Also in prehistoric times people had to work with their hands, creating various tools. Along with stone and wood, ancient man paid attention to animal bones as suitable material for making tools. They are strong, lightweight and durable. Thus the art of carving animal bones emerged. Later, in addition to its practical function, bone also began to serve a decorative function: craftsmen appeared who were able to make products from the bones of mammoths, walruses and others. IN different countries and regions of destination and appearance and the method of bone carving was very different and followed different paths.

How did bone carving develop in China?

In China, this art originated before our era. Excavations have uncovered daggers and figurines dating back to 3700 BC. A unique phenomenon are ancient puzzle balls that are nested inside each other. Since bone is a solid material, it is obvious that the craftsmen cut out these balls one inside the other. Currently, 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 inside each other.

It is believed that these puzzles had sacred meaning: Each ball represented 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 out of a solid ball of bone, converging in the center, and then the balls are cut out, starting from the inner ones, with a special tool.

We study the bone carving industry in different regions of Russia

Kholmogory bone carving: features and differences

Lomonosov's homeland, Kholmogory, in the Arkhangelsk region, is famous for its art of bone carving. This carving is distinguished by an abundance of openwork ornaments, plant patterns and wavy lines. As a material, the northerners use the most accessible bone of cattle - the tarsus; carving on the bone of the sea animal walrus is also popular. Kholmogory boxes, jewelry for women, cups and icons are known not only in Russia, but also abroad. Colored foil or valuable species tree.

Varnavinskaya carved bone - distinctive features and history

Bone carving in the workers' village of Varnavino appeared as an offshoot of Kholmogory carving. This one is pretty the new kind The carving is similar to Kholmogory, but it contains folk motifs from Khokhloma and Gorodets painting, as well as Nizhny Novgorod embroidery. Volumetric carving techniques are used here. The main material is also the tarsus, but they are also cut into horn, ivory and mammoth bone. The history of Varnavin carving is short: its beginning dates back to 1970, but in this village there is still a factory, whose name is Varko LLC. It employs honored masters, many of whom have received 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 folk art museums. Made by Varnavinsky craftsmen women's jewelry, combs, hairpins, as well as chess, pencil holders and many other souvenirs.

Tobolsk bone carving skills

In the 18th century in Siberia there was a large number of valuable mammoth bone, and this contributed to the emergence of bone carvers in this region. Tobolsk carved bone is distinguished by its rounded shapes and is characterized by voluminous carvings. Tobolsk sculptures most often represent scenes from the life of the peoples of the north. You can also find products such as candlesticks, cigarette cases, keychains 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, because it is an irreplaceable fossil. Its advantages are that from long-term storage underground it becomes tinted, acquiring creamy delicate shades. It is pleasant to work with such material, but difficult, since a huge responsibility lies on the shoulders of the master: a damaged piece can no longer be returned, and the reserves on Earth are getting smaller every day.
• Ivory performs no worse in the cutting process, which, moreover, is not so rare. However, it is also not easy to get it in Russia, and it is quite expensive.
• For beginning craftsmen, the best choice is a tarsus - cattle bone, which is not such a rare or expensive material. There are some subtleties here. To prepare the bone for cutting, it needs to be boiled with soda for several hours, then soaked in a solution of hydrogen peroxide to bleach. It is empty inside, and craftsmen use it to make animal figurines, and sometimes even scenes from folk tales.
• The 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 want to learn this art can watch a selection of videos about carving animal bones.

Video selection on the topic of the article

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

How did bone carving develop in China?

In China, this art originated before our era. Excavations have uncovered daggers and figurines dating back to 3700 BC. A unique phenomenon are ancient puzzle balls that are nested inside each other. Since bone is a solid material, it is obvious that the craftsmen cut out these balls one inside the other. Currently, 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 inside each other.

It is believed that these puzzles had a sacred meaning: each ball represented 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 out of a solid ball of bone, converging in the center, and then the balls are cut out, starting from the inner ones, with a special tool.

We study the bone carving industry in different regions of Russia

Kholmogory bone carving: features and differences

Lomonosov's homeland, Kholmogory, in the Arkhangelsk region, is famous for its art of 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; carving on the bone of the sea animal walrus is also popular. Kholmogory boxes, jewelry for women, cups and icons are known not only in Russia, but also abroad. Colored foil or valuable wood is placed under the through holes in the products.

Varnavinskaya carved bone - distinctive features and history

Bone carving in the workers' village of Varnavino appeared as an offshoot of Kholmogory carving. This rather new type of carving is similar to Kholmogory, but it contains folk motifs from Khokhloma and Gorodets painting, as well as Nizhny Novgorod embroidery. Volumetric carving techniques are used here. The main material is also the tarsus, but they are also cut into horn, ivory and mammoth bone. The history of Varnavin carving is short: its beginning dates back to 1970, but in this village there is still a factory, whose name is Varko LLC. It employs honored masters, many of whom have received 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 folk art museums. Varnavinsky craftsmen make women's jewelry, combs, hairpins, as well as chess, pencil holders and many other souvenirs.

Tobolsk bone carving skills

In the 18th century, Siberia contained a large amount of valuable mammoth bone, and this contributed to the emergence of bone carvers in this region. Tobolsk carved bone is distinguished by its rounded shapes and is characterized by voluminous carvings. Tobolsk sculptures most often represent scenes from the life of the peoples of the north. You can also find products such as candlesticks, cigarette cases, keychains 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, because it is an irreplaceable fossil. Its advantages are that from long-term storage underground it becomes tinted, acquiring creamy, delicate shades. It is pleasant to work with such material, but difficult, since a huge responsibility lies on the shoulders of the master: a damaged piece can no longer be returned, and the reserves on Earth are getting smaller every day.
• Ivory performs no worse in the cutting process, which, moreover, is not so rare. However, it is also not easy to get it in Russia, and it is quite expensive.
• For beginning craftsmen, the best choice is a tarsus - cattle bone, which is not such a rare or expensive material. There are some subtleties here. To prepare the bone for cutting, it needs to be boiled with soda for several hours, then soaked in a solution of hydrogen peroxide to bleach. It is empty inside, and craftsmen use it to make animal figures, and sometimes even scenes from folk tales.
• The 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 want to learn this art can watch a selection of videos about carving animal bones.

Video selection on the topic of the article

Craftsmen using miniature tools, gravers various shapes, create magnificent “bone lace” and textured surfaces. Shtikhel is a cutting tool, a steel chisel, with the help of which carvers create expressive figures of animals, people, sculptural groups, engraved and relief images on various types bones.

One of the most revered materials among carvers is mammoth ivory. Mammoths became extinct about 10 thousand years ago, and the realization that in our time we can touch a thousand-year history, the times when these majestic animals walked the earth, is admirable.

It is believed that more than 500 thousand tons of tusks are still located in the Russian North. But intact, well-preserved tusks are a rarity, because they often fall apart like raw wood.

The remains of mammoths are mostly found in deserted places: on islands that can only be reached by helicopter, in the tundra, where deserted terrain stretches for many kilometers around. The size of a mammoth tusk can reach up to 2 meters in diameter, and its weight can be 120 kg! In fact, mammoth tusks are a unique fossil material that has no analogues, it is stronger Ivory, and the main difference is that the mammoth tusk bone has a variety of color scheme. The fact is that over thousands of years spent underground, the tusks were subject to mineralization and over time acquired a wide variety of shades - from brown and orange to pink and purple. Due to its unique spectrum of color, mammoth ivory bone has been used since ancient times to create expensive boxes, figurines, combs, bracelets and other jewelry; it was also used to decorate expensive weapons.

Walrus tusk - very beautiful material, which has a heterogeneous structure. The tusk often has hidden cracks that appear while the walrus is still alive. The surface color is either pure white or slightly yellowish. Sometimes there are stained fangs that have lain for several tens or hundreds of years in the soil; some of these specimens have brownish-greenish tints.

Whale skeletal bone - unusual material, which is distinguished by its large sizes(for example, the ribs reach 2 meters) and porous structure (especially the vertebrae). Only one whale is allowed to be caught per year in Chukotka, so in order to use its bones, you need to wait more than one year, because you still need to give the skeleton a chance to dry completely and get rid of excess moisture.

In Russia, this type of art is widespread mainly in the Northern regions: Arkhangelsk region (Kholmogory carved bone), Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Yamal carved bone), the city of Tobolsk (Tobolsk carved bone), Yakutia and Chukotka (Chukchi carved bone).

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 it is processed small parts, the more valuable such bone carvings are 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 assumes the presence specialized tools, without which thorough processing of the product is impossible. These include a drill and a serger - special cutting tools with pointed tips different shapes, intended for cutting, sawing, scraping, drilling, 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 in Lately It is common practice to sell saw cuts in the form of flat medallions or small stumps - such blanks can be used to create small figurines, miniature products, 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 - gradually the fat will come out of the bone.

• Rinse the workpieces under the tap and set them to cook again, but this time clean water. At the same time, add about half a pack to the pan soda ash based on 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 to use basic tools experienced craftsmen Alexander and Elena Koptelov, whose works are known far beyond the CIS countries, will cut out the figurine 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 the workplace - next to the table on which you will saw and crumble the product, install good 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.

• On initial stage Use coarse milling bits on 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 varieties 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:

show more

Bone carving.

Bone is a material that has been widely used since ancient times. Art crafts for processing bones developed mainly in the North. Most ancient center bone processing formed on the Chukchi coast. The oldest craft, which developed in the 17th century, was located near the city of Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk region. Located at the mouth of the Northern Dvina, at White Sea, Kholmogory was a major trading center. Another traditional craft of bone carving arose in the mid-19th century. in Tobolsk - a large city in Western Siberia, rich in fossil mammoth bone.

Material for artistic treatment The tusks of an elephant, mammoth, and walrus tusk were used. Folk craftsmen were able to identify and use the remarkable properties of the material for artistic products.

Mammoth ivory has a beautiful yellowish tone and a texture in the form of a miniature mesh. Due to its hardness, impressive size, beautiful color it is suitable for creating a variety of artistic products. You can use it to make vases, cups, tabletop decorative sculpture, products with openwork carvings.

Walrus tusk is a beautiful material white-yellow color. It was used to create miniature sculptures, various products with openwork and relief carvings, as well as for engraving. In addition to these main types of bone, simple animal bone - the tarsus, as well as cattle horn - are used to create artistic products. Although after bleaching and degreasing, a simple animal bone acquires White color, but it does not have the properties, beauty, color, hardness that the tusks of a walrus and mammoth have.

Kholmogory bone carving. Kholmogory art reached its greatest flowering in the 18th century. At the beginning of this century, the production of caskets with the traditional shape of chests was typical. Wooden base The caskets were covered with bone plates (walrus ivory), some of which were painted an intense green color.

The rhythmic alternation of white and green created a decorative sound for the item. By the second half of the 18th century. the assortment and decoration of bone products became especially diverse and rich. The festive and lush design of the products harmoniously combined openwork and relief carving, distinguished by the originality of the plots and plastic richness, engraving, coloring of bone, lining of colored backgrounds under the openwork pattern.

In the first half of the 19th century. the nature of the products changes. The design of products becomes more strict, laconic, and its shapes become strictly geometric. The openwork ornament loses its richness and turns into the finest diamond-shaped mesh, against which graceful garlands of small flowers and leaves are placed. Large planes of smooth bone remain undecorated in the products.

TO end of the 19th century centuries, the Kholmogory craft, unable to compete with industrial products, is almost dying. The revival of the craft began in 1930. Young craftsmen began to master traditional artistic and technical techniques: fine openwork carving, elegantly modeled relief images. In the last two decades, the art of Kholmogory masters has overcome the tendency to create complex, overly decorated products. Gradually created new type ornament based on decoratively recycled motifs of northern nature: tree branches, northern lights, flowers and herbs.

Tobolsk bone carving. The emergence of bone carving in Tobolsk dates back to the 60s of the 19th century. In 1872, the first bone-carving workshop was opened. Sculpture occupied the main place in Tobolsk carving. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bone carving industry fell into decline. At the end of 1920-1930. The Tobolsk craft is being revived again and an artel is being organized, uniting bone carving masters.

The so-called “rides”, depicting a hunter sitting in a sleigh and chasing deer or dogs, became a favorite subject for bone carvings. The masters skillfully conveyed the swiftness of the animal’s run and the dynamic pose of the rider.

The masters of Tobolsk created many sculptural images of the inhabitants of the North - fishermen and hunters. They lovingly depicted children playing, mother and child. These small sculptures are general in form, expressive, and simple in composition.

Until now, craftsmen skillfully use the sperm whale tooth, building a sculpture composition in accordance with its shape, bringing out the original beauty of the material.

Khotkovo bone carving industry. This is one of the relatively young industries. Its emergence in the Moscow region is obviously associated with ancient traditions ordinary wood carving that existed in the village. Bogorodskoe back in the 16th century, as well as flat-relief carvings in the villages of Abramtsevo and Kudrin. By widely using simple animal bone (tarsus), craftsmen were able to fully exploit the properties of this material. It should be noted that volumetric carving on the lantern has its own difficulties. It has thin walls, limiting the possibilities of three-dimensional imaging. In addition, not having such a beautiful texture as mammoth or walrus ivory, the tarsus requires complex pre-processing. However, recently interesting works have been created in which sections of simple bone are connected to each other, forming an area for carving.

Khotkovsky craftsmen are also fond of miniature sculptures, which they make from the tarsus and, partly, from a sperm whale tooth. These are characters from Russian folk tales, as well as images of animals (playing bear cubs, elk, roe deer). The creation of bone jewelry occupies a significant place in the art of crafts. They are represented by bracelets, pendants, earrings, distinguished by thin, skillful, relief carvings in which flowers, berries, and leaves are depicted.