Russian ornament in stripes. The true beauty of Slavic patterns is in their meaning

Russian culture originated many centuries ago. Even in pagan times, Russians decorated themselves and their living space (house, yard, household items) with original patterns. If a pattern repeats and alternates individual details, it is called an ornament.

Folk ornament necessarily uses traditional motifs. Each nation has its own. Russian ornaments are no exception. When we hear this phrase, embroidered shirts and towels immediately appear in our imagination. They feature horses, ducks, roosters and geometric shapes.

Traditional Russian ornament

Excursion into history

The primary unit of society is the family. And it is to families that we owe the first folk patterns. In ancient times, animals and plants had totemic meaning. Each family believed that it had one patron or another. For generations, family members used objects with symbols of their family, considering them protection and help.

Gradually, the family drawing went beyond the family and became the property of relatives. Several genera exchanged their patterns. Thus, the entire tribe was already using symbols that originally belonged to certain families.

Over time, there were more patterns, and the circle of their users expanded. This is how Russian folk ornaments appeared in Russia.

Even in the exterior of the houses, symbolism could be traced

It can be seen that in different areas they used different colors for needlework. There is a simple explanation for this. In the old days, only natural dyes were used. They were produced in a handicraft way. So, the availability of raw materials for paints often determined the entire palette of works.

IN different regions We had our favorite “decorations”. It is no coincidence that “paisley” is one of the motifs for ornaments in the eastern regions. The homeland of the “Indian cucumber” is Persia in the east.

Meaning and significance

A creative fusion of nature and religion. This is how we can briefly describe national, including Russian, ornaments. In other words, an ornament is a symbolic description of the world.

Elements of ornament were not only decoration. They carried a semantic and ritual load. They can not only be viewed, but also read. Very often these are conspiracies and amulets.

Each character has a specific meaning:

Alatyr is perhaps the most important of the Russian and Slavic signs. This is a symbol infinite universe, dual unity of the world and its balance. The source of life, consisting of male and female principles. The eight-pointed Alatyr Star and the Alatyr Stone were often used in patterns. They were expected to help in various life situations.

Holy Alatyr

Another symbol that was very revered and often used in patterns is the World Tree of Life (or Tree of Kingship). It was believed that it grows on Alatyr Stone and the gods rest under its crown. So people tried to protect themselves and their family under the branches of the Tree of Life and with the help of the celestials.

One of the options for depicting the Tree of Reign

Various swastikas are also a popular motif in Russian and Slavic needlework. Of the swastikas, you can find Kolovrat more often than others. An ancient symbol of the sun, happiness and goodness.

Variants of the image of the sun symbol among the Slavs

Orepei or Arepei is a diamond shape with combs on the sides. Its other names: Comb Diamond, Oak, Well, Burdock. It was considered a symbol of happiness, wealth, and self-confidence. When located on different parts clothes had different interpretations.

Orepei symbol

Animals and plants that surrounded people and were deified by them are a constant theme in the patterns.

Slavic symbolism very diverse

Of particular importance was the number of alternations of elements in the ornament. Each number carried an additional semantic load.

Beauty and protection

The aesthetic meaning of the ornaments was combined with the totemic one. Magi and shamans applied symbols to ritual clothing and utensils. Ordinary people also put a special meaning into traditional drawings. They tried to protect themselves with embroidery as a talisman, applying it to certain parts of clothing (to protect the body). Table linen, household items, furniture, and parts of buildings were also decorated with appropriate patterns (to protect the family and home).

The simplicity and beauty of ancient ornaments make them popular today.

Amulet dolls were decorated with traditional ornaments

Trades and crafts

Gradually, with the development of civilization, ancient patterns were transformed, some became identification marks individual folk crafts. They developed independent crafts. Usually crafts have a name corresponding to the area where they are produced.

The most popular are:

Porcelain and ceramics "Gzhel". Her style is a characteristic drawing of blue paint on white background. Called by name settlement Gzhel, Moscow region, where the production is located.

Gzhel painting is an ancient craft

“Zhostovo painting” can be recognized by flower bouquets on a black (less often green, blue, red) metal tray coated with varnish. The fishing center is located in Zhostovo (Moscow region). This craft began in Nizhny Tagil, where the production of Nizhny Tagil trays still exists.

Luxurious Zhostovo painting

"Khokhloma" is decorative painting on wood. It is characterized by black, red and sometimes green patterns on a golden background. Her homeland and place of registration is Nizhny Novgorod region.

Khokhloma is still popular today

The settlement of Dymkovo is the birthplace of Dymkovskaya, and the city of Kargopol is, accordingly, Kargopolskaya, the village of Filimonovo is Filimonovskaya, Stary Oskol is the birthplace of Starooskolskaya clay toys. They all have a characteristic pattern and color.

Stary Oskol clay toys

Pavlovsky Posad woolen shawls are the calling card of Pavlovsky Posad. They are characterized by a voluminous printed floral pattern. Red and black are their traditional colors.

The traditional Pavloposad scarf is a truly luxurious accessory

The continuation may be very long: Fedoskino and Palekh miniatures, Gorodets painting, Orenburg down scarf, Vologda, Yelets, Mtsensk lace. And so on. It is very difficult to list everything.

Drawing in folk style

Today, many people wear clothes and use things in folklore style. Many craftswomen want to create something unique themselves. They can take the finished product as a basis or create their own sketch.

To successfully complete this idea, you first need to:

Decide whether it will be a separate pattern or an ornament.
Break down the drawing into simple details.
Take graph paper, make a marking, marking each fragment and its middle.
We draw the first simplest detail in the center.
Gradually, step by step, we add the following fragments.

And now the unique pattern is ready.

Anyone can draw a pattern like this.

About Russian embroidery

The patterns, techniques, and colors of Russian embroidery are very diverse. The art of embroidery has a long history. It is closely related to the way of life, customs and rituals.

Color is an important component of needlework.

People endowed it with sacred properties:

Red is the color of life, fire and sun. Of course it was often used in embroidery. After all, it is also beauty. As a talisman, it was designed to protect life.
White color pure snow. Symbol of freedom and purity. He was considered a protector against dark forces.
Blue color of water and clear skies. Symbolized courage and strength.
Black in the ornament meant earth. Zigzag and wave, respectively, an unplowed and plowed field.
Green is grass, forest and their help to man.

Traditional Russian embroidery

The thread was also endowed with certain qualities:

Linen is a symbol of masculinity.
Wool is protection, patronage.

In combination with patterns, special-purpose products were created.

For example:

Roosters and red horses were supposed to protect the baby.
To successfully complete the work, they embroidered with green and blue linen.
They embroidered with wool against illnesses and against bad influences.
Women's clothes were often embroidered in black to protect motherhood.
The men were protected by a green and blue pattern.

Of course, a special set of symbols and designs was developed for each occasion and person.

This embroidery will look elegant on any fabric.

Folk costume

Folk costume embodies and reflects traditions. For centuries, craftswomen have turned plain fabric into unique work art. WITH early age girls learned the secrets of needlework. By the age of fifteen, they had to prepare themselves everyday and festive clothes and a set of towels, tablecloths and valances for several years.

The cut of the suit itself is simple, rectangular. Linen or wool fabric of various qualities. Women pulled the fabric (removed some of the threads) and received new fabric. Hemstitching and other embroideries were done on it.

Russian folk costume is diverse

Of course, clothing varied in characteristic patterns depending on the area. It can be divided into two groups:

Central Russian. Differs in multicolor. Among the techniques, counted satin stitch, cross stitch, braids, and hemstitch stitches are often used. In the southern regions, lace, ribbons or strips of fabric are also used to decorate clothes. The design is often geometric. Orepey was especially loved in different versions.
Northern. For her characteristic techniques are satin stitch (colored and white), cross stitch, painting, white stitching and cutouts. Artistic motives were used more often than geometric ones. The compositions were performed mainly in one color.

Russian embroidery is unique. It is distinguished by stylized images of animals and plants, as well as a wide variety of geometric patterns.

Keeping traditions

Exploring national traditions and handicraft techniques using preserved items, modern masters adapt them to modern requirements. Fashionable original things are created on their basis. These are clothes, shoes, underwear.

One of the recognized fashion designers, which includes folk motives in each of his collections Valentin Yudashkin. Foreign couturiers, for example Yves Saint Laurent, are also inspired by the Russian heritage.

Russian collection of Yves Saint Laurent

In addition, folk crafts continue traditions and improve skills in accordance with modern requirements. You can add enthusiasts who are not indifferent to traditional creativity. They independently study, collect and create in folk style.

Russian patterns continue to bring beauty and joy to people, and also preserve historical information.

Ornaments are akin to ancient writings and, like them, can tell a lot about the worldview of a person from distant eras. For a long time people remembered the purpose of ornaments. Back in the 20-30s of the 20th century, residents of some northern Russian villages demonstrated their knowledge of the meaning of the depicted pattern in front of the oldest craftswoman of the village in special readings: young girls brought to gatherings finished works and talked about them to the whole world. In some places in the outback you can still hear the ancient names of the patterns: crowberry, Perun, although the masters are most often unable to explain their meaning.

To this day, there are people who know how to decorate and want to wear traditional Russian clothes. Long winter evenings Slavic girls and women, with a torch, embroidered and wove patterns - one more intricate than the other, decorating their tunics with them, so that later, at the holiday, they could flaunt themselves in front of the community. Was it only beauty that they felt? Is it just desire? creative self-expression led them? Or was there and continues to exist today in ancient symbols something very important - unknown to us today?

This book is the result of the author’s desire to raise questions related to the meaning of folk textile patterns and the peculiarities of their effect on the wearer of the clothes decorated with them or the person looking at the patterns. It uses information from many, sometimes unconventional, sources: history, ethnography, mythology, bioenergy, modern alternative medicine, etc. Russian folk culture has always been so comprehensive and multifaceted that it is only necessary to study it comprehensively, having experienced the way of thinking of our ancestors.

I really want it to ancient art ornament has been preserved, has not disappeared, so that skills, traditions and beauty folk culture continued to live, delight and benefit people. After all, this beauty has incredible kind energy (one would like to say - soul), capable of helping people. I believe that the topics raised in the book will be of interest to new researchers, and then such an amazing phenomenon as Russian folk textile ornaments can really be understood from different angles. In the meantime, the ancient image-writings continue to wait for their full reading.

Second book, which allows us not only to understand the place of folk textile ornaments in our culture, but to confirm the author’s assumptions about the mechanisms of the energy-informational influence of the ornament on a person. Folk ornament is part of an incredibly ancient system of spiritual knowledge that allows a person to harmoniously build his relationships with the outside world. Its strict forms contain the story of the development of our Universe, ready-made biotechnologies, and specific recipes for the survival of the race and man.

The book includes sections on the loom and the typology of patterns weaving forms, how the pattern appeared, the work of amulets treated with structured water, spiritual patterns, the signs of the clan and tribe, and the energy of cutting clothes.

A classification of types of Russian folk textile geometric patterns is given. The cuts of men's and women's shirts are given, as well as diagrams of the arrangement of patterns on women's and men's clothing. A separate part make up colorful drawings of patterns and their explanation.

This book is an attempt to collect and systematize the principles of using symbols of folk textile patterns for practical application. It will be useful to everyone who wants to revive ancient knowledge and beauty.

Ornament of all times and styles

The unique work of N.F. Lorentz, will certainly expand and enrich our ideas about the rules for organizing space, about the style of noble and harmonious life.

The author knowledgeably accompanies the reader into the history of ornament and decor, shows the diversity of this special type of art, introduces its external side and deep symbolism, and initiates into the practical secrets of carvings, frescoes, stained glass, enamel, carpets and mosaics.

As Peter clarified in the comments (see below), Lorenz's book and Rakinje's book on ornaments are one and the same(Lorenz took almost everything from Rakinier, slightly modifying the text and drawings in it).

This book clearly shows what means and techniques bring an organized and creatively transformed space closer to the triumph of refined taste - in different times and in various parts Sveta. Rich decoration this publication appeals to aesthetic feelings and stimulates creative imagination reader.

Folk ornament of weaving and embroidery - ancient writings. But at the same time, this is an unusual sign system for transmitting information with a rigidly fixed meaning of each element, since the components of an ornament are always a mythological image and a whole complex of ideas associated with this image. Having arisen at the origins of time, in the depths of proto-culture, where thinking was not yet differentiated, ornamental symbols are in principle the same among all peoples of the world, differing only in the type of graphics or minor details. Thus, there is a known case when a Mexican weaver recognized an ornament from the Arkhangelsk province of Russia as her national pattern. The ornamental elements will have different names(and sometimes it makes sense!) different nations, but everywhere they will denote a close mythological complex of ideas, a similar archetype, the assessment and comprehension of which can be polar opposite. Therefore, an ornamental composition cannot be read as a simple set of certain signs: when deciphering it, the meaning of each symbol must be chosen from a number of options depending on all the elements used in it, as well as the color and location, purpose of the ornament, clarifying certain shades of the described images .

The images of archetypes underlying ornamental compositions are associated with the image of two main schemes of the cosmogonic process, known to ancient mythology.

Scheme 1

At a time when Heaven and Earth were not yet separated from each other, in the center of the World Ocean rose the World Mountain - Alatyr-stone of the Russians folk conspiracies and fairy tales - at the top of which was deep well, full of water and leading into the bowels of the mountain - the other world - where in the underground palace - cave - Labyrinth lived the God of the Earth - the Underworld - the Thunder Bear:

Most of the time the Bear slept in darkness and cold, vigilantly guarding his treasure - fire, in the form of a cauldron full of molten gold or gemstone. Once a year, the Goddess of the Sky, the Horned Deer, descended into the Labyrinth, bypassing the water whirlpool-tunnel: , dipped her horns in gold and returned back to Heaven. The Heat and Light emanating from the horns melted the snow and ice; the water penetrated into the Labyrinth and woke up the sleeping Thunderer: .

When he woke up, he took off his bear skin , turning into a bird, and rushed in pursuit of the kidnapper.

Having overtaken the fugitive, the God of the Earth entered into marriage with her, causing a thunderstorm and pouring streams of life-giving waters onto the Earth:

Mighty wings raised fiery whirlwinds, carrying the seeds of life into different sides: .

(Later the whirlwind transformed into an independent deity of the wind - Stribog .)

The deer shed her golden horns, which were returned to the winner as a guarantee of the marriage, and hid in the underground palace.

Deprived of heat and light, the Earth was covered with snow and ice. The giant bird fell asleep, gradually growing overgrown with wool and fur, and again turned into a Bear.

It's easy to see that this scheme describes the alternation of polar day and night in the northern latitudes of the Earth with the absence of solar eclipses characteristic of this region. Penetration of the bearers of the myth into the middle and southern latitudes, their encounter with the phenomenon of a solar eclipse and contact with the inhabitants southern regions develops a myth...

One day, when the Deer with fiery horns had already risen into the Sky, and the Bear had not yet woken up, a Dragon (Lion, Leopard, Cat, Boar...) crawled out of the depths of the Abyss (Pekel World), attacked the defenseless Deer, and, tearing her apart pieces, took possession of the Golden Horns. Not knowing how to handle fire, the Beast caused a world flood, and then almost caused a world fire, but the awakened Thunderer in a fierce struggle defeated his opponent and chained him eternal guardian at the entrance to the palace and returned the fire.

The Thunderer watered the remains of the Deer with dead and living water, causing the Horns to grow into the World Tree , separating Heaven from Earth. On the branches of this tree, the Fleece and Horns of the Deer rose into the sky, turning into the Sun, Moon and Stars. The Thunderer could now ascend to Heaven and descend to Earth along the trunk and branches of the Tree, connecting the worlds in the image of the Moon: .

To prevent the misfortune from happening again, he placed guards on the four sides of the world to protect the Tree from the penetration of creatures from the Abyss.

Scheme 2:

At the beginning of time, the Great Virgin Goddess

fell into the waters of the primordial ocean and found salvation on the back of a giant Snake (Lizard, Turtle, etc.):

Having become pregnant, she became the mother of two twin sons, one of whom was very stubborn (angry, cruel, etc.), and the other fair (kind, warm-hearted, etc.). When the due date approached, the stubborn child, despite the warnings of his brother, made his own exit from the mother's body, killing her, while the second child was born in the proper manner. The soul of the Goddess ascended to Heaven along the branches of the World Tree that grew from her body, but since with her death evil entered the world, the inhabitants of the Heavenly World surrounded the “affected” area of space with guards so that death and evil could not penetrate into other worlds.

Born twin brothers began to create their own world, and one of them constantly interfered with the other - spoiling or destroying what had been created.

A variant of the same myth is the legend about twins - a brother and sister, who, out of ignorance of their relationship, entered into a love affair. Upon learning of the incest, one of them dies (or a brother kills his sister), as a result of which the world is desecrated.

The same type includes myths about the struggle between the Virgin-Sun and the Serpent, or myths about the furious Fire-Virgin-Sun, rushing across the sky in a chariot drawn by two charioteers .

***

No matter how this world arose, traditional thinking ordered the people living in it to behave in the image and likeness of the ancestors-Gods who created it: things, clothes, housing were made according to a once and for all established model, weddings were played, significant events and dates were formalized. In ornamental compositions this was reflected by the use of identical symbols with different meaning depending on their location on clothing. For example, the same sign "Orepei":
in the shoulder area a woman’s costume will be read as a world mountain or Alatyr-stone with a Deity sitting on it: ;
in the elbow area as "ancestor" ;
on the hem- as an entrance to the other world , or also "ancestor".

A characteristic auxiliary pattern allows one to highlight the images of the Gods - the image of chariots, in which, according to the ideas of the ancients, the Deities moved in space. These chariots were driven by animal charioteers characteristic of each Deity - snakes, birds, horses, deer, animals...

With the identification of new Divine hypostases, shades appear in the reading of certain elements of the ornament, and their graphic changes. Thus, the selection from the Archetype of the World Deity of images that personify its individual qualities - the wind (Stribog), Thunder (Perun), the Water King (Vodishche), the Lord of the Other World - Svarga (Svarog), the Deity of the Earth, Fertility (Veles), the Guardian of Grain, Harvest, Grain Reserves, Fruit-bearing power of Grain (Yari), fruit-bearing fire (Pereplut, Yarilo, Semargl) - leads to the emergence of symbols based on one graphic image, just as the mythological characters themselves preserve general properties or attributes - the ability to control waters, cause a whirlwind, rain, etc., forge, command lightning:

With the change of leaders social roles in society - the emergence and development patriarchal way of life- cultural heroes change their gender and the “gender” interpretation of symbols similarly changes:

But the meaning of the combined symbol - the eight-pointed cross

remains the same: the union of the feminine and masculine principles, the monad, the fertilized egg, life and death - fate. It is no coincidence that with the adoption of Christianity he receives popular name"Star of the Virgin Mary" The interpretation stands out somewhat due to the variant of this symbol - . A number of ethnographers note the presence in the languages of peoples North Caucasus and Ancient Scythia traces of the ancient idea of the Universe as a five-fold structure: in addition to the concepts of the three-dimensional level that are familiar to us - Heaven, the Middle World, the Earth (or the Underground World) - it included Inferno and Side (Lateral space). At the same time, the most ancient cosmogonic models usually characterize the Universe as feminine. The five-row space of the Universe - the Great Mother, stretching to the four cardinal directions and generating Life - is approximately how one can clarify the reading of this symbol.

How does symbolism “work”? Let's start with the fact that any graphic image has a weak torsion field that bends the surrounding space:

Energy (leptonic) models (damage, evil eye, etc.), falling into the zone of curved space, are either repelled or become fixed in the image zone, or self-destruct as a result of uneven curvature. Uniform mesh of graphic images on the surface of clothing or household items, created by patterned weaving or embroidery, provides its energetic effect. At the same time, the most uniform grid (and, therefore, a stronger effect) is given by an ornament of a geometric and geometrized type, in which the thickness of all lines is the same (Reference: the famous Mezen knitted patterns were always typed according to the following principle - at the beginning of the pattern there was a row of alternating 3 loops of the colors used - the ornamental grid was initially uniform). Another important principle of the energy work of the ornamental network is the principle of changing polarity in the ornamental line and in the composition as a whole.

Color also contributes. For example, on the territory of our Ryazan region, the leading element, from which the pattern received its name, was always made white, and the background field was filled with color, mainly shades of red; White color the ornament passed the influence of surrounding energies to the owner or “reflected” the negative, as if “refracted” through the prism of the form and meaning of the symbol, dispersing everything else; and the background field is energy of a certain frequency...

And, of course, magical meaning symbol...

In women's and men's suit One can distinguish zones of correspondence to Heaven, the Middle World and Earth. Depending on the location in a specific area, the magical effect of the applied image changes.

Female

Male

In addition, the places where the densest ornamental mesh is applied coincide with the locations of the largest nerve plexuses of the human body, corresponding to the main energy centers or chakras. Zone is heavily defended heart center- literally "from four sides." There is one more subtlety - in women's suit the pattern located on the front always primarily protects its owner and her expected child, but in a man’s suit it primarily actively influences those around him (the same woman, for example), and the protective pattern itself comes from the back - this is what explains the presence of “female” symbols on the chest embroidery of men’s shirts, especially festive and wedding ones.

Where did the symbols come from? Why are they almost the same for all nations? Symbols are information. The most ancient of them have a geometric or geometrized shape. Let us assume that it is based on information about some universal processes.

There is an interesting scheme of ideas about the structure of the Universe among the ancient Slavs-Russians, published by A. Ivanitsky in the essay “The Ways of the Great Russian” (almanac “Slavs”) and given in abbreviations by M. Shatunov (“Russian Health”, M., 1998, p. 159). Let's continue this diagram, completing it in accordance with the movement of the Solar ecliptic across the sky from the position of an earthly observer relative to the change of seasons (Fig. 1). Let us obtain an egg-shaped matrix (in accordance with Russian traditions, I will call it “Roda’s egg”) and look at this egg from the end side (Fig. 2). Comparing both projections with the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and the spirals of the “golden ratio” of Drunvalo Melchizedek (D. Melchizedek. " Ancient mystery flower of life", vol. 1, pp. 229-230, "Sofia", 2001), we will see that Egg explains their origin. Now let's connect all three pictures. The result is a matrix in which it is easy to see all the elements of Russian known to us ( and not only) ornaments, also divided according to their belonging to the Worlds of Pravi (frontal projection), Navi (lateral projection) and Reveal (geometrized shape of the “golden section” spirals).

Mara Minina

Ornament is the language of millennia. The word "ornament" comes from the Latin ornare and in literal translation it means “decoration, pattern.” Academician B. A. Rybakov said this about the meaningfulness of the ornament: “When looking at intricate patterns, we rarely think about their symbolism, we rarely look for meaning in the ornament. It often seems to us that there is no more thoughtless, light and meaningless area of art than ornament. Meanwhile in folk ornament, as in ancient writings, the thousand-year-old wisdom of the people, the beginnings of their worldview and the first attempts of man to influence the mysterious forces of nature through the means of art were deposited.” However, it would be wrong, when talking about ornaments, to reduce everything to decoration (14).

Ornament is special kind artistic creativity, which, as many researchers believe, does not exist in the form of an independent work, it only decorates this or that thing. Many researchers note that the ornament is quite complex artistic structure, for the creation of which various expressive means are used. Among them are color, texture and the mathematical foundations of ornamental composition - rhythm, symmetry; graphic expression of ornamental lines, their elasticity and mobility, flexibility or angularity; plastic - in relief ornaments; and, finally, the expressive qualities of the natural motifs used, the beauty of the painted flower, the bend of the stem, the pattern of the leaf. Almost always simple signs that are perceived by our enlightened gaze as circles, wavy lines, zigzags or crosses, actually had a completely different meaning for the creators of these compositions. Art, figurative language the ornament is varied. Fulfilling the task of decorative significance, it often plays the role of a social, gender and age marker, ethnicity, and is a means of expressing the people's worldview (6).

The winding line was often a symbol of water - an unusual substance with mysterious properties, one of the primary elements of the world. The circle represented a solar (solar) sign. The cross was often a talisman that counteracted the forces of evil. An ornament with such signs gave a thing a special meaning, as if immersing it in the fabric of complex relationships between man and the world within a certain picture peace (16).

However, humanity is “growing up” and the time of belief in the mystical meaning of ancient symbols and their real power has passed. We know about ancient myths, but we don't believe in them. With the loss of faith in the magical power of signs, ornaments began to disappear. hidden meaning, and they really began to turn into one of the decorative elements. However, there are still places on Earth, including in Russia, where the picture of the world “recorded” with ornaments is still reproduced, lives in people and objects, which means that the ornaments created within the framework of this picture of the world have not lost their power and hidden meaning and meaning. One of these places is settlements small peoples North, Siberia and Far East Russia (16).

Russian ornament is rightfully called one of the most interesting phenomena in world artistic culture.

It represents a unique world artistic images. Over the centuries, Russian ornament has been modified and transformed, but invariably amazed the imagination of contemporaries with its poetry and beauty of lines and colors. Ornament accompanied a person in his daily life. Floral, geometric, zoomorphic and other motifs decorated human homes, religious and household objects, clothing, and handwritten books. The patterns applied to the object carried the foundations of the universe. The artist comprehended the world and tried to express his attitude towards him by combining different elements, varying the line or color ratio. The ornament could fill everything with a continuous carpet free space or decorate only some parts of the product, emphasizing their artistic and plastic expressiveness (1).

The ornament is built on the rhythmic alternation of depicted motifs, a derivative of the form and a structure subordinate to it. The ornament cannot be calculated mathematically; it covers the surface of the object, repeating its curves, emphasizing them or hiding them. It is impossible to calculate what the curl laid by the master will be like. The internal structure of the ornament has a figurative, applied and semantic origin. A pattern always has an applied side; it is strictly connected with the function of the object on which it is applied, with its shape and material. And finally, any ornament has one meaning or another. It can have the direct meaning of writing, reflect with its rhythms in a complexly mediated form the real rhythms of life, carry symbolic meanings, fixed by tradition. All ornaments have their own names, which are very stable, taking into account the vast territory of their distribution. To decipher the meaning of the ornaments, both the explanations of craftswomen and religious and mythological ideas, as well as stable folklore and everyday expressions, since they are based on the same system of ideas about the world. Ideas about the picture of the world are passed on from generation to generation, and it is only partially realized (see Appendix 6).

The time of the appearance of the first ornamental compositions in Russian art is unknown, but it can be assumed that interest in decorating objects developed simultaneously with the development of the surrounding world (4, p.6).

Researchers, Russian and foreign, have made attempts to study the art of constructing ornamental compositions. Archaeologists, ethnographers, historians, and art critics have written about Russian ornament. First of all attention scientific world was turned to the study of art of the XI-XVII centuries. Among the most famous scientists who dealt with the issue of ornament were F. G. Solntsev, F. I. Buslaev, I. M. Snegirev, V. I. Butovsky, V. V. Stasov, the famous French scientist E. Violet-le-Duc . They were engaged in the study of Russian ornament in all its manifestations - not only as unique phenomenon, but also as an integral part of form and decor various items. Everything was decorated with ornaments, starting with large works architecture and ending with small household utensils. And the ornament manifested itself most clearly in Russian embroidery (1, p.9).

According to the motifs used in the ornament, it is divided into: geometric, consisting of abstract shapes (dots, straight, broken, zigzag, mesh intersecting lines; circles, rhombuses, polyhedrons, stars, crosses, spirals; more complex specifically ornamental motifs - meander, etc. . P.); plant, stylizing leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. (lotus, papyrus, palmette, acanthus, etc.); zoomorphic, or animal, stylizing figures or parts of figures of real or fantastic animals. Also used as motifs human figures, architectural fragments, weapons, various signs and emblems (coats of arms); anthropomorphic, divided into two large groups: a) archaic, reflecting ancient mythological ideas, b) everyday (or genre). Special kind ornaments are represented by stylized inscriptions on architectural structures(for example, on Central Asian medieval mosques) or in books (the so-called ligature). Complex combinations are common various motives(geometric and animal forms - so-called teratology, geometric and plant forms - arabesques) (5).

Russian ornament is a poorly studied area; much in it remains unexplored and unclear. Folklore traditions, Christian doctrine, the heritage of Eastern and Western European countries - all this influenced the formation of Russian ornament.

Russian ornaments took on diverse elements, were enriched and transformed into new forms. The richness and diversity of forms and types of Russian ornament testifies to creative thinking masters and their high artistic taste (1, p.7).

Since ancient times, people have decorated their clothes, homes, tools and household items various ornaments. These were not just drawings, but magic symbols, which were supposed to protect their owners from evil spirits. In addition, the ornament invariably gave things an elegant and festive look.
The most typical patterns of ancient Russian fabric ornaments are plant, zoomorphic, everyday, and cult motifs. From ancient Russian handwritten books one can also trace the history of ornament in Rus'. The ornaments in them were decorated with headpieces for each chapter and initials (the first letters of chapters and psalms). Since the 12th century, new motifs have appeared in book designs - griffins, dragons and other mythical monsters, intertwined with branches, belts, entangled in their tails and necks to such an extent that nothing can be made out.

Wood carving has also been distinguished by a variety of ornaments since ancient times. There are several wood carving techniques: geometric, openwork and artistic. In geometric carvings made in the form of recesses various shapes, pagan symbols were often present, for example, the so-called “rosettes” and “radiances”, denoting the sun. Such images were often found on household items: spinning wheels, dishes, kitchen utensils. Artistic carving was a real drawing on wood and decorated the walls of the house, the ridge on the roof, and the porch. As in textile ornaments, plant, zoomorphic and cult motifs were common in wood carvings, which in ancient times were supposed to protect the house from evil forces, and later turned into simply elements of home decoration.

After the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 10th century, Byzantine culture began to spread in Rus', which was reflected primarily in architecture, language and ornament. Even the word “ornament” itself is of Latin origin and is translated as “decoration”. From the 12th century to Old Russian ornament Elements characteristic of Italian, Persian, Indian, and, during the Tatar-Mongol invasion, ornaments began to penetrate. The mixture of all these styles in the 16th-17th centuries gave rise to a special ornamental style, characteristic only of the Russian people.

It contains both geometric shapes and various plant patterns, images of animals, existing and mythical, fantasy patterns of intertwining ribbons, branches, leaves, climbing plants, forming, despite all their intricacy, various figures of animals, birds and people. IN different centuries for decorating various items (whether clothes or handwritten book, box or towel) various ornamental motifs were used, some of them were characteristic only of their time, others have been preserved from ancient times to the present day.