harrow

   The most essential and time-consuming activities in a village were connected with raising grain, vegetables, and livestock; preparing food; and making and caring for clothing. Tools for these tasks, intended for rugged use, were crafted with great care and decorated in ways that showed their central importance in peasant life. Most farming tools, such as as ploughs, rakes, and harrows, were made by the peasants themselves or by the village blacksmith.

   Alexei Venetsianov. "Spring. Turning the Soil", early 1820s
   Oil on canvas
   51.2x65.5
   TG
Harrow, 1990
Arkhangel'sk Province
Wood, metal
124x124
EM

   These tools received such hard use that few survive in good condition. Distaffs were the only implements preserved well enough and in sufficient quality to allow thorough study of their forms, style of decoration, and geographical variations.

Alison Hilton

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