The Old Russian Granulation of the 10th and 11th Centuries as a Decorative Art. The Birth of Styles

The research aims to study the technique of granulation as a kind of a decorative art, which, along with other kinds, characterises a historically important period for the Russian people and state, when the path of Russian political and cultural, including artistic, development was determined. The author compares the development of granulation art with the way of other kinds of a decorative art and considers parallels of Old Russian granulation development with other Slavic peoples' jewel art. The main sources for the research are adornments from Russian hoards and burials and data on the technology of granulation. A review of styles reveals a specific history of granulation art. Style is characterised as a unity of decorative form created by granulation techniques; it may be associated with ideology. The volume-geometric style of the end of the 9th and the first half of the 10th centuries and the partition-figurative style of the first half of the 10th century were based on the unity of technical and decorative properties of miniature metal details: the fitting of the construction of the products from granules and filigree parts; laying of grains on the surface entirely, drawing of a contour by lines. Dimensions of grains and filigree parts are varied (from fractions of a millimeter to 1.0 and 2.0 mm). The unity of filigree and embossing techniques strengthens the decorative role of grains, the spherical shape allows the granules to form geometric elements. In the linear-geometric style of the 10th and early 11th centuries, the role of the granulation line was important; firstly, it was used to divide the composition into zones, then it was used to form borders. Geometric elements were of different sizes. The geometric style of the late 10th and the 11th centuries advanced to equal rhombuses and triangles. An ideal rhythmic ornament was created without any meanings. There is a tendency to a standard grain of D=0.5-0.7 mm. The ornamental arsenal accumulated is claimed in the sculptural and figurative style, which actively developed since the second half of the 11th century. Each ornamental device and technique plays its own role: embossing creates a figured base, granulation details it. Different grain parameters are used again. Anthropomorphic and architectural motifs are created from grains and filigree parts, they tend to a pagan worldview. In the 12th century, the main motif of the Byzantine floral ornament with Christian symbolism (a lily) was laid with grains. As a result, the chronology of styles and the technological basis for their emergence have been identified. The development of geometric ornamentation in grains looks as a parallel to ornamentation development in wood carving, fabric and embroidery. Separate depictive compositions show parallels with cloisonne enamel, niello and embossing. Analogies to products in figurative and geometric styles are found in Moravian and Polish jewelry. Starting with the use of technical qualities in design and decoration, granulation shows its own decorative side, which sometimes overcomes technical restrictions creating figurative and plant motifs, reflecting the main ideological confrontation between pagan and Christian worldviews.

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