The Applied and Decorative Arts of Ancient Russia.
During the early Middle Ages there were outlined the first art forms which determined the further development of Russian applied and decorative arts.
The fact that the Slavs were acquainted with glass production is proved by the excavations in Old Ladoga where a lot of imported beads of glass, semiprecious stones, crystal and amber were revealed. The Slavs knew such kinds of applied art, as jeweler art, polished ceramics, decorative painting in temples both outside, and inside, woodcarving, fabrics and embroideries. The Slavs’ crafts development reached its peak in the VШth -Хth centuries. At that time difficult jeweller techniques were mastered such as graining and filigree, stone and bone polishing, cloisonné. Pre-Christian Russia knew moulding, embossing, ceramics and enamel, manufactured bronze amulets and adornments: radial pendants, clasps and grivnas (ancient ear-rings and necklaces). Pagan Russia was especially skilful in woodworking as it was a country of forests where huts and mansions, gates and bridges, fortifications were made of wood. Besides boats, sledges, carts and various utensils were wooden.
During the flourishing of Kiev Russia ancient craftsmen assimilated new techniques of stone architecture, mosaic and fresco, icon-painting and the art of book miniature. All the “Kiev” epoch of Russian applied and decorative arts constitutes unusually bright phenomenon of Russian culture history. Despite the Byzantine and other overseas influence, Early Slavic images and ideas did not leave arts and crafts of Ancient Russia.
The tragic events of mongol-tatar invasion hampered the development of Russian economy and culture. Painting was limited to easel forms and iconography. Novgorod and Pskov which avoided the Tatar invasion and destruction did the first steps in the revival of monumental and decorative painting. The art of that time developed in close connection with the art of Byzantium, Serbia and Bulgaria. High flourishing was achieved by literature, architecture; mosaic and fresco arts, descended from Byzantium. The life of Ancient Russia was sated with the subjects of applied art among which gold and silver products took a significant place. National forms and ornaments were in the basis of Russian applied and decorative art in the ХIth-ХШth centuries. The borrowed ones were not absolutely reproduced, but submitted to local requirements and corresponded to Russian taste.
The love attitude to a material irrespective of whether it was gold or copper, iron or silver, wood or stone, the ability to work up a subject form and surface, to correlate an ornament with the technique of its execution and a subject – these were common features of different Russian craftsmen: armourers, smiths, jewellers, needle-women, stone and wood carvers.
The slow, stately-quiet rhythm of smooth lines, conciseness of forms, harmony and at the same time richness of colours, absence of something anxious for an eye were the main characteristics of Ancient Russian artworks. They differed from other countries masters’ works as they had originated from Russian folklore and never broke off connection with it.