XIX a. - XX a. I pusės Žemaitijos medinių kryžių dekoro bruožai

LTSiekiant užpildyti autorių paliktas spragas, šiame straipsnyje aptariami senųjų, XIX a. - XX a. I pusėje Žemaitijoje pastatytų medinių kryžių dekoro bruožai. Daugiausia dėmesio skiriama dekoro komponavimo principams ir motyvų formoms bei variantams. Žemaitijos paminklai, siekiant išryškinti jų dekoro savitumą, lyginami su kituose Lietuvos regionuose buvusiais panašiais to meto pavyzdžiais. Pagal dekoro reikšmę paminklo siluetui išskiriami keturi kryžių tipai, trumpai aptariami kryžiai su ilgesniu vertikaliu skersiniu ir jame vaizduojama Apvaizdos akimi. Straipsnyje daug dėmesio skiriama geometriniams ir stilizuotiems augaliniams motyvams bei jų komponavimo principams, tačiau jų simbolinė prasmė ir kilmės klausimai neaptariami, nes tai plati, atskirai tyrinėtina tema. Krikščioniškieji religiniai simboliai j dėmesio lauką taip pat nepateko, nes, kitaip nei Dzūkijoje, jie nekeitė kryžių silueto (išimtį sudarytų tik Apvaizdos akimi dekoratyviai apipavidalinti lotyniškieji ir daugiakryžmiai Žemaitijos kryžiai). Savaime suprantama, kad vienintelis senųjų paminklų tyrimo šaltinis yra ikonografinė medžiaga. Rašant šį straipsnį naudotasi įvairiuose leidiniuose publikuotomis nuotraukomis ir piešiniais5, gausiu Nacionalinio M. K. Čiurlionio dailės muziejaus Liaudies meno skyriaus fototekos rinkiniu ir fonduose saugomais 1920- 1923 m. pieštais J. Buračo, K. Šimonio, A. Galdiko, A. Jaroševičiaus pavyzdžiais. [p. 86]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Dekoras; Kryždirbystė; Kultūros paveldas; Lietuvos meno istorija; Mediniai kryžiai; Tautodailė; Žemaitija (Samogitia); Cross-stitching; Cultural heritage; Decor; Folk art; Lithuanian art history; Samogitia; Wooden crosses.

ENThe article analyses the decorative elements of the old wooden crosses erected in Samogitia in the 19th - the 1st half of the 20th centuries paying most attention to the decoration composition principles and motif shapes. Four cross decoration types characteristic of Samogitia have been singled out. The first decoration type employs ornaments as the means for highlighting the silhouette of the Greek or Latin crosses. For example, various whorl shape motifs were used to decorate the Greek cross silhouette in the Raseiniai district, whereas stylised floral stripes were used for the same purpose in the districts of Šiauliai, Raseiniai and less frequently in the Tauragė district. The Latin silhouette was often supplemented with stylised lily flowers or two petals (the districts of Šiauliai, Kretinga and less frequently the districts of Telšiai, Mažeikiai), whereas stylised floral stripes were also employed in the Šiauliai district. The second decoration type stands out for its simple intersection panels as well as the ones embellished with traceried carvings, the majority of which were erected in the Šiauliai district. The third decoration type includes the crosses with an aureole or rhombus-shaped intersection adornments. The aureole embellishments were not very popular and were mostly used in the districts of Raseiniai, Šiauliai and Kretinga, whereas the rhombuses comprised of S-shaped curves and decorated with geometrical prongs were widely employed in the Raseiniai district. The fourth decoration type, i.e. the cross with rays, has the biggest number of variations. The four simply-patterned rays were typical of the Siauliai district, whereas more intricate cross decorations were characteristic of the districts of Tauragė ir Mažeikiai. Triple rays positioned among cross arms were popular in the districts of Raseiniai, Šiauliai and not so very popular in the districts of Telšiai and Mažeikiai.Double or triple rays darting forth from a small aureole encircling the intersection can be traced in the districts of Kretinga and Tauragė and less frequently in the regions of Telšiai and Raseiniai, whereas three straight rays with different tips and suns can be found in the Raseiniai district and lessfrequentlyinthe districts of Kretinga, Mažeikiai and Tauragė. Three rays of varying decoration motifs were used to adorn the crosses in the Raseiniai district as well as certain crosses in the districts of Šiauliai and Tauragė. The crosses with abundant straight rays or the traceried image of the "sun" created with the help of whorl shape motifs were also typical of the Raseiniai district (the latter type could also be found in the Tauragė district). The crosses-suns often contained additional decorative elements, i.e. the intersection centre supplemented with S-shaped curves, two S-shaped curves or three Greek crosses at the crossbar tips or a decorated vertical arm. The crosses with rays in the districts of Raseiniai and Taurage have one common feature, i.e. a prolonged upper arm decorated with the providential eye surrounded with whorl shape motifs or rays. This religious symbol was also widely used in the districts of Raseiniai and Tauragė and less frequently on the upper crossbar of the crosses with multiple crossbeams in the Telšiai district.