Artistic processing of birch bark is one of the types of folk decorative art that has preserved to this day the traditional techniques and methods of processing natural material.

Due to its remarkable properties (strength, flexibility, resistance to decay), birch bark has long been widely used in everyday life. All the various birch bark products of the peoples of Russia can be divided into three groups:

1. Things made from a whole piece of birch bark, the simplest in shape: checkmans (wide and low tetrahedral open dishes), bodywork, dials.

2. Wicker products of various shapes and sizes: small salt pans, huge shoulder bags, wicker shoes, etc.

3. Stitched products, the most complex and laborious: beetroot, boxes.

The ways of decorating birch bark products are also diverse: scraping and engraving, embossing and carving, painting with paints.

Familiarization of children with the artistic processing of birch bark, practical training in their technical methods of this craft is quite accessible at home, and not only in places where folk crafts function, but also where their influence does not extend. The main thing is to have an adult nearby who either knows how or wants to learn this craft and pass on at least a spark of his passion to the child.

For a slotted ornament, birch bark is required to be even, smooth, without knot holes, sagging and growths. Let's say right away that birch bark can only be harvested from trees that have been felled during planned felling. Growing trees for harvesting should never be used: removing the bark leads to the death of the tree.

Birch bark in its qualities is different. According to the observations of birch bark specialists, its quality depends on: the age of the tree; from the area where the birch grows; from birch health.

On young birch trees (3-4 years old) there is no birch bark at all. On birch trees 15-25 years old, the birch bark is thin, clean and soft. On very old birch trees and near the butt, birch bark is sometimes with outgrowths, cracks and dark dashes. The best birch bark is on medium birches, 75-100 cm thick in girth.

From birches growing in too damp, swampy places, the birch bark turns out to be fragile, with roughness, with many small and large dashes.

In open sunny places, birch bark is of little stretch, fragile. It is better to take birch bark from birches growing in moderately humid places, in moderately shady forests.

Birches affected by diseases, insects, fungi give very poor birch bark. Good material is provided by perfectly healthy trees, and at the same time the birch bark must be removed at a certain height from the ground.

Birch bark is removed from trees different ways, depending on the purpose: narrow ribbons; sheets or plates; cobbled together.

For slotted birch bark you will need sheet or layer material (it is most easily removed from tree trunks).

A birch bark incision is made along the entire smooth part of the trunk; the edges of the cut are slightly bent with a knife, and then all the birch bark around the trunk is removed by hand. If there are thick branches on the trunk, then the birch bark is removed with frequent (small) plates, which can be used on small products.

Birch bark for the graceful, art products should be stored very carefully. For this purpose, you need a cool, dry, darkened room. Birch bark folded in damp rooms becomes covered with mold, which causes dark and whitish spots to appear on it. From the sun's rays, the color of the birch bark deteriorates after 4-5 days, it becomes reddish. From prolonged lying in the light, the birch bark becomes completely white. All changes in the color of birch bark are accompanied by a deterioration in its strength, flexibility, and extensibility.

For storage, fold the birch bark into bundles and lay them between two boards, pressing them on top with a load so that the birch bark does not twist.

The technique of carving on birch bark is not particularly difficult. Carving tools are simple and can be made at home. To work, you will need the following: knife-cutter; awl (blunted and polished); ruler, square and compasses for marking the picture; lining board on which carving is performed.

The main tool for carving birch bark is a knife. This is the same knife that we used when making wooden marquetry sets, decorating boxes.

The manufacture of birch bark products consists of: a) preparatory operations; b) the process of cutting the ornament; c) installation, in which a birch bark strip with a finished cut-out ornament is connected to the surface of any product.

Preparatory operations consist in the stratification of birch bark, in cutting it into strips, plates, blanks, in removing the outer layer and exfoliated pieces, in marking the pattern of the ornament.

Birch bark taken from a tree can be quite thick, and for carving work, thinner plates (0.5-0.8 mm) are needed, which can be cut without much effort. To get the bark of the desired thickness; she is loosened. Immediately after being removed from the tree (until it has dried out), the birch bark is relatively easy to delaminate. And the dried birch bark must first be steamed in hot water for 3-4 hours and only then stratified. In this case, use a wooden knife. In places where one layer "sticks" to another, it is convenient for them to separate the layers without fear of damaging them.

The inner side of the birch bark is called the front side, and the ornament is cut on it. The outer white layer is cleaned with sandpaper.

A blank corresponding to the shape and size of the objects that they want to decorate with slotted carvings is placed for cutting on a backing board. On it, with an awl along the ruler, the main articulations of the pattern are applied: borders, central field. Then a floral pattern of the central field is applied. To do this, the easiest way is to take a tracing paper with a drawing drawn in advance, put it on the workpiece and transfer the drawing to the birch bark with a hard pencil or awl. If it turns out to be not noticeable enough, you can additionally circle it with a blunt awl, removing the tracing paper.

Ornament cutting process. To acquire birch bark carving skills, simple exercises should be done, first performing simple drawings.

To do this, on scraps of birch bark unsuitable for high-quality products, several parallel lines are drawn with an awl at a short distance from each other. In these strips, such simple elements as rhombuses, triangles, ovals are cut, most often used in borders (1, 2). Then you should move on to a simple floral ornament (3, 4, 5). The most common element of floral ornament is the shamrock, framed by a semicircular stem. To successfully cut a floral ornament, you need to learn how to perform this element in isolation or in a simplified floral ornament. Only after the primary carving skills have been developed and the hand gains some confidence, you can start cutting any finished composition. After the pattern is completed, its main motifs are finished with a “drawing” and a small cut: small cuts on the berries, leaves are drawn with an awl, imitating the pattern of plant veins.

All this gives the drawing greater liveliness, expressiveness and completeness.

Mounting. A birch bark strip with a carved ornament is traditionally glued into smooth recesses on the walls of the decorated object. Such a complication of the technology of decorating products is explained by the need to protect soft and eventually becoming brittle material from breakage. The surface of the recess or the entire product is pre-tinted, which gives a beautiful combination of the cut birch bark pattern and the background of the product. For the same purpose, colored foil can be used: it is first glued onto a birch bark strip with a cut-out ornament, and then glued into a recess on the product. The work is varnished (except for recesses), but the carved birch bark is not varnished, it must retain its natural color.

Hello dear.
Last time we recalled the "frost on the tin" from Veliky Ustyug: well, today we'll talk about beautiful birch bark carving from about the same area :-) Beautiful. Shemogodskaya slotted birch bark is perhaps the most famous birch bark craft in Russia. He is also famous abroad. The fishery got its name from the Shemoksy River, which flows into the Northern Dvina below Veliky Ustyug.

The first mention of birch bark items from Shemogoda, as a commodity, is found on the pages of the travel diary of retired Second Major Pyotr Chelishchev, who visited Veliky Ustyug in 1791.

They started carving on birch bark where the material was at hand. In the village of Kurovo-Navolok, surrounded by birch forests, the first carver, the famous Veprev, began to work.
For a long time, only his descendants were engaged in birch bark carving here. This is where the industry originated.

The peasants of the village of Kurovo-Navolok back in the 18th century. learned the art of slitting and embossing on birch bark, and in the second floor. 19th century Peasants in 14 villages of the Shemogodsky volost were already engaged in this craft.

The ornaments of Shemogoda carvers, called "birch lace", were used in the manufacture of caskets, boxes, tea caddies, pencil cases, tuesov, dishes, plates, cigarette cases.
Plot compositions predominate in the early monuments. On birch bark caskets, tavlinkas, chests framed by floral ornaments, scenes from noble life, humorous moralizing pictures were depicted, fairy creatures, everyday peasant activities. The names of many talented craftsmen are associated with the history of the craft.

The development of the ornamental art of carved birch bark at different times was influenced by bone carving, punched iron, northern niello, wood carving and painting. However, having experienced various influences, Shemogodskaya birch bark remained original and unique. The common roots of the decorative style of the 16th - 18th centuries. can be traced in carving and painting on wood, in ornaments of niello and filigree silver, carved bone, wall paintings, prints and embroidery.
Carved birch bark is akin to cut iron, but even more so - to cut tin. The metal openwork on the royal gates dated to H.H. Sobolev in 1748, from the gate of the Vladimir Church of the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Monastery in Veliky Ustyug is a vivid example of this. The same technique is found in Ustyug chests - "towers" bound with patterned perforated iron, often with a background of colored paper covered with mica.

The proximity of birch bark patterns to the ornamental motifs of chased, engraved metal frames and basma, decorating Ustyug icons of the 16th-17th centuries, is especially evident.


Shemogoda carving was distinguished by a traditional floral motif: a thin branch, together with foliage, smoothly curving, filled the entire field of carving with patterned lace. At their tips are round rosettes, berries, shamrocks. Often, masters introduced geometric patterns from circles, rhombuses - “gingerbread”, ovals, segments into floral ornaments. The composition was built on the principle of clear symmetry. They completed the drawing with a border of leaves, triangles, wavy lines, mesh. Works with plot compositions stand out.

Typical patterns of cut Shemogoda birch bark - images of animals, people, birds, vegetation - are engraved with a blunt awl on birch bark sheets and cut with a sharp knife, discarding the background. Sometimes foil or colored paper is placed under the openwork, and the carving is combined with embossing. Slotted birch bark is glued in strips to the surface of utilitarian and decorative wooden products- in special recesses - dishes, frames, boxes. Sometimes such products are made of two layers of birch bark - tuesa.

Masters also use other techniques, placing, for example, an ornamentally interpreted image of birds among a lush floral pattern. Widespread use of this image in many forms folk art- embroidery, lace, carving and painting on wood - testifies to the long tradition of this figure, apparently designed to serve as a talisman.

Fortunately, after the fall of the Empire, the art was not lost. In 1918, the handicraftsmen united in cooperative artels. The local authorities of the region organized centralized orders, collective procurement of raw materials and marketing finished products. Women began to play an important role in the production of birch bark products.

In 1935, after all the masters of birch bark carving were united into one artel at the Shemogodsk Furniture Factory, an active search for a new style, new ornamental and plot forms began.
The basis of the composition of the Shemogoda patterns of the 1940s. makes up a stem - a “runner”, from which smaller shoots gently diverge in different directions, the so-called “vevelets”, crowned with oval leaves with a thin, frequent cut, as well as two-leaf and trefoil, small rosettes “seeds”, resembling a multi-petal flower; a similar element, only larger, we observe the second floor in the Shemogod ornament. 19th century
In the post-war period, the Shemogod ornament, while retaining its general traditional character, became noticeably more complicated.

In 1972, the Vologda Department of Local Industry decided to create a team of birch bark carvers at the Veliky Ustyug factory of artistic brushes.
Thus began a new stage in the history of fishing - its true revival.
In 1981, the Veliky Ustyug Patterns experimental factory was opened in the city. Which works, fortunately, to this day.
The range of currently manufactured products includes more than 200 items: boxes, baskets, tuesas, glass holders, caskets, sets of souvenirs. cutting boards, decorative plates, trays, cigarette cases, writing sets, etc.

Since ancient times, birch bark (birch bark) has been used to make necessary household items, including dishes. In such dishes, products are stored for a long time, since birch bark does not let heat and light through and contains a large number of tannins. These properties of the material are used in our time. Veliky Ustyug Uzory supplies its products to enterprises that package Vologda butter, mushrooms, berries, etc. into birch bark tuesas. According to the developments of Moscow firms, birch bark packaging for gift sets is produced, and the production of writing sets for classrooms and offices has been mastered.
There is a small museum at the factory. If you are in Veliky Ustyug - be sure to visit!
Have a nice time of the day.

Shemogod birch bark

The craft originated in the city of Veliky Ustyug, Vologda Oblast, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The ornament of Shemogoda carvers is popularly called "birch bark lace". The trade is associated with the processing of birch bark and the manufacture of caskets, boxes, tea caddies, pencil cases, tuesov, dishes, plates, cigarette cases from it.

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Before cutting out the drawing itself, the contours of the future image are applied to the prepared birch bark plate with a blunt awl. After the drawing is completed, the birch bark plate is glued onto the product.
In the village of Kurovo-Navolok, in 1918, the artel "Artist" was formed, and in 1981 the art and production plant "Veliky Ustyug Patterns" was created, continuing the traditions of openwork knitting.
The art of birch bark carving brought fame to the craftsmen of the Shemogodsky volost of the Veliky Ustyug district. Judging by the early examples of Shemogoda carving that have survived to this day, the influence of Veliky Ustyug cut iron, niello art, and northern openwork bone carving is noticeable.
The silvery-white surface of the birch bark is beautiful in itself, but sometimes it was also decorated with embossing or painting, and through ornaments were carved on it.
The art of birch bark carving brought fame to the craftsmen of the Shemogodsky volost of the Veliky Ustyug district. Already in the XVIII century. the inhabitants of the village of Kurovo-Navolok and neighboring villages located along the Shemoksa River, a tributary of the Northern Dvina, carved openwork patterns on birch bark plates and applied embossing to them. Over time, this type of craftsmanship turned into a craft. In 1791, the famous Russian traveler P. I. Chelishchev wrote about products made of birch bark as a product. At the fair in Veliky Ustyug, he saw in the stalls and "printed beetroots with figurines."
According to the volost, the craft was called “Shemogodskaya” carving.

Probably, one of the reasons for the emergence of birch bark craft in the Shemogodskaya volost was its proximity to Veliky Ustyug, the ancient center of artistic crafts, with which the history of black silver, filigree and filigree, cloisonné enamels, painted tiles, gold embroidery, perforated iron, carving and painting on tree. The period from the 16th to the 18th centuries was the time of the heyday of the local artistic culture, the achievements of which were preserved in the future in the works of folk artisans.

The most complete description of the craft was made by F. A. Arsenyev in 1882: “In the Veliky Ustyug district, in 14 villages of the Shemogodsk volost, there is a production of beetroot from birch bark. In terms of strength and accuracy of work, beetroot is superior to wooden utensils in the sense that they never dry out, they are used in home life for carrying milk and for various pickles; large ones replace buckets. All borage production is determined at 2800 rubles. This business has recently begun to decline due to a lack of material, and one should not want it to develop, because The borage business is the cause of the enormous extermination of birch forests.
There are 168 people engaged in borage business in the Shemogodskaya volost, including 110 householders. Earnings are negligible, do not exceed 16 rubles per adult during the six winter months. The best borage in the village of Kurovo-Navolok. They make extremely elegant beetroots to order with a small cut, decorated with multi-colored foil. Sales of beetroots in the city of Ustyug and buyers in all districts of the Vologda province.
Patterns on beetroots are always cut out by craftsmen with a simple pointed knife; some of them are so keen in this business that they compose a pattern right by hand and never go astray in the drawing.
The technique of Shemogoda carving was used in the manufacture of caskets, boxes, tea caddies, pencil cases, tuesov, dishes, plates, cigarette cases. Decorated with carved birch bark, they took on the appearance of elegant, skillfully made products. Openwork ornaments of Shemogoda carvers were called "birch lace".
It is easy to recognize Shemogoda carving by this ornament. The pattern consists, as a rule, of a creeping stem with elongated leaves and spirally twisted branches. At their tips are round rosettes, berries, shamrocks. Images of birds or animals, architectural motifs, and sometimes even scenes of walking in the garden and drinking tea can be inscribed in this ornament. Another characteristic feature of the Shemogoda carving is the frames with geometric ornaments surrounding the drawing.
The carving technique is not complicated, but it requires strong skills, patience and imagination. The main contours of the image are applied to the prepared birch bark plate with a blunt awl. Then, with a sharp knife, cut out the pattern and remove the background. If you drive the knife at a right angle to the birch bark blank, you will get a clear contour, and if you tilt the knife, you will see a cut of birch bark, the thickness of the material will be revealed, the pattern will become softer in shape. The silhouette ornament is decorated with small cuts. Embossing is applied to the birch bark with the same blunt awl. The finished strip is glued into smoothly cleaned recesses of the products. Many craftsmen tinted the background or placed colored foil under the openwork pattern.
When carving, it is very important to be careful and draw a line exactly according to the pattern, otherwise the desired fragment will fall out of the pattern and the entire plate will be damaged. Experienced craftsmen they unmistakably cut out an ornamental pattern in the traditions of Shemogodya and without preliminary marking of the pattern. But this is only possible for high-class specialists.
The art of birch bark carving, judging by its early examples that have survived to this day, was influenced by Veliky Ustyug cut iron, niello art, and northern openwork bone carving.
The names of many talented craftsmen are associated with the history of the craft. The State Historical Museum has signed works by the Veliky Ustyug master Stepan Bochkarev. These are caskets and tavlinkas (snuff boxes) of the first half of the 19th century. with scenes based on scenes from Aesop's fables fashionable at that time, with images of animals and architectural structures. In the village of Kurovo-Navolok, all the inhabitants of which bore the surname Veprev, an outstanding master of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. was Ivan Afanasyevich Veprev. He is considered the creator of the actual Shemogoda ornament - the very one based on a spiral curl with a round “berry”, reminiscent of carved rosettes on spinning wheels. The works of the master were distinguished by the purity of the carving and the beauty of the drawing. On the lids and walls of caskets with secret locks, he placed hunting scenes, depicted various animals among the forest thickets. It was his works that were awarded a medal in 1882 at the All-Russian Exhibition in Moscow and a diploma at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.
In the second half of the XIX century. birch bark carving was carried out in 14 villages of the Shemogodsky volost.

In 1918, craftsmen from the village of Kurovo-Navolok were united in the artel "Artist". On Shemoks there was another artel, created in 1934 by Nikolai Vasilievich Veprev. It was called "Solidarity". The best carvers were invited to this artel, who tried to preserve the traditions of Shemogod carving. Their products were distinguished by a special purity of execution, a variety of forms and novelty of patterns.

In 1964, the production was considered economically unprofitable, both artels were closed, and the craftsmen were fired. Great efforts were required to restore the Shemogoda carving. This happened in 1967, when a workshop for the production of caskets, tuesas and other items decorated with slotted birch bark was created at the Kuzinsky Mechanical Plant. After the unsuccessful "innovations" of the 1950s and 1960s, the fishery began to actively develop again. In 1972, the Vologda Department of Local Industry decided to create a team of birch bark carvers at the Veliky Ustyug factory of artistic brushes. The training of young carvers in the complex language of the art of slotted birch bark was entrusted to A. E. Markova. Thus began a new stage in the history of fishing - its true revival.
In 1981, the Veliky Ustyug Patterns experimental factory was opened in the city. Since that time, A. E. Markova has been working as part of creative team created in the factory. The master's products are increasingly being shown at various exhibitions, they are acquired by museums in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vologda, Suzdal, Veliky Ustyug.

"Slavic culture"

Products woven from birch bark

From time immemorial, birch bark has been used in the life of the Russian people. Birch bark is the top layer of birch bark.

Its ancient name "birch bark" has been known since the 15th century. Later it became known as "birch bark" and "birch bark". It is an easy-to-work and extremely durable material in a delicate pinkish-ocher colour. One of the most valuable qualities of this material is its moisture resistance. Birch bark was used for a wide variety of purposes. It was placed under the first crowns of the log house, under the plank roofs, in order to protect the tree from decay. Bast shoes were woven from it, dishes were made: beetroot, boxes, baskets. There were birch bark musical instruments - shepherd's horns. Peasant children amused themselves with birch bark toys.

In the old days, messages were written on birch bark, it replaced paper. Archaeologists during excavations in ancient Novgorod discovered birch bark letters with texts squeezed out on birch bark plates with metal sticks - “writers”.

The beauty and quality of products depend largely on the material itself, on the correct preparation and processing of it. Birch bark is harvested at the end of May - in June, when the tree is full of juices and the birch bark easily lags behind the main bark. If it is skilfully removed from the tree trunk without damaging the next layer of bark, then this does not harm the tree, and in a few years the tree will have a new white coat. When harvesting, craftsmen cut birch bark plates into long ribbons, which were folded into balls.

The birch bark was easy to process, did not require complex tools and fixtures. And most importantly, anyone could master the technology for making household items from it. The methods of weaving birch bark products were simple. The main tool used for weaving bast shoes was the kochedyk, a flat awl with a hook-shaped bend. “Do not hurry with your tongue, but hurry with your tongue,” says a Russian proverb, which means: “Do business, not idle talk.” In addition to the kochedyk, the master needed a sharp knife, with which he cut birch bark ribbons of the required width and sharpened their ends.

In the XIX-beginning of the XX century. in every peasant house in the North one could find birch bark baskets, baskets for bread, shovelers, boxes, large birch bark bottles for storing grain, pesters, salt boxes, birch bark sandals (feet).

For weaving, straps were used, that is, birch bark ribbons. In the course of work, such ribbons formed a simple pattern. - in a box, in a pigtail, in a rope, in triangles. Masters used different shades of the natural color of birch bark. Products woven by a good craftsman were valued and protected, these things were genuine works of art.

Shemogod carving

The silvery-white surface of the birch bark is beautiful in itself, but sometimes it was also decorated with embossing or painting, and through ornaments were carved on it.

The art of birch bark carving brought fame to the craftsmen of the Shemogodsky volost of the Veliky Ustyug district. Already in the XVIII century. the inhabitants of the village of Kurovo-Navolok and neighboring villages located along the Shemoksa River, a tributary of the Northern Dvina, carved openwork patterns on birch bark plates and applied embossing to them. Over time, this type of craftsmanship turned into a craft. In 1791, the famous Russian traveler P. I. Chelishchev wrote about products made of birch bark as a product. At the fair in Veliky Ustyug, he saw in the stalls and "printed beetroots with figurines."

According to the volost, the craft was called “Shemogodskaya” carving.

This technique was used in the manufacture of caskets, boxes, tea caddies, pencil cases, tuesov, dishes, plates, cigarette cases. Decorated with carved birch bark, they took on the appearance of elegant, skillfully made products. Openwork ornaments of Shemogoda carvers were called "birch lace".

It is easy to recognize Shemogoda carving by this ornament. The pattern consists, as a rule, of a creeping stem with elongated leaves and spirally twisted branches. At their tips are round rosettes, berries, shamrocks. Images of birds or animals, architectural motifs, and sometimes even scenes of walking in the garden and drinking tea can be inscribed in this ornament. Another characteristic feature of the Shemogoda carving is the frames with geometric ornaments surrounding the drawing.

The carving technique is not complicated, but it requires strong skills, patience and imagination. The main contours of the image are applied to the prepared birch bark plate with a blunt awl. Then, with a sharp knife, cut out the pattern and remove the background. If you drive the knife at a right angle to the birch bark blank, you will get a clear contour, and if you tilt the knife, you will see a cut of birch bark, the thickness of the material will be revealed, the pattern will become softer in shape. The silhouette ornament is decorated with small cuts. Embossing is applied to the birch bark with the same blunt awl. The finished strip is glued into smoothly cleaned recesses of the products. Many craftsmen tinted the background or placed colored foil under the openwork pattern.

When carving, it is very important to be careful and draw a line exactly according to the pattern, otherwise the desired fragment will fall out of the pattern and the entire plate will be damaged. Experienced craftsmen accurately cut out an ornamental pattern in the traditions of Shemogodya and without preliminary marking of the pattern. But this is only possible for high-class specialists.

The art of birch bark carving, judging by its early examples that have survived to this day, was influenced by Veliky Ustyug cut iron, niello art, and northern openwork bone carving.

The names of many talented craftsmen are associated with the history of the craft. The State Historical Museum has signed works by the Veliky Ustyug master Stepan Bochka-rev. These are caskets and tavlinkas (snuff boxes) of the first half of the 19th century. with scenes based on scenes from Aesop's fables fashionable at that time, with images of animals and architectural structures. In the village of Kurovo-Navolok, all the inhabitants of which bore the surname Veprevy, an outstanding master of the late 19th-early 20th century. was Ivan Afanasyevich Veprev. He is considered the creator of the actual Shemogoda ornament - the very one based on a spiral curl with a round “berry”, reminiscent of carved rosettes on spinning wheels. The works of the master were distinguished by the purity of the carving and the beauty of the drawing. On the lids and walls of caskets with secret locks, he placed hunting scenes, depicted various animals among the forest thickets. It was his works that were awarded a medal in 1882 at the All-Russian Exhibition in Moscow and a diploma at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

In the second half of the XIX century. birch bark carving was carried out in 14 villages of the Shemogodsky volost.

In 1918, craftsmen from the village of Kurovo-Navolok were united in the artel "Artist". On Shemoks there was another artel, created in 1934 by Nikolai Vasilievich Veprev. It was called "Solidarity". The best carvers were invited to this artel, who tried to preserve the traditions of Shemogod carving. Their products were distinguished by a special purity of execution, a variety of forms and novelty of patterns.

In 1964, the production was considered economically unprofitable, both artels were closed, and the craftsmen were fired. Great efforts were required to restore the Shemogoda carving. This happened in 1967, when a workshop for the production of caskets, tuesas and other items decorated with slotted birch bark was created at the Kuzinsky Mechanical Plant. And in the 1970s. the production of carved birch bark was concentrated at the Veliky Ustyug patterns factory.

Domshinsky birch bark

At the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX century. The Domshinsky birch bark fishery became widely known. It got its name from the Domshinsky volost of the Vologda district, in the villages of which the craftsmen decorated wicker birch products in a special way.

Birch bark was harvested at the beginning of summer, cleaned of irregularities and cut into long strips, the so-called strips. The edges of the strips were leveled and the birch bark strips were wound into balls. Until winter, these balls were stored in non-residential premises. They were put into action when the field work was completed.

At first, the birch bark was steamed and all kinds of objects were woven from it: pesteri, boxes, tuesas, salt boxes, baskets, zobenki, containers for cereals, etc. At the same time, several layers of straps were used. Weaving could be either diagonal or straight. The masters painted finished products with red, yellow, blue, sometimes green paint. The colors alternated in a checkerboard pattern, went along the stripes in stripes or individual spots. In addition to coloring, the craftsmen applied cut-out and embossed patterns to the products. Embossing was done with special dies made of hard wood or bone. The pattern on the stamps could be different. Most often, stars, round rosettes, rhombuses and similar figures were cut out. A variety of ornaments were formed from these simple elements.

Another way of decorating wicker items, typical for Domshinsky craftsmen, was the through-cutting of the upper layer of birch bark. The patterns were geometric shapes: circles, triangles, rhombuses, hexagons, ovals, stars. The beauty of the pattern was given by colored foil, placed under the welt pattern. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, they simply began to paint the second layer of birch bark under welt pattern. In expensive products, which, as a rule, were made to order, there is a combination of through and embossed patterns with coloring.

Birch bark is a natural material, it retains the smell of the forest for a long time, has antiseptic properties, is not afraid of dampness and cold, does not let moisture through, has various shades: from white-pink to thick red-brown. Masters knew and appreciated these natural properties of birch bark and skillfully used them in their works. Products of Domsha masters were durable, comfortable and beautiful, so they were willingly bought.

The fishery quickly spread throughout the Domshinsky volost, as it was located in a profitable trade and economic region of the Vologda region. A waterway ran through it along the Sheksna River to the northern and central regions of Russia, here at the end of the 19th century. passed Railway Vologda - St. Petersburg. The capital has become a major consumer of Domshinsky artisans' products.

Products of Domshinsky masters were presented at all major exhibitions of that time, along with Vologda lace, Shemogoda carving, Ustyansk horn.

Like many other types of folk art, craft died out in the 1930s.

Application

S. G. Zhizhina
Birch lace

Wherever birch grows, and it grows throughout Russia, the Russian peasant made many different things from birch bark. It is lightweight, durable, with a soft warm surface material. Why was birch bark not used in the household of a Russian peasant!

In the north of Russia, large plates of birch bark were removed from birch trees. They called them rocks, rocks. From time immemorial, skali has been sold at all northern fairs and markets. Using the wonderful properties of birch bark, impregnated with resinous substances, it was laid on the roofs of houses to protect the logs from decay and dampness. Various vessels were made from birch bark. The peasant, leaving for work in the field, always took with him a tueska with water or kvass. And on the hottest day, the drink in the tuesk remained cold.

But perhaps the most surprising thing is the birch-bark letters. In the 11th-12th centuries in ancient Novgorod, birch bark plates were used for writing. It was convenient and quite affordable material. It was very easy to write on it - a sharpened stick scratched the contours of letters on a soft surface. The ancient Novgorodians, of course, did not suspect another unusual property of birch bark - its ability to persist for many years. Novgorod letters on birch bark, having lain in the ground for more than eight centuries, have come down to us.

In the old days, they knew how, using the wonderful properties of birch bark, to turn it into elegant, harmonious and elegant things. Interestingly, already in the middle of the 18th century, the technique of birch bark carving was well known. Andrei Bolotov wrote about this. One of the enlightened people of the 18th century, he was engaged in translations, wrote books himself, and published agricultural journals. For twenty-seven years, Bolotov kept a diary, which was published as "The Biography of Andrei Bolotov." For modern historians, this book serves as an encyclopedia of life in the 18th century.

Bolotov wrote about everything: about customs, customs, life, economic life, political events of that time. He also has notes about birch bark carving: “I have not fallen in love with any work and craftsmanship as much as one especially - to make snuff boxes, cups, mugs from simple birch bark.” Bolotov learned to decorate them with carving and embossing, which is also called embossing. He explains in detail how it is done: “This chased work is done with small sticks, at which different figures are cut out at the ends and arranged so that when the stick is pointed at the birch bark and when it is struck at the other end with a hammer, a rather elevated figure is imprinted on the birch bark.” And for birch bark carving, no special tools were required, except for a knife and, perhaps, an awl. With the blunt side of the knife or an awl on the birch bark, the outline of the pattern is applied, and then cut out with a sharp end.

1900 Opens in Paris world exhibition. The Eiffel Tower again, like eleven years ago, at the exhibition in 1889, becomes its original symbol. International exhibitions began to take place not so long ago. The first was in 1851. Since then, they have been made regularly in different cities and capitals of the world: in Paris, Stockholm, Chicago, Vienna. Each time international exhibitions gained more and more popularity, more and more countries participated in them. In 1900, representatives of 65 countries came to the exhibition in Paris.

Russia was among the participants. The Russian pavilion, built in the form of an ancient Kremlin with towers, hipped towers, covered porches, attracted many visitors. He attracted not only his appearance, but also by what was presented inside. The visitors wanted to learn more about the Russian people, to see what they can do in this large and mysterious country. Especially a lot of people crowded where the products of folk craftsmen were exhibited. Everything here was beautiful and extraordinary.

But, perhaps, the most unexpected and most surprising were products made of carved birch bark. Almost weightless, with a pinkish velvety surface, with the thinnest slit, from under which the foil gleamed, shimmering in different colors, they resembled expensive and exquisite bone products with openwork carvings. Snuff boxes, caskets, cigarette cases, round beetroots - vessels for drinking - and all this from simple birch bark. Paris is hard to surprise, but the Parisians were delighted with these unusual things, which felt the great taste and skill of the artist.

All these things were made by the hands of the peasant carver Ivan Afanasyevich Veprev from the village with the strange name Kurovo-Navolok, not far from Veliky Ustyug. The name of Veprev first became known in 1882, after an exhibition in Moscow, which brought him fame, success and a silver medal. Now after International Exhibition in Paris, Europe recognized him. From Sweden, Norway, France there were orders for elegant products made of birch bark. Not only Veprev was engaged in carving on birch bark. In the nearby villages and villages, the peasants also did things similar to the Veprevsky ones. They all lived in the same Shemogodsk volost, which is why the name “Shemogod birch bark carving” or simply “Shemogod birch bark” appeared.

Carving is another way to work with birch bark. Decoration of birch bark products can be simple and complex compositions; complex scenes include scenes from the life of people, animals and birds, and simple ones include geometric and floral ornaments. In order for the pattern to be clearly visible on a birch bark product, it is placed or superimposed on a birch bark of a different (darker or lighter) shade. A background of brightly colored paper or even foil is also used.

Birch bark carving tools

Knife-cutter is the main tool for birch bark carving. Other tools that are no less important, for example: for marking a drawing, are a ruler, square, compasses, awl. The whole process of birch bark carving takes place on a special board so as not to spoil the surface of the table.
The whole process of making birch bark products consists of three stages: the manufacture of blanks, the manufacture of an ornament and installation (the connection of a carved pattern with the surface of a birch bark product.

Production of birch bark blanks for carving

To prepare a blank for carving, the birch bark must be very well cleaned on both sides and stratified (the optimal thickness of the blank is 2 mm). If the birch bark is very dry, it can be steamed in hot water. Soak in hot water and hold in water for 3-4 hours. After such a bath, the birch bark should be well versed into layers. If, nevertheless, the layer does not stick well from one another, then you can help with a wooden knife. This is convenient and you can not be afraid to damage the birch bark.

Now the birch bark is cut into strips of the desired size.

Making a pattern for carving

Templates are used for drawing. After all, if the pattern is repeated in the ornament, then it is easier to make a template and apply the pattern to the workpiece according to the template.

The carving is usually done on a lining smooth and sanded board (so as not to tear the birch bark, because it is only 2 mm thick). And in general it is convenient.
After applying the pattern to the workpiece, first cut the border, and only then you can proceed to the central part of the pattern.
After the main pattern is cut out, we need to revive our thread - to start cutting. This means making cuts on the berries, veins on the leaves, and the like.
The birch bark carving is complemented by engraving and embossing. Carved birch bark must retain its natural color, that is, it is not varnished.

Installation of the finished product from birch bark

The finished birch bark strip with a slotted pattern is connected to the surface of the product.