The Stonecraft in Cupșeni
Pamfil BILŢIU, Maria BILȚIU
Baia Mare, Maramureș
Our research is designed to address a gap in the specialty literature, which does not mention anything about the stonecraft center of Cupșeni – Țara Lăpușului. After brief considerations about Cupșeni – settlement, geographical boundaries, the occupations of the inhabitants, brief history – we wrote some considerations on the stonemasonry tradition in Cupșeni. We then treated the activity of Ion Filip – the last representative of Cupșeni stonemasonry. First we’ve made considerations on the masters who formed Ion Filip, then analyzed the stonecutter’s work, focusing on the range of products he made, starting with the simple products of the initial phase. The investigation part is focused on the study of the stonecutter’s complex works in the mature stage: millstones, grindstones, mills, stone tables, roadside crucifixes. The research concludes with information on the tools used by the craftsman.
Our investigation also includes information on stone processing preliminary phases: excavation, block cracking, loading and transportation. We also made considerations about the stone categories used in different objects.
Keywords: stone, stonemasonry, excavation, stonecutter, nail, sledgehammer, stone block
