This Week from the Woodworkers Institute – Newsletter 31

A history of woodcarving

Woodcarving is one of the oldest forms of artistic expression, extending beyond the period of recorded history. Early humans used wood to create tools, utensils, and ceremonial objects, though few survived due to the material’s perishability. Nonetheless, it is clear that woodcarving played an essential role in both practical and spiritual aspects of early societies.

In ancient Egypt, wood was carved into statues, furniture, and tomb fittings, often adorned with gold, ivory, or paint. These carvings had religious significance and were intended to serve the deceased in the afterlife. Similarly, in ancient China and India, woodcarving was closely tied to religious architecture and iconography. Temples featured intricately carved wooden panels, and sacred figures were often rendered in wood for worship and meditation.

While the Greeks and Romans are better known for stone and bronze, they also used carved wood for domestic objects and temple decorations. However, little survives due to the climate and time passed. Despite this, wood remained an accessible and valuable medium for decoration and storytelling.

With the rise of Christianity in Europe, woodcarving gained new prominence during the early Middle Ages. Monasteries and churches became hubs of craftsmanship, where wooden crosses, reliquaries, and altarpieces were created with symbolic detail. By the Gothic period (12th–15th centuries), woodcarving flourished as an art form. Artists produced elaborately detailed choir stalls, retables, and figurative sculptures, many of which survive today.

Throughout antiquity to the Middle Ages, woodcarving served as both functional craft and profound artistic expression. Its development mirrors humanity’s evolving beliefs, cultures, and technologies connecting the sacred with the everyday through the hands of skilled artisans.

On the WWI this week – The life of master carver Veit Stoss

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