Russian patterns and ornaments schemes. Russian national ornament

The ornament of clothing, of course, should decorate it, but it turns out that initially it also served another function. The ornament in Russian folk costume was a kind of protector from evil forces, a talisman, a kind of talisman. That is why the pattern of the ornament is not located just anywhere, but in places where the edges of the clothing meet the open surface of the skin, so to speak, unprotected. This is the collar, cuffs, hem. In this ornament the embroiderers concluded secret signs, ideograms that they selected individually for each owner. These signs were supposed to protect the wearer from an external enemy and from accidental harm. Hence popular expression“He won’t spare his shirt.” This is what they said about an extremely generous person who is ready to give his shirt, and with it all his protection.

The meaning of patterns

The word “pattern” itself is derived from the word “dawn” - obsolete Russian word, meaning sunset and the moment the stars appear in the sky. Everything depicted on the ornament of the folk costume very symbolically reflected the vision of the world of the people of that time. The way they perceived space, the sun, the stars and their place in it all. For example, a running white horse was often depicted against a background of stars. The horse symbolized the sun, which is why it was surrounded by stars. Also often depicted spring god sunshine Lado.

The rituals that existed among peoples at that time were also reflected in the ornaments of folk costumes. For example, the spring ritual - rainbow, the holiday of Ivan Kupala and others. The ornamental design also changed depending on where it was located. If it was a hem, that is, a part of clothing located closer to the ground, then rhombus and cross-shaped compositions were depicted on it, meaning earth, fertility, fire. If these were patterns on headdresses, that is, closer to the sky, then they embroidered signs personifying the sun, sky, birds, and so on.

All these facts give reason to conclude that there is a strong connection between past culture and worldview and the cult of nature. The ornament also reflects the ideas of the people of a given culture about their existence. In fact, it was a unique product of folk art, attitude and thoughts. Ornamental embroidery was one of the first magical arts of humanity, which is passed down from generation to generation and thus does not allow the current generation to forget about their ancestors and how they lived, felt and what they believed.

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 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 the 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? Was it only the desire for creative self-expression that guided 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 was preserved and did not disappear, so that the skills, traditions and beauty of 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 the incredible ancient system 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 the forms of weaving patterns, 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 patterns for the arrangement of patterns on women's and men's clothing. A separate part consists of 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 of organizing space, about the style of a 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 the reader's creative imagination.

Up to mid-19th For centuries, the “decorations” were not changed, so as not to violate or distort the ancient sacred meaning, they were passed on from generation to generation, carefully observing the “canons.” Ornaments are akin to ancient writings and, like them, can tell a lot about the worldview of a person in those 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 at special “readings”: young girls brought finished works to gatherings and talked about them in front of “the whole world.”

In some places in the outback you can still hear the ancient names of patterns: “vodyanik”, “Perun”, although the masters are most often unable to explain their meaning. And yet, ancient patterns live on. They live and delight with their beauty. They sometimes live contrary to the beliefs of society or its individual groups, contrary to the guidelines of a particular government regime. Once, while working in the archives of the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve, I laughed a lot while reading the correspondence of the Ryazan mayor and the Skopinsky bishop (19th century): both correspondents subtly scolded the “depraved” Russian women who, despite the great church holidays, stubbornly walked around the city in “obscenely” embroidered “underwear” - a folk shirt with embroidery along the hem. Custom required that the embroideries be displayed, and the craftswomen depicted on them either a woman giving birth, or even “patterns of the first night.”

But it was not at all funny to remember the stories of old people heard on expeditions about how, during the years of the Great Patriotic War, and sometimes - and quite recently, hundreds of folk “decorations” with the image of the swastika - one of the most beloved Slavic ornaments. And advanced technologies of the 21st century threaten to completely wipe out Russian folk crafts with their low productivity and primitive technologies from the face of the Earth.

And yet, despite everything, the ornament lives. To this day, there are people who know how to decorate and want to wear traditional Russian clothes. On long winter evenings, Slavic girls and women embroidered and wove patterns with a torch, one more intricate than the other, decorating their “row” with them, so that later, at the holiday, they could show off in front of the “community”. Was it only beauty that they felt? Was it only the desire for creative self-expression that guided them? Or was there and continues to exist today in ancient symbols something very important - unknown to us today?

For the first time I had to deal with the unusual properties of folk ornament in my youth, when I worked at the Ryazan Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve. It was necessary to take a photo in an ancient folk costume. In the cathedral where the filming took place, because of the cold, I had to wear a fur jacket, but... as soon as I put on embroidered linen clothes, it suddenly became warm: the thin fabric warmed me! In an incomprehensible way! Later, while expecting the birth of a child, I realized that the folk patterns that Russian women made, in addition to beauty, also gave the expectant mother peace and patience. When I painted ornaments for the planned works, my health miraculously improved, the swelling went away. Later, having mastered the craft of hand weaving, I began to notice how my mood changed in the process of making differently ornamented products.

Surprisingly, folk ornaments and “decorations” are the same all over the world: the graphics are slightly different, the colors and shades change, but the appearance, rhythm, and meaning are quite recognizable. There is a known case when a Mexican weaver recognized her national pattern zero of a women's shirt from the Arkhangelsk province. What is this? Accident? Or based on different folk traditions lie the same deep knowledge, sometimes inaccessible to us, because it is expressed in a language unfamiliar to us - harmony, beauty and love - and before understanding it, it is necessary to master the language itself?

This book is the result of my 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. Maybe this is not entirely correct: is it possible to embrace the immensity? But Russian folk culture has always seemed to me so comprehensive and multifaceted that, in my opinion, it is necessary to study it only comprehensively, having experienced the very way of thinking of our ancestors.

I believe that this is best illustrated by the process of drawing folk textile patterns. At first, I spent a month completing such a drawing while preserving all the design features (and this was with the presence of lined paper, a pencil, and correction tools). And every time the question arose: what would we do without them? On a loom? And not from the middle, where the pattern clearly unfolds, but from the edge? And instead of a drawing, at best, there is a diagram scratched with a nail on a board. What kind of spatial imagination, what kind of coordinated interhemispheric connections of the brain do you need to have in order to do this? A must see! But an ordinary weaver could do this...

And further. I really want the ancient art of ornament to be preserved and not to disappear, so that the skills, traditions and beauty of folk culture continue 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 would like to believe that the topics raised in my story will be of interest to new researchers, and then such an amazing phenomenon as Russian folk textile ornament can really be understood from different angles. In the meantime, the ancient image-writings continue to wait for their full reading. Well, let's try to get started?

The study of folk “decorations” began in the 19th century. The first descriptions of textile patterns and attempts to find the hidden meaning in them were made by famous people: members of the Imperial Archaeological Society and numerous scientific archival commissions Russian Empire. They managed to record priceless material, now - alas! -lost irretrievably: primordial popular names individual elements of the ornament, more or less not yet distorted by the disappearance of patriarchal peasant life. In the 1920s, their work was continued by regional societies of local historians. Relatively systematized materials were published in regional publications or ended up in archives. Of the available ones, the works of the Smolensk ethnographer E.N. seemed the most interesting to me. Klet-nova, Ryazan ethnographer N.I. Lebedeva, famous archaeologist V.A. Gorodtsova (I.001) and materials from a unique study of Sapozhkovsky local historians P. and S. Stakhanov.

A lot of literature devoted to the description of folk embroidery and weaving patterns throughout the USSR was published in the 1950-1970s. A number of art albums and catalogs of folk costume are being published. Studying the ornaments of the peoples of Siberia, S. Ivanov developed schemes for the formation of ornamental forms depending on the type of symmetry used. The interest of historians, archaeologists, and art historians in the meaning of images is growing: special research is being undertaken by G.P. Durasov, G.S.

Maslova, B.A. Rybakov (I.002), A. Ambrose.

In the 90s of the last century, study materials reappeared local traditions. New researchers of museum collections and amateur collectors paid attention to previously overlooked details of decorations of folk clothing, which made it possible to trace the reflection of Slavic pagan culture and social and tribal information about the owner in folk costume. It became possible to study the history of an ancient and widespread symbol among the Slavs - the swastika. Numerous attempts to practically reconstruct the use and meaning of folk ornament were made by supporters of reviving paganism. A. Golan, in his major work, traced the unified mythological basis of ornamental symbols among the peoples of the world, and the works of M.F. Parmon exhaustively covered the features of the cut and shape of folk clothing.

Studies are being published that raise questions about the perception of symbols by the human consciousness, as well as the impact of the sign on our physical state - from this point of view, V.I. studies runic symbols. Loshilov. Psychologists and representatives of alternative medicine have accumulated considerable experience in assessing the impact of certain intangible factors on human body, and our ideas about the properties of consciousness are constantly expanding. But no one has yet tried to consider folk ornament from this point of view.

Few people know that the first country in the world to spread the swastika is... Russia. This is a key ornament in embroidery and weaving of the Russian North; we are even ahead of India, where swastika amulets still decorate city houses. Agree, given the ideological context of the events of the 20th century, this is perceived, at least, as an irony of fate.

It is on our lands that polysyllabic solar motifs have been preserved, which, at times, are maternal even in relation to Indian motifs (you can read about this in the works of S.V. Zharnikova). This is dizzyingly archaic.

“feather grass” (Tula province), “horse”, “horse shank” (Ryazan province), “hare” (Pechora), “saffron milk cap” (Nizhny Novgorod province), “loach” (Tver province), “bowlegged” "(Voronezh province), etc. On the territory of the Vologda lands, the name of the swastika was even more diverse. “Kryuchya”, “kryukovets”, “kryuk” (Syamzhensky, Verkhovazhsky districts), “ognivo”, “ognivets”, “konegon” (horse-fire?) (Tarnogsky, Nyuksensky districts), “sver”, “cricket” ( Veliky Ustyug district), “leader”, “leader”, “zhgun”, (Kichm.-Gorodetsky, Nikolsky districts), “bright”, “shaggy bright”, “kosmach” (Totemsky region), “geese”, “chertogon” (Babushkinsky district), “mower”, “kosovik” (Sokolsky district), “crossroads”, “vratok” (Vologda, Gryazovets districts), “vranets”, “vratschun” (Sheksninsky, Cherepovets districts), “ ugly" (Babaevsky district), "melnik" (Chagodoshchensky district), "krutyak" (Belozersky, Kirillovsky districts), "pylan" (Vytegorsky district). The most archaic of them, undoubtedly, is “Ognivets”. This name reflects the original meaning magic symbol swastikas: “living fire” - “fire” - “flint” - “flint”.

“The Russian name for the swastika is “kolovrat”, i.e. “solstice” (“kolo” is the ancient Russian name for the sun, “vrat” is rotation, return). Kolovrat symbolized the victory of light (sun) over darkness, life over death, reality over reality. A swastika directed in the opposite direction was called “salting.” According to one version, “Kolovrat” meant the increase in daylight or the rising spring sun, while “posolon” ​​meant the decrease in daylight and the setting autumn sun. The current confusion in names is generated by a misunderstanding of the direction rotational movement Russian swastika. A “right” or “straight” swastika is often called a cross with ends bent into right side. However, in the Russian pagan tradition, the semantic meaning of the swastika is as close as possible to the ancient one (the symbol of “living fire”), and therefore its curved ends should be considered precisely as tongues of flame, which, when the cross is rotated to the right naturally deviate to the left, and when it rotates left-handed, to the right. The deflection of the flames in both cases occurs under the influence of the oncoming air flow. Therefore, a “kolovrat”, or “left-sided” swastika in Russia is a cross whose ends (“tongues of flame”) are bent to the right, and vice versa, a “posolonyu”, or “right-sided” swastika is a cross with ends bent to the left ( in this case, the swastika rotates clockwise, according to the sun, hence its name - “salting”). In the Old Believer “soling” - the ritual walking around churches by the sun - one can easily discern an ancient pagan ritual. (M.V. Surov “Everything and everyone will return”)”

Already in ancient times, people sought to decorate household items and clothing. It can be seen from the objects obtained from the excavations that at first the decoration patterns and compositions were very simple. Over time, the pattern became more complex, the composition became more diverse, technical execution- more perfect. For further development pattern and composition you need to get acquainted with ancient traditions creating drawings and compositions.

Russian folk patterns are rich and varied. Its composition contains a number of geometric patterns, and plants and animals, both stylized and more or less realistic, are present almost everywhere.

Basic elements of the pattern.

A geometric pattern always consists of separate small parts. Those parts of the pattern that are repeated with or without changes in many patterns are called the main elements of the pattern. In Russian folk patterns, the most common basic elements are the so-called herringbone, roof, cross, sun, star, floral pattern (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Basic elements of a geometric pattern.

And this is an example of Old Russian embroidery, where it is clearly visible that it consists of small basic elements.

The basic elements can be changed - varied. Even now there are many various options basic elements.

Despite some differences, the basic elements have some common constant properties, for example:

• 1) the lines of the pattern are bent at an angle of 90 or 45 degrees;
• 2) the lines of the plant pattern are interconnected;
• 3) the basic element is easily included in the simplest geometric figures(Fig. 2).

Figure 2. The simplest geometric shapes.

The main elements of the pattern can be composed in different ways.

When one or more elements of a pattern are repeated rhythmically, a simple or variable series of patterns appears. Since the row of the pattern is not completed, it creates the impression of an indefinite, disintegrating pattern (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Pattern row.

AND small example Slavic embroidery, where we can see several types of stripes.

The restriction can be made either using a line or using narrower stripes. The main elements of the pattern placed side by side seem to separate the strip. For example, by placing one after another the main elements that are easily included in a triangle, they form a strip with a triangular division (Fig. 4, B). In a similar way, you can form a stripe of a pattern with a triangular division and a stripe of a pattern with a division to the corner of the square or to the side of the square (Fig. 4, C, D).

Figure 4. Pattern stripes.

Applying a stripe pattern.

When using a stripe of a pattern for finishing, the craftsman maintains the separation of the stripe as much as possible. The strip always ends with a whole division. Stripes are placed especially carefully when decorating the corner of a rectangular area. The placement of stripes at the corners may be different.

Connected corner.

A connected corner is formed if the strip is continued in the other direction without interruption (Fig. 5, A). Changing the direction, the master maintains the division characteristic of the strip. The connected corner can be used both for decoration and for a rectangular area.

Half connected corner.

Forming a semi-joined corner, the stripes in the corners are not connected (Fig. 5, B), but a square-shaped trim is placed there (Fig. 5, B). The stripes end at a short distance from it. Both parts of the decor are usually connected with an openwork or winding seam. A half-connected corner is most often used when decorating a Square.

Figure 5. Angles.

Unconnected corner.

An unconnected corner is formed when the stripes in the corner do not connect (Fig. 5, B). The master ends the stripes with complete division.

An unconnected corner is best suited for decorating a rectangular product.

In addition, wider stripes, even groups of stripes, can be placed at the ends of the area and, conversely, narrow stripes along the long edges. The decor of an unconnected corner is perfectly combined with an openwork or winding seam.

Parallel placement of stripes.

The rectangular area was usually decorated with transverse stripes. You can place one strip or group of strips at each end of the rectangle, or you can evenly arrange them over the entire area (Fig. 5, E). In addition, you can repeat the same stripes located at the ends, and also use other stripes in the middle, or change several stripes one after another (Fig. 5, e).

When decorating a rectangular product, the stripes are placed slightly differently. Each decorated part of the object looks heavier, so in a vertically positioned product the decor is distributed along the lower part. For example, using only one strip, it is placed at the bottom. When decorating a product with several stripes of different widths, the widest of them or a group of stripes is placed at the bottom of the product (Fig. 5, E). There are narrower stripes at the top.

Among Slavic ethnographic decorations, stripe is the most favorite and widespread type. It can be found on national clothes, carvings of window frames, etc. Therefore, in folk patterns there are especially many examples of stripes - sometimes narrower, sometimes wider, with a sparse or dense pattern. All of them can be successfully used both in any type of needlework and in artistic carving on wood. In addition, the stripes give the finish a vintage character.

Elements of the pattern (Fig. 6, A) or large parts of it are placed throughout the entire area or in certain areas of it. The pattern in this case is limited to divisions. If possible, the master finishes the pattern of continuous filling with complete division. It spreads easily in all directions, so you can cover both a small and a large area with the same pattern. Since this leaves the impression of an easily spread spreading pattern, the area to be finished is limited to a single-color or patterned strip. The solid filling pattern is used to decorate both square and rectangular areas using any technique.

Figure 6. Solid fill pattern.

The central pattern (Fig. 7, A) spreads from the center evenly in all directions. Since it has a plant character, in the composition it is limited to stripes (Fig. 7, B). This pattern is used for decoration various types area.

Figure 7. Central pattern.

The floral ornament can be located above a winding or straight line. The colors of the floral ornament usually alternate. Floral ornament is also usually placed along the edge of the decorated area, as it well connects the decorated, heavy area with the undecorated, empty one (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. Floral ornament.

And the last picture shows examples of ornaments that use motifs from the world of fauna.

IN modern world ornament is a pattern that decorates household items without carrying any meaning. For us, rhombuses on a carpet are just rhombuses, and circles are just circles. But there were times when people knew how to read patterns, encrypted in them their ideas about life, about the other world, about eternal truths.

We can say that a decorative design is the result of the found relationship between the perception of nature and the decorative display of reality. Over many years of existence decorative arts Various types of patterns have developed: geometric, floral, complex, etc., from simple joints to complex intricacies.

The ornament can consist of objective and non-objective motifs, it can include human forms, the animal world and mythological creatures; naturalistic elements are intertwined and articulated in the ornament with stylized and geometric patterns. At certain stages of artistic evolution, the line between ornamental and subject painting is “blurred.” This can be observed in the art of Egypt (Amaranian period), the art of Crete, ancient Roman art, late Gothic, and Art Nouveau.

First, geometric patterns arose, this was at the dawn of human culture. What could be simpler than straight or wavy lines, circles, cells, crosses? It is these motifs that decorate the walls of clay vessels. primitive people, ancient products made of stone, metal, wood and bone. For ancient man, they were conventional signs with the help of which he could express his concept of the world. A straight horizontal line meant earth, a wavy line meant water, a cross meant fire, a rhombus, circle or square meant the sun.

According to ancient belief, the symbols in the patterns carried spiritual power, capable of conjuring any evil and injustice of the elemental forces of nature. These symbolic signs, which came to us from ancient ritual holidays, have magical symbolism. For example, in the Filimonov toy (Russia) we see symbols of the sun, earth, water, and fertility. The masters passed all the images and symbols through their perception of the world and showed their perception of the world in the painting. Ancient symbols are also found in the Dymkovo and Kargopol toys. But they are different in ornamentation everywhere. In every craft we notice symbols of the sun, water, etc. Thin thread The ancient symbolism of peasant religion runs through them.

And the ornament is in Russian folk costume. The main motives of which were solar signs - circles, crosses; images of a female figure - a symbol of fertility, mother - raw earth; wavy rhythmic lines – signs of water; horizontal straight lines indicating the ground; images of a tree are the personification of ever-living nature. Embroidery on peasant clothes not only decorated them and delighted those around them with the beauty of the patterns, but was also supposed to protect the one who wore these clothes from harm, from evil man. A woman embroidered Christmas trees - which means she wished the person prosperous and happy life, because spruce is the tree of life and goodness. A child was born to a peasant woman. And she will decorate his first simple shirt with embroidery in the form of a straight line in a bright, joyful color. This is a straight and bright road that a child should follow. May this road be happy and joyful for him.

The image of the sun occupies one of the main places in decorative and applied arts. The sun in the form of round rosettes, rhombuses, can be found in different types folk art.

A straight equal-pointed cross was also an image of the sun in folk symbolism. The rhombus was revered as a symbol of fertility and was often combined with the sun sign inscribed in it.

The tree of Life

In addition to the geometric one, in the ornaments of Ancient Rus', one can often find various ancient pagan themes. For example, female figure personified the goddess of earth and fertility. In pagan art, the tree of life embodied the power of living nature; it depicted the divine tree, on which the growth of herbs, cereals, trees and the “growth” of man himself depended. Very often you can find plots of magical calendar rituals that are associated with the main stages of agricultural work.

The most diverse symbolism is characteristic of images of the plant world, which included flowers, trees, and herbs.
In Egyptian ornaments, the decoration often used a lotus flower or lotus petals - an attribute of the goddess Isis, a symbol of the divine productive power of nature, regenerating life, high moral purity, chastity, spiritual and physical health, and in the funeral cult it was considered a magical means of reviving the dead. This flower was personified with the sun, and its petals with sun rays. The lotus motif became widespread in the ornamental forms of the Ancient East (China, Japan, India, etc.).

The Egyptians also used the image of aloe in their ornaments - this drought-resistant plant symbolized life in the other world. Of the trees, the date and coconut palms, sycamore, acacia, tamarisk, blackthorn, persea (Osiris tree), mulberry tree were especially revered - they embodied the life-affirming principle, the idea of ​​the ever-fruitful Tree of Life..

Laurel in Ancient Greece was dedicated to the god Apollo and served as a symbol of cleansing from sins, since a sacred laurel branch was fanned for the person to be cleansed. Laurel wreaths were awarded to winners in musical and gymnastic competitions in Delphi, the main center of the cult of Apollo. The laurel served as a symbol of glory.

Hops is a cultivated plant, the picturesque appearance of which has contributed to the widespread use of plant forms in ornamentation. The image of hops combined with ears was used as decoration on household items.
Grapevine - clusters and branches were especially revered in antiquity and the Middle Ages. In ancient Greek mythology, this is an attribute of the god Bacchus, among Christians - in combination with ears of corn (bread and wine, meaning the sacrament of communion) - a symbol of the suffering of Christ.

Ivy is an evergreen climbing shrub, sometimes a tree; like the vine was dedicated to Bacchus. Its leaves have a variety of shapes, most often heart-shaped or with pointed lobes. They were often used in ancient art for decorating vases and wine vessels.
Oak is the king of forests, a symbol of strength and power. Oak leaves were widespread in Roman ornamentation. Their images are often found on friezes and capitals, church utensils and other types of Gothic applied art, as well as in the works of masters Italian Renaissance. Currently, images of oak leaves along with laurel can be found on medals and coins.

Oak is a symbol of power, endurance, longevity and nobility, as well as glory.

In ancient China, pine symbolizes immortality and longevity. a truly noble personality. The image of the pine tree echoes the image of the cypress, which in Chinese beliefs was endowed with special protective and healing properties, including protection from the dead. Among the flowering trees important place The wild plum occupies a place - meihua - this tree is a symbol of the New Year, spring and the birth of everything new. Among the flowers, the central place is given to the peony. The peony is associated with feminine beauty and family happiness. Orchid and chrysanthemum are associated with divine world and ritual ceremonies. The most common symbol among vegetables is the gourd pumpkin, which has become a symbol of immortality and longevity.

Painted gourd, vessel and talisman (China, 19th century)

“Happy fruits”: pomegranate, tangerine, orange - symbols of longevity and a successful career.

Sakura motifs are often found in Japanese arts and crafts. It is a symbol of beauty, youth, tenderness, and the inevitable variability of the transitory world.

Flowers are widely used in ornamental motifs of all times and styles. They serve as decoration for fabrics, wallpaper, dishes and other types of decorative art.
The rose has polar symbolism: it is heavenly perfection and earthly passion, time and eternity, life and death, fertility and virginity. It is also a symbol of the heart, the center of the universe, the cosmic wheel, divine, romantic and sensual love. The rose is completeness, the mystery of life, its focus, the unknown, beauty, grace, happiness, but also voluptuousness, passion, and in combination with wine - sensuality and seduction. A rosebud is a symbol of virginity; withered rose– transience of life, death, sorrow; its thorns are pain, blood and martyrdom.

Heraldic roses: 1 – Lancaster; 2 – York; 3 – Tudor; 4 – England (badge); 5 – German rose Rosenow; 6 – Russian stamp.

The heraldic medieval rose has five or ten petals, which connects it with the Pythagorean pentad and decanate. A rose with red petals and white stamens is the emblem of England, the most famous breastplate of English kings. After the "Wars of the Roses", named after the badges of the families fighting for the English crown, the scarlet rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York were combined in the form of the "Tudor Rose". The bright crimson rose is the unofficial emblem of Bulgaria. The famous tea rose is the emblem of Beijing. Nine white roses are in the coat of arms of Finland.
In ancient ornaments, along with plants, various animals are often depicted: birds, horses, deer, wolves, unicorns, lions. They form a horizontal structure of the tree of life: at the top are birds; at the level of the trunk - people, animals, and also bees; under the roots - snakes, frogs, mice, fish, beavers, otters.

Animals can be seen on embroidered towels and aprons , on a painted chest X, on carved and painted spinning wheels; on the walls of ancient Russian cathedrals and in the decorations of huts , in the ornaments of initial letters. Ancient images of a horse and a bird were preserved in folk toys and dishes. Pommels for horse whips and combat bows were carved in the shape of animal or bird heads. Stylized animals and birds decorated hair combs, utensils and dishes. In ancient times, many natural phenomena were personified in the images of animals and everyone looked at these phenomena from the point of view that was closer to him, depending on his lifestyle and occupation: the point of view of the shepherd differed from the views of the hunter, and both of them - from the warrior. People transferred their knowledge about earthly animals to atmospheric phenomena.
A bird in folk arts and crafts could personify wind, cloud, lightning, thunderstorm, storm and sunlight. Ladles and salt shakers were carved in the shape of birds; embroidered birds decorated women’s clothing. . The image of a bird has widely entered the folklore of almost all peoples of the world.

The horse also represented everything natural phenomena associated with rapid movement - wind, storm, clouds. He was often depicted as fire-breathing, with a clear sun or a moon on his forehead, and with a golden mane. A wooden horse, made for children's fun, was often completely decorated solar signs or flowers . It was believed that this protected the child from evil forces. Images of horses can often be seen on household items (bucket handles, spinning wheels , spindles), on clothes .

In the northern regions, natural phenomena associated with horses were also attributed by ancient people to deer . Deer were often depicted near the tree of life on an embroidered towel; sometimes they were placed instead of a ridge on the roof of a hut. The sacred role of the horse and deer in Scythian art is often associated with the hope of the successful ascension of the soul to another world.
The lion in the mythology of many peoples was a symbol of the sun and fire, and also at different times among different nations he personified higher powers, power, power and greatness, generosity, nobility, and intelligence. The image of a lion has existed in decorative and applied arts since ancient times.
For many centuries, the lion remained one of the favorite figures in Russian symbolism. In ancient Russian images associated with grand-ducal power, the image of a lion, depending on what surrounded it, had two meanings: power bestowed by God and the defeated power of evil.

Folk craftsmen often carved lions on the front board of the hut or painted them on chests surrounded by floral patterns; craftswomen embroidered them.

Feminine. The Great Mother, in her terrible form as the weaver of fate, is sometimes depicted as a spider. All lunar goddesses are spinners and weavers of fate. The web that the spider weaves, weaves from the center in a spiral, is a symbol of the creative forces of the Universe, a symbol of the universe. The spider in the center of the web symbolizes the center of the world; The sun is surrounded by rays; The moon, representing the cycles of life and death, weaving the web of time. The spider is often associated with luck, wealth or rain. Killing a spider is a bad omen.

Spider depicted on an American Indian amulet

Thanks to the stability of religious canons, the meaning of symbols in the ornamentation of Egypt and the art of the countries of the Ancient East remained unchanged for many millennia. Therefore, for ethnographers and archaeologists, ancient ornaments are signs with which one can “read” a kind of magical texts.

Ethnocultural contacts, trade, military campaigns, religious missions, ambassadorial gifts and invited artists contributed to the movement of works of art from one country to another, which led to the spread artistic ideas and styles.
Often subsequent generations of artists use previous art and create their own variations on it. So a shining example may serve as the element swastika, one of the earliest symbols, which is found in the ornaments of almost all peoples of Europe, Asia, America, etc. The oldest images of the swastika are found already in the culture of the Tripoli tribes of the 5th-4th millennium BC. e. In ancient and medieval cultures, the swastika is solar symbol, a lucky sign associated with ideas about fertility, generosity, well-being, movement and power of the sun.

Kolovrat or Solstice is one of the oldest ancient Russian symbols, personifying the Sun and the solar gods Svarog, Dazhdbog and Yarila. The name of the symbol comes from the word “kolo” - sun.

The symbol itself looks like a circle with curved rays, which is why many associate it with the fascist swastika. Although this is fundamentally not true: the fascists really used this solar symbol, but not vice versa.

In 1852, the French scientist Eugene Bournouf first gave the four-pointed cross with curved ends the Sanskrit name “swastika,” which roughly means “bringer of good.” Buddhism made the swastika its symbol, giving it mystical meaning eternal rotation of the world.
In the ornaments of modern times it is virtually absent modern symbolism, despite the fact that it exists in abundance in the surrounding reality. As an exception, there may be the work of modernist artists. IN late XIX- early 20th century these artists tried to create their own symbolism and reproduce it in their work.
Ornament in their works no longer played a supporting role, but became an integral part of the image, organically woven into the outline of the plot.
At the same time, A. Bely, a theorist of Russian symbolism, wrote: “The symbolist artist, saturating the image with experience, transforms it into his work; such a transformed (modified) image is a symbol.” And further A. Bely records the main slogans of symbolism in art: “1. a symbol always reflects reality; 2. a symbol is an image modified by experience; 3. shape artistic image inseparable from the content."
In these three points, the famous poet and prose writer precisely formulated the basic principles of creating a symbolic work, which can be used in any form of art, including ornamental.