Sculpture, born as a break from farming work, transforms wood and stones into pieces of art

Among the many expressions of craftwork, sculpture is the one where people in the Aosta Valley have best managed to express their cultural values with remarkable artistic results.

Starting off as a complementary activity in the break from farming work during the long winters, sculpture gradually evolved and was perfected, moving on from rudimentary sculptures to real artistic works of art. The favoured materials are wood (stone pine, walnut, wild chestnut, maple, birch and cherry) and soapstone.

Craftsmen in Valle d'Aosta are mostly self-taught and the sense of aesthetics they possess guides them to the extent that, almost with a natural instinct, their chiseling work creates pure, harmonious lines.

Some of the most important sculptures are of hermits, famous figures and family and countryside scenes, masks, Valle d'Aosta fauna or simply roots or branches that the craftsman manages to mould with skillful chiseling, creating lively, fairy tale figures such as dragons and demons.