Bone carving. History and development of bone carving. Equipment and tools

Bone carving in the world: history, countries, origin

Preface by the authors
Due to our profession, we are interested in world sculpture, in particular, bone sculpture. However, Internet sites are filled with exclusively monotonous reprints about carved bone products of the Russian North, and yet Russia was not a monopolist and leader of this type of art, although this is exactly the impression that a viewer interested in artistic bone may get. In this article, you will get acquainted with basic information about the types of bone, with a brief overview of the world artistic bone carving, its traditions and themes, and a series of photographs illustrating the text. The main part of the review was created based on materials from the Metropolitan Museum, British Museum, and, to a lesser extent, other foreign sites; materials from the authors were also used.

For carving in the broadest sense of the word it can be used practically any bone. Here are its main types.

1. Horn of ungulates (deer, elk, cow, deer, etc.)
2. Tubular tibia of large ungulates - tarsus (camel, cow, horse)
3. Tusk (mammoth or elephant)
4. Sperm whale tooth
5. Walrus tusk.
6. Rhino horn
7. Narwhal horn

The extraction and sale of some types of bone is limited or prohibited, for example, narwhal horn, rhinoceros, sperm whale tooth. In 2002, the UN introduced a partial ban on the ivory trade. Thus, only mammoth ivory, ungulate horns and tarsus remain absolutely legal for sale. Since mammoths went extinct over 10,000 years ago, their tusks are not prohibited for use and export (although special permission is still required to harvest and export them), unlike elephant tusk and walrus tusk, the use of which harms the environment by encouraging poaching!

The most flexible and beautiful of these materials, but also the most expensive, of course. mammoth tusk. The tubular structure of the lantern greatly limits its use for sculptural carving. However, due to its low cost, it is now widely used by many carvers. In Russia, a cow's tarsus is predominantly used, in Asian countries - a camel's tarsus.
The tarsus is often used to imitate or fake mammoth ivory. However, the tusk is very easy to distinguish. Usually it is yellowish or brownish, heterogeneous in color with annual rings, like on a cut tree trunk. Cracks on such a bone are common and are not a significant defect, because the tusk easily absorbs moisture from the air. In addition, products made from mammoth ivory often retain traces of the outer layer of the tusk - the so-called “crust”, similar to tree bark. The shank is always a uniform bright white color, there are no veins on it, it is easy to distinguish by its characteristic cylindrical hollow shape, or the product is prefabricated and glued together from plates. The main difference is the “mesh” in the cross section. It is formed by a network of thin channels with nerve fibers. On an elephant's tusk you can also see such a grid, but it looks different - the lines intersect at a more obtuse angle.

Mammoth ivory is a beautiful and plastic material, one of the oldest used by man. Its solid, practically void-free, homogeneous mass and large dimensions make it possible to create any sculptural form from it. This material is easy to process with a cutter and has a beautiful mesh pattern. It retains its impressive appearance with a variety of processing methods - painting, polishing, engraving. In terms of hardness, it is close to natural stones such as amber, pearls, and coral. As a rule, mammoth ivory is mined in permafrost areas at the bottom of rivers, in swamps, and in the tundra. In Russia these are the northern regions of Siberia and Yakutia.

Story
The largest known mammoth tusks reached a length of 400-450 cm, a diameter of 18-19 cm, and a weight of 100-110 kg (African elephant tusks weigh about 95 kg). Ancient people used tusks as fuel, made arrowheads, jewelry, and ritual objects. Over time, bone carving emerged as an independent form of artistic creativity. It was widespread in the decorative and applied arts of the East, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. There is evidence that the ancient Greeks made colossal statues from ivory; the remains of these works have not survived to this day; perhaps the sculptures were made of wood and only covered with bone plates.

The heyday of the carved Byzantine bone icons occurred in the 10th -11th centuries. The Byzantine so-called consular diptychs, which are two ivory plates fastened together in the form of a book, were solemnly presented upon the appointment of a consul.
Since Europe did not have any significant deposits of its own mammoth tusk, and elephants did not live there either, the development of bone-carving art depended entirely on the influx of foreign materials. 95% of all bone imported into Europe was African ivory, 5% was fossil mammoth ivory imported from Russia. Bone carving in Europe experienced several declines and revivals associated with the cessation and resumption of ivory supplies from African continent.
Initially, European carvers borrowed the carving style from imported African bone products. Gradually, the forms of European carving became more complex, and although Europe There were no specialized ivory carving guilds, and artists could use a variety of materials for sculpture; small ivory sculptures are often more expressive and expressive than monumental sculptures. This is due to the fact that such works were mainly intended for secular collectors, which contributed to the freedom to choose themes and subjects.

The Golden Age of Bone Carving fell on 1230 - 1380, when the expansion of its supplies to Europe contributed to its reduction in price and availability. Scenes from popular novels, the exploits of Lancelot and many other subjects were decorated with mirrors, combs, and ivory boxes. Bone sculptures were painted and decorated with jewelry.

In creating the first European folding icons(diptychs) European artists imitated Byzantine models of the 9th – 11th centuries. This form of icon proved extremely popular. Polyptychs appeared, consisting of three, four doors, as well as doors fastened in the form of a book. The main subject of such icons is scenes of the life of Christ or saints. The images of saints, made partly in relief and partly in almost circular sculpture, are arranged in horizontal rows and framed by pointed arches in imitation of Gothic architecture

A significant increase in the supply of ivory to Europe in the 19th century sharply reduced the elephant population, but also stimulated the development of ivory carving. Although there still remained individual virtuoso carvers, the previous highly artistic quality of bone sculptures, when this material was rare, could not be maintained in the new environment of the dominance of mass production.

IN China Bone carving is one of the earliest forms of art. Its origins are located in 30,000 - 10,000 centuries. BC e., when elephants lived on the plain of the Yellow River. The art of bone carving reached its greatest flourishing during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when Chinese sculpture acquired a pronounced decorative character. All kinds of boxes, trays, picture frames, smoking pipes, snuff bottles, bird and cricket cages, etc. began to be carved from bone.

Bone carving, both historically and currently, continues to hold a prominent place in Chinese arts and crafts. The products of Chinese carvers are the most famous in the world. Nowadays, ox and camel shanks are increasingly used, however, the carving still remains highly complex.
The most famous work of Chinese carvers, which usually captures the imagination of Europeans, is "ball in a ball", whose history goes back about 1000 years. A ball is turned out of a piece of bone, after which several conical holes are drilled into it at the required distance, the tops of which converge in the center of the ball. The craftsman then marks the number of inner balls in each hole. Using a special curved cutter, the balls are turned one by one, starting from the inner one. Then the balls, rotating in each other, are covered with engraving or carving. The very first such sphere dates back to the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), it was a three-layer ball. In China, this technique was called “demon work.”
Bone carving in Russia reached its peak in the 12th – 18th centuries, when the main art schools of Russian carving were formed. The construction of the new capital of Russia - St. Petersburg - was accompanied by orders for the production of rich, elegant things for the imperial court and its entourage. The origins of Russian bone carving are probably in ancient Novgorod, where many bone artifacts were found during archaeological research. Over time, this art penetrated to the North, where there were favorable conditions for its prosperity, not only because of the sufficient amount of local raw materials, but also because the North was the main gate through which merchant caravans passed to the West and East. Russian carvers borrowed and partly reinterpreted European motifs, which they drew from engravings of the Peter the Great era and book miniatures. The main schools of carving that have developed in Russia are Kholmogory, Tobolsk, Yakut, Chukotka-Eskimo.

Products made from animal bones are very often placed on the same level as things made from precious metals due to the quality of the work performed and the cost of the material. The more natural the figurine looks and the more carefully its small details are processed, the more valuable such bone carving is considered.

History of the craft

Working with bone has come a long way historically - namely bone carving became one of the first human activities. Over time, thanks to folk crafts, people began to receive not only tools: needles, pins, buttons, tool handles, tips - the products also began to serve a decorative function. Thus, bone household items began to be decorated with intricate patterns and cutouts. In addition, jewelry appeared in the form of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, and hairpins.

Each nation has preserved special features of bone carving in the form of unique motifs. In Russia, this is Kholmogory bone carving, historically formed in the Kholmogory district of the Arkhangelsk region.

The traditions of patterned carving in the Kholmogory style were formed over the course of the 17th-18th centuries. The main features of Kholmogory carving are the patterns with which it abounds:

• carved ornament with through holes;

• relief plot compositions;

• multi-colored engraving of elements;

• placing colored foil under the ornament.

As a rule, craftsmen use mammoth or walrus bone as a base, but if it is not possible to buy such expensive materials, they use animal bones - cows or horses.

Tools and materials

The art of carving bone and horn requires the presence of specialized tools, without which careful processing of the product is impossible. These include drills and gravers - special cutting tools with pointed tips of various shapes, designed for cutting, sawing, scraping, drilling, and grinding bone surfaces.

A compact drill, intended for personal use and not for carrying out industrial orders, can replace many different devices - it all depends on the attachment you have chosen:

• rough sawing tips - removing the top unnecessary layers;

• abrasive attachments - grinding and sanding functions;

• sharp thin nozzles - for highlighting fine lines;

• nozzles with balls with a maximum diameter of up to two millimeters - working out the relief of small parts;

• rubber granular heads - polishing the surface of the product;

• brushes, soft materials - polishing the work.

In some cases, you can use the same tool as when burning wood - it will help create concave depression lines of a dark brown color.

The choice of tools depends entirely on the intended type of work and the material you will be processing. Eg, bone carving and the horn is made in different ways - the bone of some animals is more fragile than the horns. At the same time, mammoth tusks and skeletal elements are equally strong and are considered the hardest in comparison with others.

As a rule, artistic bone carving involves the use of cow, horse, deer, elk, and mammoth bones. In addition, work on the horns and tusks of these animals is highly valued.

You can purchase whole antlers, bones, tusks and fangs. But recently there has been a practice of selling saw cuts in the form of flat medallions or small stumps - such blanks can be used to create small figurines, miniature items, brooches, and pendants.

Preparing the bone for work

Mammoth and walrus bones are very expensive materials, which, moreover, are quite difficult to obtain. The fact is that walruses are protected by various environmental organizations, and the number of mammoth remains found is decreasing faster and faster every year.

With these reasons in mind, novice craftsmen are advised to opt for readily available materials. For example, it would be good to study on cow and horse bones, which can be easily found at any food market at an affordable price.

Such a purchase will only be a preparation for the upcoming work - it needs to be prepared by removing fragile tubular fabrics and removing stains and grease.

• Saw off the ends of the bones that support the cartilaginous structures.

• Clean the workpiece inside and out.

• Now you need to cook the material for half an hour - the fat will gradually come out of the bone.

• Rinse the workpieces under the tap and cook them again, but in clean water. At the same time, add about half a pack of soda ash to the pan for eight liters.

• Leave the pan to simmer again for about an hour and a half.

Remove the pan from the oven and leave overnight. A similar process can be repeated the next day with baking soda if you want to bleach the material and make it even stronger.

Master class - bone carving for beginners

Below you will see how, using basic tools, experienced craftsmen Alexander and Elena Koptelov, whose work is known far beyond the CIS countries, will cut out a figurine of the Cheshire cat from the fairy tale “Alice in Wonderland.” Since the work is very labor-intensive and the material is expensive, beginners should not repeat it without some experience.

However, in this master class you can clearly see bone carving— photos of the process will show the basic principles of material processing. These are exactly what novice craftsmen should practice, honing their skills before taking on even the most seemingly easy work.

Take care of the equipment of your workplace - next to the table on which you will saw and crumble the product, install a good exhaust hood to get rid of work dust. All tools must be within reach and positioned so as not to impede movement during work.

As a basis you need to take a piece of mammoth tusk weighing about one kilogram.

• Using a chisel and hammer, chop off the parts that are separated from the body of the workpiece by through cracks.

• At the initial stage, use the coarse milling attachments of a drill.

• Remove excess from the workpiece and give it the main relief.

• Use the reduced bud tip to smooth out any rough spots.

• Sand the workpiece to make the surface smooth.

• Using a special machine, trim the base of the figurine. This process can also be done using sandpaper.

• Starting from the head, draw the parts of the product with a simple pencil.

• Next, carving the bone should be done with a thin, sharp nozzle - process the main lines of the face.

• Use rounded tips to cut smooth surface textures.

• You should end up with something similar.

• Emphasize the main lines with the thinnest nozzle.

• Work out the details.

• Prepare the eyes and buttons and insert them into place. Use expensive types of wood, for example, to match the main material - mammoth bone.

• Use rubber pads to sand the surface. Remember, you can only work with such an attachment at low speeds, otherwise you will “sear” the bone.

• Polish the figurine using a special machine or manually.

Your product is ready! Coat the work with a sealing varnish to add shine. If you have not yet decided how to choose your hobby, think about it - perhaps such an interesting and original activity as bone carving will suit you.

Finally, check out the video, which shows in detail the process of making a beautiful bone flower.

Take it for yourself and tell your friends!

Read also on our website:

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Bone carving is one of the varieties of DPI. In Russia it is traditional mainly for the northern regions. The processing material can be elk or deer antler, walrus tusk, sperm whale tooth, mammoth ivory or the bone of an ordinary animal.

This type of decorative and applied art is familiar to people almost all over the world. In the design of household items and jewelry, bone can be combined with materials such as wood, gems, ornamental stones, etc.

Types of bone carving

There are several types of bone carving.

. Embossed . The technique consists of choosing a background based on a pre-applied pattern. The result is a relief image. Relief carving is in turn divided into bas-relief (low relief), high relief (deep removal of the background) and counter-relief (recession of the design into the background).
. Smooth . The simplest method, in which the background is also selected, and some areas are simply highlighted by tinting. This type of carving is usually used for making simple crafts - figurines, amulets, pendants.
. Through or openwork . One of the most difficult bone carving techniques to perform. In addition to conventional materials, such materials as cow bone, deer antlers or whalebone can also be used. When making an image, the background is removed entirely. As a result, only an openwork, lace-like pattern remains on the plate.
. Sculptural . The technique is used to make figurines or figurative compositions. The material usually used is deer or cow antler.
.Engraving . The design is pre-applied to the material. The background is then engraved with a special needle. To make decorative items using this technique, bone of a not too bright shade is usually taken. At the final stage, dye is rubbed into the finished product. This can be colored pencil lead or wax mastic.

History of the development of bone carving

Bone carving is the most ancient form of decorative and applied art. Primitive people made needles, arrowheads, scrapers, combs and other similar objects from bones. Somewhat later, decorations and religious objects began to be made. In modern museums you can see many examples made in ancient times from mammoth tusks or ivory.

In the Minoan era, such items were carved in the courts of rulers. The most famous of all the crafts that have come down to us from that time is a figurine of a goddess holding a snake in her hand. This interesting artifact survived the volcanic explosion on the island of Santarin.

The masters of antiquity made a special contribution to the development of bone carving. For example, the statue of Zeus in Olympia was decorated with bone plates. Often the sculpture was carved entirely from ivory. For large works, individual (mostly unclothed) elements were made from bone.

Real masterpieces were made from bone by Byzantine craftsmen. Products created in Constantinople served as role models in the art of medieval bone carvers. One of the chronicles of the 12th century mentions an unknown Russian master. According to the data that has reached us, his contemporaries compared his skill with the skill of the legendary Daedalus. The art of bone carving was also well known to Eastern masters. The most famous school in Asia was the Chinese one.

History of Russian bone carving

The history of Russian bone carving goes back many centuries. The first Slavic princes used a variety of objects made from bone (handrails and legs of thrones, handles of axes and knives, etc.). It is known that Ivan the Terrible was very fond of playing chess cut out of this very material. During the time of Alexei Mikhailovich, a bone processing workshop was organized at the armory. The best Russian carvers worked here. A wide variety of objects made of bone were supplied to the royal court. These were frames for mirrors, brothers, horns, chess, combs, etc. This type of decorative and applied art reached its greatest flourishing during the reign of Catherine II. At this time, the number of carvers increases and the artistic value of the works they produce increases.

Since the 19th century, there has been a slight decline in the art of bone carving. By the end of the century there is even a threat of its complete disappearance. It was revived thanks to the personal intervention of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. By his order, a bone carving class was opened in Kholmogory in 1885. At the beginning of the last century, the production of bone decor was carried out by the artels created during this period. After the start of the Great Patriotic War, production in Kholmogory was closed, but work resumed by 1943. In 1948, an industrial building was built, to which electricity was supplied. From this moment a new stage in the development of bone carving art begins.