"The Industry is Dying Out." An Arkhangelsk Master on the Disappearance of Bone Carving in Russia
Arkhangelsk master Oleg Lokhov calls himself and his colleagues “the last bone carvers”: no one is interested in their work, and it is very difficult to obtain material.
Lokhov was born into a family of bone carvers in the village of Lomonosovo in the Arkhangelsk region. His career choice was obvious.
His works are airy and delicate. He learned to carve on cow bone, then switched to mammoth ivory, which is ten times more expensive. However, this material is also unavailable in Russia, although the ivory itself is mined in Yakutia.
"Tusks are mined by the ton, tens of tons. Mostly, it all goes to China. They have large factories there, bone-carving schools, and traditions. They benefit from the experience. And we only get crumbs." explains master.
Due to the high cost of his work, not everyone can afford it; they are often purchased by resellers and then sold to wealthy clients. One of them is Putin. handed over The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Lokhov only learned about this from news reports in the federal media.
According to the artist, grants or other government support are only available for the production of small souvenir pieces sold at fairs. The ancient art of bone carving is not supported. factory Kholmogory bone carving no longer works in such volumes.
Lokhov fears that domestic bone carving will soon disappear. He puts it this way:
"It's really hard for young artists to break through these days. The craft is dying out, and those who make serious pieces are few and far between. We're probably the last."
Bone carving is a form of applied art that originated in the northern regions. According to specialists, the inhabitants of Chukotka mastered this art already in the first centuries of our era.
Photo: Oleg Lokhov
