- Follow us:
Wednesday, August 17th, 2016
Hooker Furniture Bedroom Treviso Bureau
Wood carving has been around long enough to be considered as old as man. Man has always been fascinated in carving wood. There are records of wooden tools being used by some of the earliest known men.
Wood has been used as a walking stick and even as a club. A rock tied to a wooden stick can already be used as a hammer. Woodcarving probably began as a pastime and so the history of furniture woodcarving was finally born.
Woodcarving – A Glimpse at History
Wood is one of the materials that are guaranteed to withstand the test of time so long as you know how to take care of them. Woodcarvings should be protected if you want them to endure.
When compared with sculptures or stone carvings, woodcarvings need more protection and care. Wood must be protected against insects and the harsh elements. There are regions where conditions are more favorable to furniture with woodcarving. An example of this perfect weather condition is in Egypt.
Wood is plentiful in Egypt. Acacia and Sycamore were both scarcely available there yet the people used them for woodcarving. These two are the most suitable wood that they could use and are even considered sacred. Almost every nation in the world practices woodcarving yet the beauty of preserved carvings were explicitly preserved in Egypt.
The Bible – the most read book in the world – even records woodcarving in many of its accounts.
The Dark Ages recorded woodcarving being both popular and unpopular. European nations confined woodcarving to monasteries. It was believed that the monasteries were the only safe places to practice this work of art.
Barbaric acts have been widely practiced during these times. From 700-900 A.D., the creation of images were forbidden in a few parts of Europe. Such images included paintings and woodcarvings.
Woodcarving was done by artists who copied Roman pagan emblems, symbols and sculptures. Majority of these artists went to other parts of Europe so that they could be employed by monasteries that were looking for craftsmen.
Woodcarving done in monasteries composed of relief carvings found on wooden panels and doors. These were quite similar from one monastery to the next. This only means that the carvers traveled from one monastery to the next as they practiced their trade.
After the Dark Ages, thousands of artists were freed and they began to create more carvings. Woodcarvers were highly influenced by the stone carvings. This was also the case with English carvings though theirs were more on decorative carvings rather than statues. Carvings were also found in Norway and Denmark.
Hundreds of years later, Scandinavian woodcarving artists were also influenced by the stone carvings from England. Visit Old English churches and you would surely find carvings done between 1000-1200 A.D. The carvings were protected from harsh elements which was why they were able to survive to this day.
A lot of wood carvings have been destroyed because of neglect, some intentionally and some by acts against churches and wars. The replacement of old carvings eventually erased what were originally found in those chapels. These improvements now conceal the beauty of the original works.
Centuries have since passed and woodcarvings have undergone a lot of changes. Man is no longer just carving with a single knife but has full access to the best carving tools. While changes have occurred through the centuries, woodcarving hasn’t died. For as long as there is wood, there would always be wood carvings.
Many other records from different nations show how woodcarvings have developed through the years. Look around you; there are also woodcarvings in furniture. Bring home one today!
This lovely piece comes from FFDM’s Belvedere Collection.
Tags: carving, furniture woodcarving, history, history of wood carvings, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, wood, wood elements, woodcarving, woodcarving on furniture, wooden, wooden elements
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | No Comments »
Saturday, April 30th, 2016
Fine Furniture Design Bedroom Riesling Double Dresser 320-142
Wood carvings are a natural part of many traditional homes. There are different kinds of wood carving, though. This can be anything from relief, chip, letter, to carving in the round.
Carving can only be done with the use of tools such as chisel, knives, mallets and gouges. Carving the round can be accomplished with the use of files and rasps.
Gouges come in different shapes and width. Short and long handles are also available.
Woodcarving History
If you love the look of carved wood in your home, then you should be prepared to learn about its rich history. This craft has been around for the longest time. For as long as man existed, wood has always been there in one form or another so there is no way of dating when woodcarving actually began. If you believe in the Bible, then it is probable that Adam could be the first woodcarver.
The Bible mentioned woodcarving in the Exodus, Chapter 35. The Dark Ages showed the ups and down of this work of art. European woodcarvers were mostly monks as this art was confined to the monasteries back in the day.
Wood is not one of those materials that can withstand elements for many years. This is why woodcarvings must be protected if you want them to endure. Unlike the stone carvings that can stay the same for thousands of years, woodcarving cannot withstand harsh conditions. Between insects and weather elements, woodcarvings should be protected in order for them to last.
Egypt is a rare country that offers favorable conditions for woodcarvings. In there, wood is able to survive for many years even minus the usual care.
Egyptian climate preserved 11 wooden panels under sands for approximately 4,000 years. It was only in 1860 when these were unearthed once more. Called relief carvings, these woodcarvings were found in Pharaon Hesy-Ra’s tomb.
The oldest churches in England feature decorative carvings to this day.
If you want your woodcarvings to last through time, you need to learn to take care of them. Woods come in different types so you need to know their individual characteristics so you would know how to keep them from being damaged.
FFDM Vintage Classics Collection
Softwoods vs. Hardwoods
The most common softwoods used in woodcarving are – basswood, cottonwood, and butternut. As for the hardwoods, the raw materials most often used are – walnut, mahogany, teak, rosewood and maple.
Basswood comes with little grain patterns that often appear bland which is why they are painted over. This is related to the European lime but the best basswood for carving comes from the northern states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Cottonwood’s bark is popular among those who carve wooden spirits. It has a tendency to split, though, but it is pretty when unpainted.
Butternut is quite difficult to find but it has a beautiful grain and color.
Walnut is a hardwood that is difficult to carve with the use of hand tools. The sharpest tools and a mallet are often used to produce the most beautiful carvings.
Mahogany, on the other hand, is reddish, lightweight and has a straight grain. This can be easily worked with power or hand tools though it has a tendency to split.
Woodcarvers who are just starting should seek out other raw materials first. He can only progress to harder pieces of wood once he experiences success in his first few carvings. Not all carvers show progress right away. Some slink away because of the lack of progress in their work. The wood that they are using could be too hard or too soft that they split.
Since woodcarving is difficult, you should have more appreciation for the master artisans that offer their skills in creating the furnishings that you have in your home.
Tags: hardwood, hardwood design, hardwood furniture, hardwood pieces, hardwood species, McCreery's Furnishings, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, softwood, wood, wood carving, wood elements, wood furniture, woodcarving, wooden, wooden elements, wooden furniture
Posted in Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Interior Design Themes | No Comments »
Follow us on our social media
© McCreery's Home Furnishings | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
