Zlatoust Art in Steel
In December, 2015 Zlatoust engraving steel craft will be 200 years old. During almost two centuries some rises and falling occurred. Artists – engravers reached the best creative achievements twice: in the beginning of 19 century and on the junction of millenia at the end of 20 century. The first bloom took place in some years after opening of ironworks; and free market relations and new economic policy in the country in the 90th created precondition of everyone’s perception of Zlatoust as one of the centers of development of arts and crafts of Russia in 21 century.
Prior to the beginning of 19 century, cold steel was produced in Russia by certain masters, persons with natural gifts. This manufacturing area in Tula, Sestroretsk and other arms factories was minor, even incidental, since basic production field of the factories was fire-arms. Basically cold decorated weapon for imperial court yard, nobles and military officers was bought in the largest weapon centers of the Western Europe, such as Solingen and Klingenthal. Purchase prices constantly grew, because of what economic difficulties arose which have put Russia in dependence on foreigners. Alexander I ordered the Senate to organize the domestic center on manufacture of cold weapon, including decorated one. Small town Zlatoust in the Urals in the best way possible suited implementation of the task where there was a good metallurgical base: by then Zlatoust iron factory and ironworks produced a high-quality assortment of pig-iron, iron and steel. The low cost price was provided due to use of work of serfs and opportunity of fast delivery of production via dense network of the neighboring navigable rivers.
For the organization of manufacture of the cold decorated weapon the Imperial government invited experts – gunmakers of high class from the weapon-making centers of Germany, which were world-known at that time, i.e. Solingen and Klingenthal. Among them there were good experts on processing of steel: moulding, forging and polishing of blades, manufacture of scabbard, production of hilts and decorated furnish of weapon.
The first artists – gunmakers of Zlatoust weapon factory were the best armourers of Solingen – Wilhelm Nikolay (father) and Wilhelm Ludwig (son) Schaff, who arrived to Russia in December, 1815. Up to 1817 they were unique masters of etching and gilding of blades at Zlatoust factory. Criticism of 19-20th centuries, investigating development of the craft, stressed that Schaffs mastered more art of design, rather than art. They successfully combined blades with the form of handle, frames with scabbard, but figure of weapon decoration was constrained and stiff and was not perceived as a uniform integral composition.
Zlatoust local lore museum keeps several blades and sabres signed by Schaff. But at first sight it is possible to make out, that products are various on style and author’s handwriting. For some time autograph of Shaffs, as a promoted brand of the beginning of 19th century, was put to the Russian cold steel made of Zlatoust steel and decorated by Zlatous engravers.
Zlatoust local apprentices of German armourers quickly adopted skill of manufacturing of engraving and surpassed the teachers both in technical skills and in variety of miniature. Since 1818 all weapon at the factory was decorated by Russian masters, afterwards the arms have passed the first examination with honour: nineteen blades decorated without any Schaffs’ help were sent to Petersburg, department Mountain and Salt Affairs. These products received the highest evaluation from members of the commission of state quality control of those times. Soon Schaffs themselves noted, that an individual style of cold steel decoration was born at Zlatoust factory, and the style became to be nothing in common with Solingen works. In some years they have left Zlatoust, continuing their business in Moscow.
There is a monument to Ivan Bushuev, one of the first, one of the best engravers of weapon factory stands on the station square of Zlatoust city. Little is known about life of this artist, even historians have established date of death on the grounds of his last works dated 1833. But his actions forever entered history of development of the craft. Ivan and Efin Bushuev and a group of teenaged brothers Telezhnikov and Lepeshkov and Ivan Bojarshinov came to Schaffs to be trained the craft. Before that these guys were trained figure and painting at factory school, and they improved the skills in factory drawing shop. Therefore, in a short time, they elevated art of arms ornament to such a level, which never was reached by Zlatoust steel engraving from the middle of 19th century up to the end of 20th – the beginning of 21 century. Russian engravers have improved technological process brought from Germany and mastered it skillfully. In contrast to Shaffs, who engraved just a small area of blade, I.Bushuev employed all the surface for application of complex and dense ornamental composition. Later Bushuev and his partners started to commonly use complex subject compositions, miniatures on Russian history. Bushuev found that border which allows to count his works as masterpieces. The townspeople named it Ivanko-Krylatko (Ivan with Wings) for ease and grace of steel works decoration.
After each rise there is a fall. Hard times did not pass the shop of the decorated weapon. No more celebrations of anniversaries of Patriotic war and decorated awarded weapon orders decreased. Manufacture reduced to 40-50, and sometimes to 10-20 pieces per year. In 1834 the shop of decorated weapon was closed, and masters were transferred to other shops. he care of engravers and art craft was undertaken by Paul Petrovich Anosov (inventor of damask steel). In the beginning of 1810th he built factory, then he was its director, and later he managed Zatoust mountain district. Using modern terminology, P.P.Anosov was the first top-manager of Zlatoust weapon factory. He managed to get public orders for manufacture of decorated weapon, then expanded assortment of produced goods with the purpose of preservation of engraving craft. When P.P.Anosov was in charge, the shop of decorated weapon began to produce subjects for life: kitchen knives and forks, trays and caskets, candlesticks, chests and so forth.
Zlatoust steel engraving received world popularity in 1829 and the next years, becoming the constant participant of industrial exhibitions.
At the end of 19th century the new method of drawing of figure on a product, i.e. punching appeared: the image was received, making a print with a mastic seal. Low-standard products made by this method appeared in great number. So began a long period of the craft decline. In the beginning of 20th century the art industry and some national crafts employed modernist style which rendered fatal influence on Zlatoust masters. Salon –enjoyed knickknacks appeared. Artificial inventing of any special complex forms, transformed a thing into a nonsense. Creative crisis resulted in the next closing of the shop of decorated weapon in 1909.
In 1919, under the hardest conditions, the shop started to produce cold steel for Red Army. Retreating Kolchak soldiers ruined the factory. The equipment was taken out to the cities of Siberia. Decorated products from engraving shop, which had a historical value, disappeared. In 1920 Zlatoust was visited by M.I.Kalinin. At a meeting he declared the task put by the Soviet government: to revive art of engraving, make it maximally closer to the life of people.
At all times the shop of cold steel, and later engraving shop, belonged to a state enterprise. Its work depended on public orders, and it was reflected in the art level of products. The Soviet authority has been exploiting the craft for some decades, trying to make broad categories of people love official revolutionary art. The administration tried to take as much as possible benefit from engraving, submitting to the public order and aesthetic ideals of еру new socialist society. And the engraving «has come to people ». Unfortunately, many people know about this kind of arts and crafts on metal plates which have captivated houses, being an decoration of simple conditions in workers’ small rooms. Portraits of leaders of proletariat, simplified industrial landscapes and, at the best, replica pictures of Russian artists were engraved on small and cheap rectangular or oval plates. Later arts critics named engraving of that time «painting on metal». The impression from the pictures was such as if they are drawn by a brush, black ink, are dimmed and tinted with a yellow paint.
Thus, major principles creating the basis and core of the present engraving art have been broken. In arts and crafts the object itself dominated, its decoration was minor. Appearance of plates made ornament dominating, “has torn it off” object. Secondly, this kind of applied art belongs to drawing, which is created by the basis of the image – solid metal. Graphic character implies clearness of lines and spots, their contrast and intensity – in plates leaving for painting was observed. One more infringement of principle of steel engraving was that landscapes, subject compositions, portraits represented not in miniature. Miniature assumes stylization of image that was substituted by simplified nature and primitiveness.
The general enlightenment that steel engraving in the original kind has almost extinct, has come in the second half of 20th century. Artists of engravers came up with desire to rescue and revive art. To the full extent this desire, this need was carried out during reorganization (the Perestroyka) years.
For almost two hundred years craft of Zlatoust steel engraving has been existing only within the premises of the weapon factory. In the beginning of 90th of the last century the first private art workshop organized by factory natives appeared. After a decade more than fifty small and big engraving firms, both with strong team of professionals and with middling ones were set up in city. Talented engravers create highly artistic products, other just copy them. Only after some time some of them will pass and remain unknown and some will remain in people’s memories.
These names can be pronounced even today. One of vivid examples of the craft revival, a new original angle of steel engraving is enterprise ART – GRANI. Here style, bases of art of engraving and is own handwriting is sustained, as well as the view to products where plastic and graceful form harmoniously joins skilful ornament or miniature.