mention the Chinese techniques of this ancient art. The most famous are the two schools: Cantonese and Peking. The first is famous for the incredible subtlety and luxury of its works, for which only specially bleached bone is used. The second one is a little more restrained and serves mainly for making figures of people. For this purpose, the bone is carefully polished, which emphasizes its unique texture.

Craft features

Features of bone carving are related to the material used. First of all, this is the fact that each product created in this way is unique and inimitable - it is almost impossible to recreate the work exactly, even if desired. The shape of the resulting figure is always dictated by the bone itself. Each bend, slight unevenness, build-up or crack is woven into the composition by the master, creating a unique work of art.

Due to the high cost of the material, they try to make its losses minimal. Despite this, in some types of work, for example, drawing up openwork ornaments, 50% or more is still cut off from the bone. At the same time, they do not make sketches on paper for the future figurine - usually the details are marked on the bone itself. By execution, the thread is divided into several types:

Working with bone

The times when it was possible to learn an artistic craft only from its master are long gone. Now instructions for decorative bone processing are available to everyone, as is the purchase of the tools needed for this. There are master classes for beginners who are going to start everything from scratch, as well as for experienced creators who want to improve and develop their skills.

Material selection

For artistic cutting on bone, noble varieties of this material are most often used, corresponding to the craftsmanship and beauty of products made from it. However, beginners and those looking to get more practice should look for readily available options, such as cow bones, which are sold cheaply in many grocery stores and markets. The most popular types of bones for carving include:

It is worth noting that harvesting the bones and horns of many of these animals is illegal or heavily restricted in many countries. The exception is the tarsus and mammoth tusks. The extraction of the latter does not harm nature, since these relatives of elephants became extinct more than 10 thousand years ago. However, the extraction of this material is still quite difficult and requires special permission (and whole, well-preserved tusks suitable for carving are very rare), so the price of the material remains high.

Suppliers most often sell the material in a form that is already convenient for the master: the bone is degreased, bleached, cut into pieces of the desired shape and size. Those who have chosen a bobbin for work can prepare it themselves. For this you need:

1. Saw off the ends of the bone, cut off all the cartilage and other formations from it. Thoroughly clean it both inside and out.
2. Boil the prepared material for half an hour. Then drain the water - it will contain fat that has come out of the bone.
3. Put the bobbin on the fire again, this time filling it with water with the addition of soda ash. Keep 1.5 hours.
4. Leave overnight. The next day, darken again for 1.5 hours, but this time with baking soda.

The material treated in this way becomes stronger, whiter and easier to process. In addition, it is cleaned of fragile tubular fabrics, grease and stains on the surface.

Instrument preparation

Tools for working with bone are somewhat similar to those for carving horn, but there are differences due to the difference in strength and structure of these materials. The main device necessary for careful and accurate processing of the product is a drill and a chisel-nozzle for it. They come in a variety of sharpness and shape, depending on the function performed:

Sometimes other tools are used, for example, a pyrographic device for burning wood. It helps to create shallow embossed lines of beautiful brown.

The choice of tips depends on the type of work and the type of bone - some of them are very fragile, others are stronger, the shape and structure also differ.

Lessons for beginners

Bone carving is a fairly complex craft that takes years to master. Creating even a simple craft is a long and painstaking work, which, nevertheless, can deliver a lot of pleasure both in the process and in the result. To understand the basics, a step-by-step lesson on carving a figurine in the form of a Cheshire Cat from a mammoth tusk will help:

Artistic bone processing is an ancient art, which for many has become both a favorite pastime in their free time and the main source of income. The high-quality and full of details figurines created by the masters of this craft have become not only a worthy decoration for both museums and private collections, but also symbols of wealth and taste.

Bone carving. Peoples of the North

Types and features of bone carving

Bone carving is the kind of art that creates truly amazing things that literally fascinate with their appearance. They seem to attract your attention, forcing you to peer into the elegance of the lines again and again, to examine the ornament, finding more and more interesting strokes.

relief carving

Bone carving is a very ancient art. It has come a long way of development: from the simplest decorations and household items to products of unique beauty and delicacy that decorate the interior. The talent and work of some generations was multiplied by the work and talent of others, the achievements of nameless creators found worthy successors in the face of masters whose names remained in history. The techniques of bone processing, which have developed for a very long time, do not change at the present time.

There are several types of bone carving:

• smooth
• embossed
• through

Smooth carving is easier to perform, it is used to make various amulets, small figurines of animals, people. According to a pre-drawn drawing, recesses are formed by the master, which are then highlighted with paint for greater expressiveness. Volumetric carving involves the creation of more complex, three-dimensional products that make up entire sculptural groups. And finally, for the manufacture of the most unique in beauty and difficult to work openwork caskets, caskets, the technique of through or so-called bone carving in the opening is used.

Bone carving of the peoples of the North

Bone carving of the peoples of the North belongs to one of the ancient folk crafts. The inhabitants of Chukotka used for their work the most accessible material for them - walrus tusks. Products of Chukchi masters are distinguished by simplicity and conciseness, a minimum of details. For the most part, these are numerous amulets and items used in everyday life: various tips, knives, harpoons. Their art of engraving is also of interest - whole stories in pictures are created on fangs.

Yakut carvers create their works with the help of openwork carving, using geometric ornaments. The sculptural direction is highly developed, distinguished by careful elaboration of details and construction according to the type of layout.

Tobolsk craftsmen create miniatures from walrus fangs and sperm whale teeth that tell about the life and life of the peoples of the North. Among their products you can also find women's jewelry, knives for cutting paper, various key chains.

smooth thread

Khotkovskaya carving

The best traditions of Russian masters are continued by Khotkovskaya bone carving. The city of Khotkov, located in the Moscow region, gave its name to the whole direction of the art of carving. Unlike Kholmogory, the style of Khotkovo carvers is more concise, based on specific forms of wildlife. The main products are caskets and women's jewelry. The combination of various materials in products is characteristic - bone, mother-of-pearl, horn, hardwoods.

Kholmogory bone carving

Kholmogory bone carving is one of the first Russian artistic crafts. The Arkhangelsk Territory, with its harsh and beautiful nature, inspired its talented residents. The products of these masters are very recognizable for their unique delicacy, ornateness of numerous ornaments. Caskets and chests with a traditional four-sided lid, women's jewelry, goblets and even icons - everything is decorated with floral ornaments and lush curls reminiscent of frosty patterns.

through thread

Features of the bone carving material

The type of finished products largely depends on the material that was used to create them. The bones of all kinds of animals are pre-treated, degreased, bleached, cut into pieces of the required size. Knowledge of the features of their structure allows the master to use them in his product with the greatest benefit.

Mammoth bone carving allows you to get an unlimited number of product options. Mammoth bone is softer than walrus, easier to process, and makes it possible to use various techniques, including through carving. From its tusk, you can get a sculpture of quite a large size. In addition, as a result of occurrence in permafrost, mammoth bones can be painted in various dark colors, which is successfully used by craftsmen for decorative purposes.

Ivory carving not much inferior to the processing of mammoth bones. When creating products from ivory, you can also use openwork ornaments, relief carving, although its whiteness requires a clear study of relief lines in order to obtain the best contrast of light and shadow. Ivory does not limit the shape of the products, allowing you to get graceful figurines of decent size.

Modern masters of bone carving create their products in the best traditions of this art. The figurines and caskets made today still amaze the imagination with their beauty and expressiveness, and have a high artistic and material value.

http://reznoe7.ru/rez-ba-po-kosti.

Even in prehistoric times, people had to work with their hands, creating various tools. Along with stone and wood, ancient man drew attention to animal bones as a suitable material for making tools. They are strong, lightweight and durable. Thus, the art of carving animal bones appeared. Later, in addition to the practical function, the bone also began to perform a decorative one: craftsmen appeared who were able to make products from the bone of a mammoth, walrus and others. In different countries and regions, the purpose and appearance and method of bone carving was very different, went in different ways.

How did bone carving develop in China?

In China, this art originated before our era. Daggers and figurines dating back to 3700 BC have been found in the excavations. A unique phenomenon is the ancient puzzle balls that are nested in each other. Since the bone is a solid material, it is obvious that the craftsmen carved these balls one inside the other. At present, the skill of making balls has reached the point that the following record has been broken: a similar Chinese “matryoshka” consists of 42 balls nested in each other.

It is believed that these puzzles had a sacred meaning: each ball was a different shell of the Earth. Now the mystical meaning has been lost, but the secret of their cutting has been revealed: cone-shaped holes are cut from the bone in a solid ball, converging in the center, and then the balls are cut, starting from the inner ones, with a special tool.

We study the craft of bone carving in different regions of Russia

Kholmogory bone carving: features and differences

Lomonosov's homeland - Kholmogory, in the Arkhangelsk region, is famous for the craft of artistic bone carving. This carving is distinguished by an abundance of openwork ornaments, floral patterns and wavy lines. As a material, the northerners use the most accessible bone of cattle - the tarsus, and carving on the bone of the sea animal walrus is also popular. Kholmogory caskets, jewelry for women, goblets and icons are known not only in Russia, but also abroad. Colored foil or precious woods are placed under the through holes in the products.

Varnavinsky carved bone - distinctive features and history of occurrence

Bone carving in the working settlement of Varnavino appeared as an offshoot of the Kholmogory carving. This rather new type of carving is similar to that of Kholmogory, but it contains folk motifs from Khokhloma and Gorodets painting, as well as Nizhny Novgorod embroidery. Here, volumetric carving techniques are used. The main material is also a tarsal, but they are also cut in horn, ivory and mammoth ivory. The history of Varnavinian carving is short: its beginning goes back to 1970, however, in this village there is still a factory, whose name is Varko LLC. Honored masters work in it, many of whom have been nominated for awards and are laureates of numerous competitions and exhibitions both in Russia and abroad. Images of their work are used for illustrations in books, and are also exhibited in museums of folk crafts. Varnavin craftsmen make women's jewelry, combs, hairpins, as well as chess, pencil boxes and many other souvenirs.

Tobolsk bone carving craftsmanship

In the 18th Siberia, there was a large amount of valuable mammoth bone, and this contributed to the emergence of bone carvers in this region. The Tobolsk carved bone is distinguished by roundness of forms, it is characterized by three-dimensional carving. Tobolsk sculptures most often represent scenes from the life of the peoples of the north. You can also find items such as candlesticks, cigarette cases, key rings and women's jewelry.

Materials and tools for bone cutting for beginner carvers:

• The most noble material for bone carving is mammoth bone. However, it is very difficult to get it, because it is an irreplaceable fossil. Its advantages are that from long-term storage underground, it is tinted, acquiring creamy delicate shades. It is pleasant to work with such material, but difficult, since the master bears a huge responsibility: the damaged piece cannot be returned, and the reserves on Earth are getting smaller every day.
• No worse in the cutting process, ivory manifests itself, which, moreover, is not so rare. However, in Russia it is also not easy to get it, but it is quite expensive.
• For beginner craftsmen, the tarsus is best suited - the bone of cattle, which is not such a rare or expensive material. There are subtleties here. To prepare the bone for cutting, it must be boiled with soda for several hours, then soaked in a solution of hydrogen peroxide for bleaching. It is empty inside, and craftsmen make figurines of animals from it, and sometimes even scenes from folk tales.
• Tools for cutting are various gravers, as well as files and needle files. The photo shows some of the tools needed for this skill.

Those who wish to learn this art can watch a selection of videos about animal bone carving.

Video selection on the topic of the article

Photo frame "Animal World", Cup "North", Photo frame "Trip".
Who left their mark on the history of Kholmogory artistic bone carving?

Since ancient times, our ancestors fished not only cod, navaga or seals in the White and Barents Seas, but also walrus bone - “fish tooth”. It happened that they found a fossil mammoth. Even a simple tubular cow bone - a tarsus - even in the hands of skilled craftsmen became like a noble one. They cut bone all over the North - from Solvychegodsk and Veliky Ustyug to Arkhangelsk. But somehow it so happened that it was Kholmogory that became the center of the bone carving industry.

Beads and earrings "Vintage". 1994, Vase "Forest Breath". 1991, Vase "Deer". 1994, Vase "Rook". 1993

The first written mention of the Kholmogory carvers dates back to the 17th century, when the local “combed master” Evdokim Sheshenin and his brothers were called to Moscow to work in the Armory and, subsequently, became its best bone carvers.

End of 17th century. Unknown carver from the Sheshenin family

This is the first name of the master bone cutter, which was preserved for us by archival documents. But after all, even before him, or rather before them, the craftsman brothers Sheshenins, there were carvers: "... there is a doorway - a fish tooth is expensive, the cutouts are cut out, and only an ant can pass through the cutout." Old northern epic. That's about it. About the skill of those who, even before the 17th century, were engaged in bone carving. Their names have not been conveyed to us by oral folk art. But, thanks to him, we understand perfectly well that the Kholmogory bone carving industry is much more than 400 years old.

Shtang P.P. Casket "Son of the Pomor", 1987

For a long time, things have been different. The 17th century was replaced by the 18th. Became the time of the true heyday of Kholmogory artistic carving. In 1703, a new capital of the Empire was founded on the banks of the Neva. In order to shine and amaze Europe, beautiful, elegant, extraordinary things were urgently needed. The Kholmogory craftsmen, according to their professional level, could already do this and were ready to fulfill the order they received.

Wedding casket-teremok

Most of the custom-made products of that period were caskets of various sizes. They could take the form of a chest with a four-pitched lid, or they could be made in simple boxes with a flat top, whose wooden body was pasted over with bone plates made of walrus ivory or ordinary tarsus. To enliven the monotonous surface of the casket, some of these plates were painted green, less often brown. Alternating with white, painted plates created a kind of decorative rhythm of the finished product.

Casket "Spring Song". 1989

The plates were engraved with the so-called "eye" ornament in the form of concentric circles with a dot-eye in the middle. Or vegetable - from small twigs with buds and rosettes of flowers. The engraved drawing was tinted with green, red or black, which, on the one hand, created a certain contrast with the pure white or milky-cream material of the bone, and on the other hand, connected it into a single composition with the already painted plates.

Cups with portraits. Workshop of O. Dudin

Bone products came into fashion. They were not only presented as memorable gifts to various high-ranking persons and simply important persons, but were also constantly in royal use. So, after the death of Catherine I, it was established by a special protocol-description of the Supreme Privy Council that the empress kept her personal belongings in two Kholmogory caskets. In addition to them, in the rooms of the Empress there were two carved bone images, respectively - in gold and silver frames.

Icon "Our Lady of Kazan". 1996, Panagia. 2002

Throughout the 18th century, the demand for artistic products of the Kholmogory carvers not only did not decrease, it steadily grew. Both the assortment of bone products itself and the variety of forms and methods of decorating them were expanding. Snuffboxes, miniature chests of drawers, secretaires and toilet boxes were added to the chests and boxes that have already become traditional. To the crests are stands for watches and plates with portraits.

Box "Leaves flew away from the poplars." 1994, Box "Rest on the flight". 1995, Vase "Trees are sleeping". 2002 Earrings. 1995

The openwork ornament was complemented by a colored background of the lining, which is used as foil or silk fabric. And, as a result, any thing becomes lush and elegant, turning into a real work of art. This was largely facilitated by the master bone carvers who worked at that time.

Turnip box. 1978, Vase "Curl". 1980

History has preserved several names for us. These are Osip Khristoforovich Dudin and an outstanding figure of Russian culture, a famous sculptor - Fedot Ivanovich Shubin. The latter arrived in St. Petersburg in 1759 and, thanks to the assistance of Mikhail Vasilievich Lomonosov, another talented native of Kholmogory, soon received numerous orders from a wide range of noble dignitaries, whom he "served with bone carving." It is believed that it was Shubin who carved the relief portrait of M. Lomonosov.

Brooch "Bird". 1996, Comb "In the Garden of Eden". 198 6g., Comb "Joy". 1995, Comb "Openwork". 1996

At the beginning of the 19th century, elements of a new architectural style, classicism, made certain adjustments to the work of the Kholmogory masters. The proportions of products acquire special rigor and sophistication, their forms, in which the geometric principle is more clearly manifested, become more concise, and the ornament becomes smaller. Carvers achieve extraordinary skill in their work. Such, for example, as Nikolai Stepanovich Vereshchagin, who grew up in the family of a soldier, whose creativity flourished in 1790-1810.

Like Dudin, Vereshchagin combined in his best works the traditions of the North Russian bone carving art with elements of the contemporary architectural school, which speaks not only of natural intelligence, but also of the high erudition and culture of the carver. Several decorative vases by Vereshchagin have survived to this day, one of which was presented to Catherine II by him.

Stavets "To All Saints", Myrrh-Bearer "Help the Russian Land". 1992, Veliky Novgorod Cup. 1984

Decorated with the thinnest through carvings and reliefs, the lightness of the openwork relief of which is emphasized by the purity of the polishing of the bone surface, these products of the master are simply unique. In 1798, the reigning couple of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna received paired cone-shaped vases from the carver. Today they are kept in the State Hermitage.

bureau secretary

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, a new characteristic element appeared in Kholmogory artistic carving - the mechanics of through carving. And - new names of masters who masterfully mastered this technological technique. Such as Mikhail Mikhailovich Bobretsov and Maxim Ivanovich Perepelkin. Teacher and pupil.

The most famous product of the former is a dish with a carved rim and the monogram "B" in the center, which in 1885, together with bread and salt, was presented to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich who visited Kholmogory.

Maxim Ivanovich from 1885 to 1900 was the head of the bone carving class at the Lomonosov school, which organized the statistical committee of Arkhangelsk in order to support the industry, which was going through hard times at the turn of the century. Being an excellent master, M. I. Perepyolkin mastered the technique of carving to perfection. And although at that time the carving class was closed, but V. P. Guryev, G. E. Petrovsky and V. T. Uzikov, who studied in it and adopted everything from Maxim Ivanovich, became the human basis from which the revival of the Kholmogory craft began in 30 -s of the twentieth century.

Tray "Wind". 1982, Necklace-beads "Caprice". 1996, Hair ornament "Roses". 2002, Brooches "Flowers", Dressing box "Tulips". 1996

And since they say that history goes in a spiral, there is hope that the Kholmogory art craft will survive the current crisis. The main thing is that the art of carving has not yet been lost, it is preserved and passed on to students of the next generation. And even though in 2007 only nine students were admitted to the first year of the current bone carving school, or according to the modern one - PU-27 (production school) ... But - they are there!

Soviet bone carving school. Prosvirin V. A. 80s

So, until the hope has died, that over time, those names that have already left their mark on the history of the Kholmogory craft will be added ... New ones will definitely be added.
And someday someone will write about them. Or maybe it's not that long of a wait? ...

Vase "Ballad of the North", Cup "Forest motifs". 1977, Table decoration "Northern motifs". 1978

Turnip box. 1995, Box "Bird". 1995, Toilet box "Birds". 2001, Knife "Fantasy". 2003, Paper cutter 2002

In contact with

There is a doorway - a fish tooth is expensive
Tricky cutouts are cut out.
And only in the cutout - goosebumps to pass.

folk riddle

The origin of the craft

Archaeological finds make it possible to assert that a person began to process and use the bones of animals for household and then for decorative purposes, even in ancient times.

, CC BY-SA 3.0

Some finds on the territory of modern Russia date back to the 6th century BC. Of course, the technologies were not yet developed at that time and the products are far from the finest lace carving that delights us so much now.

In those ancient times, the bone largely replaced the lack of iron for people, many tools were made from it, such as needles and awls.

Guide to Russian Crafts, CC BY-SA 3.0

Gradually, iron firmly came into use, but this did not replace, but rather even strengthened and diversified the bone-carving craft. With the advent of metal tools, there were more opportunities to process bone, products became more diverse.

Products

Artistically processed bone is used as a decorative finish, and whole objects are made from it. The art of bone carving is equated to jewelry.

• caskets
• Jewelry
• decorative ornaments
• constituent elements of household items

and much more.

Carved bone has a lot of advantages. It is strong, durable and weather resistant. One of the most important advantages is that the processed bone is very beautiful.

Guide to Russian Crafts, CC BY-SA 3.0

A pleasant beige shade always looks elegant and light. Products glow from the inside, this is especially evident in openwork carved products.

Tableware, caskets, knife handles, decor on weapons - bone is a favorite material when it comes to expensive highly artistic products.

About material

"Carved bone" is a general concept. In fact, craftsmen use different types of bone in their work, including horns, as well as elephant, mammoth, and walrus tusks. The bones of cattle are also used - tarsals.

Bones differ in color shades, gloss, texture. Mammoth ivory has a warm yellowish tone and a micro-mesh texture. Walrus bone is lighter and colder in color, unlike mammoth tusk, it has a cellular interior, which somewhat narrows the possibility of creating artistic products.

Guide to Russian Crafts, CC BY-SA 3.0

Before carving, the bone is subjected to degreasing, and then, using incisors, various products are cut out. Horns do not need to be degreased.

Bone carving in our time

The carving industry continues to develop. This is due to the unquenchable demand for such products. Carved bone is very beautiful and decorative, but quite expensive.

Guide to Russian Crafts, CC BY-SA 3.0

Enterprises continue to operate in the Russian North and in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Not so long ago, fishing was restored in Khotkovo.

The products of past and modern bone carvers are kept in large museums of our country and are known abroad.

Photo gallery

In these places, they learned to use the bones of local animals or use imported raw materials.

Kholmogory bone carving is the oldest. The rest arose already in Soviet times.

Varieties of bone carving

There are a lot of carving techniques:

• sculptural
• typesetting
• openwork carving
• turning
• inlay
• burning out

All this is done manually with the help of special tools that have undergone quite strong evolutionary changes. For example, a drill with various convenient attachments is now widely used, while a century and a half ago such automation was not even thought of.