Wood carving
Wood-carving is an old folk craft. Since ancient times it has been widespread in the areas rich in forests where the residents were mainly engaged in carpentry. These include the Vladimir province where by the 19th century arguns’ and yakushas’ carpentry-oriented areas were formed. The "arguns" lived in Pokrov and Aleksandrov districts and worked mostly in the Moscow region. The "yakushas" worked in the southeast, mainly in Gorokhovets district.
The Argunovo wood-carving, rooted in the 18th century, brought fame to the carpentry of Vladimir land. It was named after the village of Argunovo which was inhabited by skilled carpenters (Argunovo was located in the territory of the current Petushki district, this village does not exist now). In the 19th century thousands of Argunovo carpenters went to work in large cities every year and became widely known outside their province – in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, where they were called "arguns". In his famous dictionary V.I. Dahl explains the word "argun" as "Vladimir carpenter."