Russian women did not have the European abundance of fabrics to create clothes. All that was available to them was linen, cotton and wool. But still, the Russians managed to create outfits of amazing beauty from little. And this was achieved thanks to the ornaments of Russian folk costume. At that time, the ornament acted not only as decoration, but also as a talisman. Thus, elements of folk costume were enriched with protective embroidery and patterned weaving. This kind of amulets were embroidered on the edges of clothes, namely on the hem, cuffs and collar. These were embroidered ideogram letters that protected a person from harm. Ornaments were made in certain colors, which also have special significance. The most popular color is red, which symbolizes fire, life and blood.
More details...
The main element of Russian folk costume was a shirt with a collar richly decorated with embroidery. The sleeves of the shirt had to be wide and long, but wrapped with braid at the wrist. Women wore it over their shirt. It had the shape of a high skirt with straps and was made of linen, wool and cotton fabric. Ribbons, fringe, braid and colored stripes of chintz were used as decoration. The third integral element of the outfit was the skirt. It is worth noting that married women they wore a poneva, which differed from a regular skirt in a swinging style with an unstitched slit on the side.
Don't forget about the apron. Women wore it over a shirt or sundress. The apron, as an element of the Russian costume, was also equipped with a rich symbolic ornament, personifying Russian ancient traditions and amulets associated with nature.
The final element of the Russian national costume was the headdress, which at that time was a kind of business card. From it it was possible to determine the age and place from which the woman came, and her social status. Girls' hats had an open crown. Bandages and tapes were most often used. But married women completely covered their hair. The headdresses were decorated with beads, ribbons and embroidery.
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Since ancient times, people have decorated their clothes, homes, tools and household items with 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 others. 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, elements characteristic of Italian, Persian, Indian, and during Tatar-Mongol invasion and ornaments. 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 animals, birds and people. In different centuries, various ornamental motifs were used to decorate various objects (be it clothing or a handwritten book, a box or a towel), some of them were characteristic only of their time, others have been preserved from ancient times to the present day.
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 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 the ancient art of ornament to be preserved and not to disappear, so that the 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 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 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 patterns for 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 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 creative imagination reader.
Old Russian ornament is one of the most interesting phenomena in the world artistic culture. Throughout time it has been modified and supplemented. Despite this, Russian ornament of any century is considered one of the most interesting. In our article you can find more detailed information not only about ancient Russian cliparts, but also about ornaments of other peoples.
General information about ornaments
An ornament is a set of patterns and symbols on a particular object. When applying it, artists certainly coordinate the purpose of the object and the drawing itself in order to achieve a positive impression on the viewer. The type of Old Russian ornament or any other pattern can be geometric, floral, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic.
In ancient times, people believed that certain patterns and designs in the ornament could attract wealth, good health, and help improve their personal life and will bring mutual understanding to the family. Many people still believe this today. It is also believed that the ornament can show state of mind artist at the time of creation of the pattern. Surprisingly, the ancient Russian ornament was applied not only to household items and clothing, but also to the body. Such a drawing was a talisman. The ornament was no longer applied to the body after the adoption of Christianity in Rus'.
It is believed that the history of ornament begins with the Paleolithic era. allow us to find out, Nowadays there are also people who believe in magical properties drawings.
Old Russian magical drawings
Old Russian ornament is considered one of the best. This is no coincidence, because it amazes contemporaries with its beauty, uniqueness and a certain magical power which our ancestors put into it. It is worth noting that Old Russian patterns were borrowed from Byzantium and the Caucasus. Over time, they have changed and become unique. Today, ancient Russian ornaments are unique patterns that have become part of the heritage of world art. Most often it was used as a talisman against evil spirits, damage and the evil eye. Magical drawings were applied to dishes, books, household items, clothing and the walls of the house. It is worth noting that the meaning of some symbols in the ornament is still unknown.
general information
Byzantine, Georgian and Old Russian ornaments are considered the most sophisticated and interesting. They are an important component in the development of world art. Byzantine ornaments include Hellenistic and eastern traditions. They consist of a wide variety of motifs. A characteristic feature of Byzantine ornament is a large number of intricately shaped patterns. They have a bright and rich color that has survived to this day.
Thanks to Arabic and Persian art appeared in Byzantine ornaments mythological heroes, such as griffins, dragons and others. It is also worth noting that not only fantastic, but also real animals and birds were often used in the drawings. As a rule, in ornaments they are located inside a circle or any other geometric figure.
Floral motifs in Byzantine ornament were rarely used and were not complex. Some elements did not carry a specific meaning. Surprisingly, the Byzantines added copper, gold, and mercury to the paint for painting. Thanks to this, they could get the most varied and rich shades that last for many years.
Georgian ornaments. Popularity these days
Georgian ornaments are not much different from Byzantine or Old Russian ones. As a rule, geometric motifs predominate in them. All patterns and designs have an unusual saturated color. Most often, Georgian ornaments consist of crosses and curved lines.
Today in Georgia they are becoming extremely popular again National costumes with ornaments. They are often created by designers. These days, a girl from Georgia is especially popular because she creates incredibly beautiful national headdresses - kabalahs. If previously only men wore them, now they are often used among the female population.
Embroidered ornament
Surely each of us has seen an ancient Russian ornament. The meaning of the dome, which is found on clothing of past centuries, symbolizes long or endless life. There may also be mermaids located underneath it. According to popular belief, such an embroidered design has a beneficial effect on the future harvest.
It is believed that almost all embroidered patterns are dominated by the theme of the fertility of the earth. For example, a rhombus is a symbol feminine. It is considered a kind of amulet of fertility and childbearing. A diamond with hooks embroidered on the edges of a baby's diaper symbolizes the origin of life. It is important to know that only in the complex of all the symbols located on an object can one find out the meaning of a particular sign.
The most common ancient Russian embroidered ornament is Orepey. This is a comb diamond, which is a symbol of sown land. Depending on its location on clothing, it may have other meanings. For example, if such a sign is embroidered on the hem, then it symbolizes the entrance to the other world.
Spiral in ancient Russian ornaments
Almost everyone is amazed by the beauty and mystery of the ancient Russian ornament. The photos that are located in our article will allow you to evaluate its uniqueness yourself.
You can often find a spiral in ancient Russian ornaments. This sign is not only widespread, but also quite ancient. It symbolizes the development of the world and its evolution. This is no coincidence, because spiral shapes are quite common in our lives. These include a whirlpool, a tornado, DNA and much more. It is worth noting that this sign has been used since the Paleolithic era. Most often, such an ancient Russian ornament was applied to jewelry.
Spiral signs were often used in embroidery. In Novgorod, women decorated their headdresses in this way.
Cross
The cross is one of the most symbolic. It symbolizes two opposites - the feminine and masculine principles. This sign is found in almost all cultures. Depending on the image, the symbol can be interpreted completely differently.
A cross in a circle is a symbol of life. It also demonstrates the movement of the sun across the sky. It began to be depicted during the Upper Paleolithic. It gained particular popularity during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
It is worth noting that the cross appeared long before Christianity. He imitated a weapon for making fire. Over time, it became a symbol of the heavenly body - the sun. It is also seen as a sign of immortality. Among the pagans, the cross was a kind of amulet that protected its owner on all four sides. It was applied to jewelry, clothing, and painted above the entrance to the house.
Swastika
The swastika was used in absolutely every corner of our earth. It was painted on weapons, household items and clothing. In ancient Russian ornaments, the swastika is found unusually often. It includes almost all motives. It symbolizes the movement of life, happiness, prosperity, prosperity and good luck. In addition, it is considered as a sign of the entire galaxy.
It is worth noting that the swastika is divided into two subtypes - left-handed and right-handed. IN different countries this plays an important role in interpreting its meaning. For example, in China, clockwise rotation symbolizes male energy, and counterclockwise rotation symbolizes female energy. In ancient Russian ornaments, the swastika was used as a talisman. It was embroidered on clothes and painted on the walls of the house.
Unfortunately, from the last century to today, the swastika is most often associated with Adolf Hitler and the ideology of Nazism. It is worth noting that because of this, this sign is prohibited in some countries.
Meander
Old Russian ornaments and patterns can often include a meander. This symbol has been known since the Neolithic era. Typically, it is used as a border on an object or fabric. It is quite easy to distinguish it from other symbols and patterns. A meander consists of right angles that create a continuous line. It is worth noting that the swastika is often included in it.
Meander was embroidered on the hem of clothing and used in mosaics and frescoes. He is an important symbol in the development of B Ancient Greece it symbolized infinity. This symbol is most often found in India. Such a pattern was often included in the ancient Russian vector ornament.
Griffins in Byzantine ornament
In Byzantium, griffins were often depicted on objects. This is a mythological creature that has wings, the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. In Byzantine culture they appeared due to the influence of Eastern culture. As a rule, he was depicted on saucers, silver cups, frescoes, mosaics and silk fabrics. It symbolizes protection of a person and is a kind of amulet. It is worth noting that in Western Christian iconography, the griffin is the embodiment of Satan.
The population of Byzantium believed that the griffin was a vigilant guard. It is for this reason that he was often depicted on armor, on the walls of houses and kitchen utensils.
Let's sum it up
Ornaments were present in the culture of all peoples. Our ancestors believed that such drawings had magical properties. In their opinion, different patterns could bring prosperity, mutual understanding or the fertility of the earth to the house. Some people still think so today. Absolutely everyone is fascinated by the beauty of Georgian, Byzantine, as well as ancient Russian ornaments and patterns. The meanings of the symbols that are located in our article will allow you to find out which drawings our ancestors considered magical.
In the richest collection of fabrics and clothes of the State Historical Museum There are many amazing things in Moscow. This lavishly embroidered women's shirt, which was worn by a Russian peasant woman from near the northern city of Kargopol a century and a half ago, is also kept there.
Festive women's shirt. Olonets province, Kargopol district. First half of the 19th century.
Small radiant diamonds are scattered across the sleeves like stars. And on the shoulders, framed by a hot red pattern, the diamonds are already large. Unprecedented plants bloomed around the collar of his shirt, and birds sat among them. The most elegant thing is the hem. In the center of it is a fantastic bird inside some bizarre structure, near the walls and on the roof of which large and small birds are located. And strange trees grew nearby, funny little men stood frozen with their hands raised up. The entire pattern that goes around the hem cannot be described with a pen - only in a fairy tale!
The style of a festive women's shirt. Olonets province, Kargopol district. First half of the 19th century.
As you know, the shirt in the old Russian village was the main part of the costume, and for young people - sometimes the only one. They usually didn’t embroider it for weekdays, but how they decorated it for the holidays! The girls especially tried, because appearing in public on a holiday wearing an unembroidered shirt was considered a disgrace. And for the day when the whole peasant world went out to mow, they also prepared clothes decorated with patterns. Is it surprising that people associated many different beliefs with the shirt? It was believed, for example, that there was no way to sell it - you would lose happiness. And the wedding shirt was also believed to have healing powers.
The decorations themselves also had a deep meaning. In the middle of the last century, the ritual of “reading patterns” was still alive. Girls from near and far gathered in one of the villages in their best handmade outfits. They put four or five shirts on top of each other with intricate patterns that went from the hem to the chest. Then - a sundress, on top of it - three or four elegant aprons. The guys who came to the festival chose their guides old woman and with her they approached the dressed-up girls. The woman showed them their aprons and the hems of their shirts, while explaining the meaning of the patterns. The guys judged the hard work and abilities of the girls by their embroidery.
An old northern song tells how one of these needlewomen worked:
Embroidered for the first time
Red sun with hazes.
With warm clouds;
I embroidered for the second time
The moon was brightening with rays.
With frequent stars...
I embroidered for the fourth time
Blue sea with waves...
In her wedding lamentation, the Kargopol bride said that on her white shirt was embroidered “the good rising sun, the morning dawn, the young, bright moon, rivers, all deep lakes.” But no matter how many times we look at old shirts, we will never see such a naturalistic picture of nature, made with a needle and multi-colored threads. Apparently, that girl spoke some other figurative language. But how should we understand it? We will try to find the key to understanding it in old fairy tales, proverbs, riddles. At least in this one, where we're talking about about the sun:
Big bright room,
The firebird is burning,
Everyone knows her
And she loves it.
After all, this is the answer to the already familiar image on the hem of the shirt: the lighthouse is the image of the world, the firebird is the clear sun! And the smaller birds (they were called peahens) were like rays around the sun.
The image of birds was popularly associated with the idea of light and warmth. They believed that with their arrival spring came to earth:
Larks,
Quails,
Swallow birds!
Come and visit us!
Clear spring
Red spring
Bring it to us.
It is no coincidence that in the lush plumage of peahens, crosses, circles, and tridents are often visible on their heads: these signs in folk symbolism from ancient times personified fire and the sun.
Let's go further. As if they had fluttered from the hem of a shirt, the peahen birds sat on its collar next to the plants strewn with flowers. This means that with the arrival of the long-awaited birds, and therefore with the arrival of spring, all nature blossoms:
The peahen has arrived
Sat on the lava
Let down her feathers
For any potion.
Yes, as we see, the embroidery contains not only a poetic, but also a visible image of spring. Isn't it true, reflected in the pattern of the shirt? the whole world! This was helped by the art of ornamentation, which gives household things deep meaning. It can make these things either more strict or more elegant. In the patterns of our shirt, which originated from the Kargopol land, famous for arable farming, an image of the world is given that is close to the farmer.
Not only the shirt, but the entire festive costume of the Kargopol peasant woman was deeply symbolic. On her head she wore a kokoshnik embroidered with gold thread, pearls, beads and colored glass or stones with symbols of the sky - the sun and stars. She tied an apron on which an agricultural calendar was embroidered (see No. 10 of “Young Artist” for 1983), girded herself with a “rainbow” belt and was, as scientists say, a model of the world. The beauty and harmony of the clothes seemed to testify to the wise structure of the universe. They also embroidered other images on the hems of shirts. Let's say, in the center there is the likeness of a fantastic plant, and on the sides of it are powerful animals with clawed paws, frozen in protective poses. The animals seem to be permeated with bright sunlight- even their manes and ears turn golden and shimmer with silk. And around them flutter, slowly and importantly, different-faced peahens sit sedately. This bird kingdom suggests that the entire space of the embroidery is “filled” with sunlight.
But what can either lions or leopards, mysterious to us, represent? In one of the northern conspiracies about such a fantastic beast it is said that its wool is gilded, but gold symbolized ancient art light. On the other hand, a distant relative, the prototype of the lion embroidered on the hem, was the winged dog Simargl-Pereplut from an old myth, the guardian of crops. It turns out that this pattern is also associated with agriculture.
On the hem of another shirt are two birds with fused backs (this composition is called a “rook” because of its shape). From the “boat” upward, towards the heart-shaped seed, a sprout stretches, and from the seed grows a fabulous tree with lush flowers and leaves. There are peahens sitting all around, and on the sides, powerful birds seem to be guarding the marvelous plant. The role of these majestic guards seems clear, but what does “rook” mean?
Researchers of Russian folk art know well that there are three types of it: bird, horse and deer. Folklore materials say that these animals and birds in the minds of the people were associated with the image of the sun - as its “servants”. Consequently, our composition also has direct relation to solar symbolism.
Let's take a close look at the following illustration - embroidery on a towel - and see that the “rook” seems to be moving straight towards us. The heads, necks and chests of the birds are turned to the sides - exactly like those of horses racing in one team. Now let's look at the plant. Anyone who knows Russian embroidery well will immediately see in it the outlines of a female figure with her arms raised up. Before us is a capacious image of nature, dear to the farmer - Mother Earth, who for the peasant was like a living creature: she fell asleep for the winter and woke up from the hot rays of the spring sun, drank water and gave birth to a harvest. This means that the meaning of the pattern on the towel is clear - it speaks of the arrival of spring, the blossoming of nature and the imminent arrival of the time of fertility.
There was a cheerful life in the Russian village ancient custom. In the spring, girls walked in a noisy crowd outside the outskirts. There, raising their hands to the sky, they sang songs - stoneflies and calls, inviting “swallow birds”, which were supposed to bring red spring to their region. And now, on the embroidery of the mantle that adorned the elegant girl’s shirt, we see a female figure with her arms raised to the sky. In the woman’s hands and around are large and small birds. As you can see, the embroidery, ritual and song given earlier have same value. They should contribute to the speedy arrival of the bright spring sun, so necessary for all of nature.
The time for field work was approaching, and the plowmen went out into the field. Take a look at the pattern of another towel: in the center of the embroidery is a majestic female figure(the image of Mother Earth already familiar to us), who holds two horses by the bridle. Riders sit on them, and the gesture of their hands shows with what respect they address both the sky and Mother Earth. Behind the riders are the plows with which the peasants plowed their fields. So, before us is a visible image of welcoming spring.
Yes, Russian embroidery patterns are closely related to the everyday concerns of the farming people and carry a deep meaning. moral meaning. The reader has probably already guessed that in old village These patterns had not only aesthetic, but also ritual significance. Girls, as a rule, embroidered them only in the spring, before the start of field work. It was as if they asked the sky for a fruitful year and said in the language of ornament: let it always be like this!
It is known that the ancestors of Russian peasant farmers - the ancient Slavs - worshiped “Ubrists”, that is, towels. Or rather, not the towels themselves, but the patterns depicted on them, which were then carefully passed down from generation to generation, from mother to daughter. And since the embroidery ornament originates in such hoary antiquity, it is logical to assume that the color and technique are also symbolic.
Most ancient color combination in Russian embroidery - white and red: silver linen canvas and flaming thread of patterns. Red color in folk art was simultaneously a symbol of earthly fertility and the sun itself. That is why the same thread is used to embroider both the messengers of spring - peahens, and Mother Earth, as if illuminated and warmed by sunlight and warmth.
Now let's take a closer look at the embroidery technique. On the shimmering silver fabric, stitch by stitch, strictly along the cells of the fabric, as if on a canvas, the outline of the design was embroidered. Needlewomen most often used old samples or chips, thus preserving the iconography of ancient subjects. The second stage is the internal filling of the pattern with a straight grid, in the cells of which crosses were embroidered in a checkerboard pattern. This technique, without emphasizing the materiality of what is depicted, revealed the symbolic significance of the ornament.
Over time, the ritual significance of embroidery was gradually forgotten and its decorative side. More and more often, craftswomen fill the silhouette with so-called cast-on stitches, consisting of multi-colored squares, triangles, and rectangles. And then, at the end of the last century, the old counted seams were replaced by a free chain stitch, consisting of a chain of loops, and instead of white homespun canvas, bright red calico was used. All this destroys the ancient figurative system folk embroidery, although the works themselves change from majestic and solemn to festive and elegant.
A few more decades and ancient myth completely disappears from folk embroidery: at the beginning of the 20th century, even the best needlewomen no longer know the true meaning of many of the patterns they embroider. Especially today - it’s good if we know that in ancient times towels “with roosters” were common in Rus'...
However, of course, it is not enough for young artists to just admire these beautiful patterns. It would be nice to copy them into a little album that you should always have with you. And then try to learn more about the spiritual side of the amazing art of your ancestors. Indeed, there is a lot in it that should never be forgotten.
/ Young artist. No. 3, 1985 / G. Durasov, Photo: E. Groshnikova, Y. Robinova
