Heritage P2

The land was covered with forests, and thus wood was used in construction of farm implements and dwellings. Decorations generally were scarce and usually limited to home facades. Perforated boards, embellished cornices, cross beams and decorated window frames were used extensively. At the ends of roof gables two intersecting boards representing horses or birds showed the ancient zoomorphic combinations so often found in Romanesque sculpture. They were believed to protect the dwellers from ruin, disease and fire. According to legend, evil spirits only entered dwellings lacking this ornamentation. These spirits became a favorite subject for Lithuanian wood carvers who imbued them with mischievous personalities and ornery natures.
During the Communist regime the erection of crosses and wayside shrines was forbidden. Yet they continued to spring up like trees on Lithuanian soil as expressions of hope and resistance.
Wood was also used in other Lithuanian crafts. Various objects, such as peasant clogs, carved vessels, painted chests, distaffs, and other utensils indispensable to the peasant household for centuries, were traditionally made of wood.
The Lithuanian landscape does not display a rich variety of color. This is reflected in the color scheme of the local homespun or embroidered articles and glazed pottery. The typical geometric ornamentation used in Lithuanian woven or plaited belts is generally formed by two or sometimes three to four alternating colors. Although the color range appears modest, Lithuanian hand-loomed textiles show a surprising variety of design. This stylistic austerity testifies to the fact that Lithuanians based their craft on the artistic language of the remote past. The symbolism of certain ornamental elements is no longer clear, but on the whole, the decoration retains its national flavor and vigor. It is for this reason that Lithuanian textiles can be easily distinguished from others.