How Russian craftsmen created "wooden lace" - a unique carving that can still be seen on houses today

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Carving in wooden architecture is a unique layer of the culture of our country. You can enjoy the art of ancient masters by visiting Gorodets. This is where you can truly feel like in old Russia and marvel at the lacy colorful houses! In this distinctive city, located in the Nizhny Novgorod region, as well as in its vicinity, samples of unique Gorodets carving are still preserved.

Gorodets art of carving on wooden houses originated about two centuries ago. The patterns on the basis of which this trend will later be formed can be seen on ancient local spinning wheels, lavishly decorated with intricate carvings.

Another direction that influenced the development of carving in the architecture of Gorodets is the art of Gorodets ship craftsmen. In the old days, local carpenters, building wooden ships, decorated their sides with original carved ornaments. Lightweight and comfortable, and even very beautiful Gorodets barks (barges) were very popular on the Volga. "The carving on the bark is like an iconostasis," the locals said with admiration about the Gorodets ships, which cut through the water surface, decorated with wooden "lace" and painting. Such carving was usually practiced by dynasties, and this art was indulged from father to son.

Such a "fashion" for carving could not but affect the architecture of the city. To this day, in Gorodets, along with modern stone houses, you can see pre-revolutionary wooden houses and huts, luxuriously decorated with wooden plants, flowers and other interesting carved ornaments.

Alas, at the beginning of the last century, the art of carving in the architecture of the city began to die. It began to revive only in the second half of the last century.

Gorodets carving is usually based on floral ornaments, in which the craftsmen "write" dates, sayings, as well as images of animals and mythical creatures - for example, a pharaoh (a local pagan character like a mermaid, considered the keeper of the hearth).

Gorodets' works are easily recognizable by the characteristic combination of blind volumetric carving with very realistic images of decorative elements of wildlife: flowers, herbs, twigs, leaves. The same techniques are used in the manufacture of Gorodets caskets and icon frames.

There are two types of Gorodets carving: slotted and blind. Platbands and cornices with slotted carvings can often be found on the streets in Gorodets. They look like lace or knitting and contain floral motifs, silhouettes of birds and animals, images of spikelets, braids.

Blind carving is distinguished by the fact that the drawing is flush with the wooden surface, an ornament is made on a solid log or board, so you cannot make a mistake (you cannot correct it). This thread is most clearly visible in bright light, in sunny weather. This species has ancient roots - it was used by the Russian ancestors when decorating household items. Such carvings can be found in very old houses in Gorodets and its environs. With deaf carving, they also often used animal characters (lions, horses, eagles) and, again, pharaohs.

To this day, the keepers of this unique ancient art - master carvers who will not let the work of their ancestors be forgotten - live in Gorodets.

No less interesting and wooden architecture of Tomsk. From an architectural point of view, this city is also unique, because there are still many wooden houses preserved in it.