Carving Classical Styles in Wood - Frederick Wilbur

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CLASSICAL ORNAMENT is recognized around the world, wherever Western culture has had an influence. All woodworkers will benefit from an understanding of the artistic principles behind it and the practical techniques involved in carving it.

Having introduced the basic elements of classical style in his previous book (Carving Architectural Detail in Wood: The Classical Tradition), Fred Wilbur now explains how the motifs evolved through the Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Renaissance, and Neoclassical periods. Clear colour photographs present a wide range of source material, and the carving techniques are described and illustrated in impressive detail.

Separate chapters cover:

- relief panels, bands, and foliage
- tablets, escutcheons, scrolls, and cartouches
- fans, sunbursts, and shells
- keystones
- finials.

A final project chapter gives examples of how these motifs can be brought together in the making of chests and mirror frames.

Fred Wilbur has been a professional woodcarver for around a quarter of a century, producing both original and restoration work in a wide variety of styles. His work can be admired in many prestigious public buildings throughout the United States. He has written for many of the leading woodcarving magazines, and his Carving Architectural Detail in Wood: The Classical Tradition is also published by GMC.