Is the shirk a craftsman or an artist?

Like many centuries ago, modern people in the rainy autumn and winter days prefer leather and fur clothing. But few of them can say, thanks to the masters of what profession the skins turned into exquisite furs. A furrier is an ancient craft, a rare and popular specialty these days.

From where it appeared and how it developed, its nuances and features - we will try to answer all these questions.

Why is it called?

Furrier is an ancient profession. Its name is derived from the Old Russian word "scoria", which means "furs, untreated skin or animal skin". Such a specialist in the old days was engaged in dressing both fur and fur skins, as well as animal skins, from which later they made hats, clothes and shoes.

Today the furrier is considered to be a master who makes skins for furs, cuts out and sews various products from them.

History of origin and development

Furrier craft began to develop even in those distant times, when cave people began to hunt and use as skins the skins of mined animals. Of course, the first products of furriers were far from perfect, but this was how the methods and techniques of making fur were developed. Over time, people learned how to treat them and use them as beds and to protect their homes from cold air and moisture. Later, a man managed to accustom and domesticate many animals that were wild before that time. With the development of cattle breeding, the processing of skins and the production of various things from them became a separate branch of agriculture.

Ancient Egyptians used in everyday life various products made of leather. This art was adopted by the Romans, used for processing and dressing a variety of natural substances and materials, such as various minerals, bark, seeds and fruits of trees and shrubs.

Over time, furrier business was improved and formed as a craft. Its development was influenced by the presence or absence of fur and fur resources, the traditions of peoples inhabiting it and the level of skill.

Furrier's art of Russia

On the territory of Russian principalities there have always been many forests in which lived various animals with beautiful and warm skins. Of these, ancient Rusich not only made warm clothes for themselves, but also actively traded them with many foreign countries. It was the Russian masters who were considered to be one of the most skillful furriers. According to written sources of the time, furs of martens, beavers, sables, ermines and foxes were on sale. Furs were the main article of Russian trade for a long time. They also took a tribute from the vanquished peoples. For the processing of skins used natural ingredients: bark and leaves of various plants, minerals and even rye bread.

In the Middle Ages, fur was divided into simple and luxurious and determined the social status of a person. It was then that the fur fashion arose and, accordingly, the first designers appeared. The furrier-tailor of that time specialized in some specific form: on sheepskin or valuable furs and noble furs, skins of wild animals. Their works were sold at specialized fairs and fur markets.

Specificity of profession

Today the furrier is a specialist who uses in his work both special adaptations and chemicals, as well as old recipes for processing. But quite often the masters of furrier business work already with ready skins, picking up and painting those of them that are suitable for the created thing.

Large factories purchase raw skins, as they are cheaper, and in the process of dressing, they can be processed as needed, for example, to make a laser haircut or staining.

Specialization

In former times the furrier is a station wagon who made and cut and sewed fur products. Today, according to OKPR (All-Russian Classifier of Occupations of Workers), the following possible specializations of such masters are distinguished:

• compositor;
• Cutter;
• Finisher.

The fencer-compositor is engaged in typing and folding, cropping on patterns and drawings of animal skins, as well as applying special marks indicating their position in the cut.

The work of the furrier-cutter is to select the skins according to the colors, the density of the fur and the height, the adjustment of the patterns and the straight cutting of the plates from the various bellows.

The furrier-finisher is engaged in processing the bottom, armholes and sides of products, controlling and correcting shortcomings and defects of furrier's works.

Large enterprises usually employ highly specialized workers, but in modern market conditions, the master often combines all specializations, from dressing up to tailoring finished products.

Today the greatest demand in fur studios is used by such services as the furrier, as repair and rearrangement of fur and leather products.

Required qualities

A furrier must not only be well versed in a variety of furs, but also:

• To know the peculiarities of their processing;
• To notice defects and skillfully correct them;
• Have an artistic flair and taste;
• Know how to make, process, cut and sew.

In addition, a good furrier is a person with a trained and developed eye, visual-shaped and tactile memory, as he needs to distinguish between the color shades and texture of the material, clearly imagine the place of each piece of fur in the finished product. Accuracy and scrupulousness, perseverance and endurance are also necessary qualities for mastering this specialty.