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Artisan

 
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An artisan (from ) is a skilled manual worker who craft
Craft

A craft is a skill, especially involving practical The Arts. It may refer to a trade or particular art.The terms is often used as part of a longer word ....
s items that may be functional
Functional

Generally, functional refers to something able to fulfill its purpose or function.* Functional form and functionalism apply to architectural design....
 or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items, and tools. The term can also be used as an adjective to refer to the craft of hand making food products, such as bread
Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by baking a dough of flour and water. It may be leavened or unleavened. Edible salt, fat and a leavening agent such as yeast are common ingredients, though bread may contain a range of other ingredients: milk, Egg , sugar, spice, fruit , vegetables , Nut or seeds ....
, beverages and cheese.

Manufacture by hand and with hand tools imparts unique and individual qualities to artisanal products, in contrast to mass produced
Mass production

Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines. The concepts of mass production are applied to various kinds of products, from fluids and particulates handled in bulk to discrete solid parts to assemblies of such parts ....
 goods where every one is nearly identical.






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Bamun Artisan
An artisan (from ) is a skilled manual worker who craft
Craft

A craft is a skill, especially involving practical The Arts. It may refer to a trade or particular art.The terms is often used as part of a longer word ....
s items that may be functional
Functional

Generally, functional refers to something able to fulfill its purpose or function.* Functional form and functionalism apply to architectural design....
 or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewelry, household items, and tools. The term can also be used as an adjective to refer to the craft of hand making food products, such as bread
Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared by baking a dough of flour and water. It may be leavened or unleavened. Edible salt, fat and a leavening agent such as yeast are common ingredients, though bread may contain a range of other ingredients: milk, Egg , sugar, spice, fruit , vegetables , Nut or seeds ....
, beverages and cheese.

Manufacture by hand and with hand tools imparts unique and individual qualities to artisanal products, in contrast to mass produced
Mass production

Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines. The concepts of mass production are applied to various kinds of products, from fluids and particulates handled in bulk to discrete solid parts to assemblies of such parts ....
 goods where every one is nearly identical. Artisans traditionally work in media such as wood
Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs, etc....
, ceramics
Ceramic

File:Bridge from dental porcelain.jpgFile:Qing vase p1070256.jpgA ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetal solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling....
, glass
Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
, common and precious metals, basketry, textiles, esparto grass, and leather
Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
.

Artisan origins

Artisans were the dominant producers of goods before the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, production, and transportation had a profound effect on the socioeconomics and cultural conditions in United Kingdom....
. According to Classical economics
Classical economics

Classical economics is widely regarded as the first modern school of history of economic thought. It is the idea that free markets can regulate themselves....
 theory, the division of labor occurs with internal market development (Adam Smith
Adam Smith

Adam Smith was a Scotland Ethics and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations....
). However, according to economist John Hicks
John Hicks

Sir John Richard Hicks was one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economics were his statement of consumer theory in microeconomics, and the IS/LM model, which summarised a Keynesian view of macroeconomics....
, merchants and artisans originated as servants to the ruler
Ruler

A ruler, or rule, is an Measuring instrument used in geometry, technical drawing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines....
s, which occurred much earlier. Artisans employ creative thinking and manual dexterity to produce their goods.

Medieval Artisans

During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 the term "artisan" was applied to those who made things or provided services. It did not apply to unskilled laborers. Artisans were divided into two distinct groups: those who operated their own business, and those who did not. Those who owned their businesses were called masters, while the latter were the journeymen and apprentices. One misunderstanding many people have about this social group is that they picture them as "workers" in the modern sense: employed by someone. The most influential group among the artisans were the masters, the business owners. The owners enjoyed a higher social status in their communities.

Artisan jewelry

Artisan jewelry dates back as far as 7000 BC, when gold and copper began to be sculpted to adorn the human form, and the practice continues today. Although rarely price-competitive with machine-made items, artisan handmade jewelry is prized for its uniqueness, variety, and beauty. Reflecting the talents of the artisan onto the wearer, the broad spectrum of artisan jewelry is available to provide satisfaction to royalty, rock stars, and "everyday folk." Thousands of jewelry artisans exist around the globe. Some fine examples of artisan jewelry can be seen at museums..

Quilt artisans

Quilt-maker artisans are called quilters. These artisans are mostly women who make quilts especially in their houses. Quilt making is traditional folk art worldwide, including south Asia
South Asia

South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries on the west and the east....
 where their traditional quilts are called Ralli quilts.

Sources

Esparto fine craftsmanship -

See also

  • Carpenter
    Carpenter

    A carpenter is a skilled artisan who performs carpentry - a wide range of woodworking that includes constructing building construction, furniture, and other objects out of wood....
  • Quilter
  • Artist
    Artist

    The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art....
  • Applied art
    Applied art

    Applied art refers to the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use. Whereas fine arts serve as intellectual stimulation to the viewer or academic sensibilities, the applied arts incorporate design and creative ideals to objects of utility, such as a cup, magazine or decorative park bench....
  • Arts and Crafts movement
    Arts and Crafts movement

    The Arts and Crafts Movement was a United Kingdom, Canada, and United States aesthetic movement occurring in the last years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century....
  • Blacksmith
    Blacksmith

    A blacksmith is a person who processess iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form....
  • Jewelry
  • Jewellery
    Jewellery

    Jewellery is an item of personal adornment, such as a necklace, ring , brooch or bracelet, that is worn by a person. It may be made from gemstones or precious metals, but may be from any other material, and may be appreciated because of geometric or other patterns, or meaningful symbols....
  • Caste
    Caste

    Castes are hereditary systems of wikt:occupation, endogamy, culture, social class, and political power, the assignment of individuals to places in the social hierarchy is determined by social group and culture....
     — Tarkhan
  • Wearable art
    Wearable art

    Wearable art, also known as Artwear or "art to wear", refers to individually designed pieces of hand-made clothing or jewelry created as fine or expressive art....
  • Artisan fishing
    Artisan fishing

    Artisan fishing is a term sometimes used to describe small scale commercial fishing or subsistence fishing practises. The term particularly applies to coastal or island ethnic groups using traditional Fishing techniques such as Fishing rod and Fishing tackle, Bow fishing and harpoons, Cast net and drag nets, and maybe Coble....
  • Esparto
    Esparto

    Esparto, or esparto grass, also known as "halfah grass" or "needle grass", Macrochloa tenacissima and Stipa tenacissima, is a perennial grass grown in northwest Africa and southern Spain employed for crafts ....