The word Pyrography is taken from the Greek word for fire and markings, which means the art of decorating a receptive surface with a heated tool. Wood burning, another term used for Pyrography may be a misleading, since it indicates that the only surface used for burning is wood. In fact, it is not. With specialized tools and advanced skill, the pyrographer can produce work on any receptive surface. An example would be leather, or any other surface that offers the potential for light and shade. An origin for early wood burning is the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Obviously, the population at this time were lacking electricity, or electric wood burners, and most likely there were no hobby shops in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. However, Fire, wood, leather and other materials were available. Early residents did harness the capability of making metal tools, which is all that is really needed to do pyrography. Even a hardwood stick heated in a fire will work as a wood burning tool for simple linear designs. So where are the results of these early wood burning creations? Few survived due to the fact that Pyrography was classified as an ethnic or folk art form, and received less academic attention as paintings and sculpture did. Other cultures in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas have all produced examples of pyrography over the centuries. [Australia] Items decorated have been everything from musical instruments to kitchenware. Gourds found in the Peruvian highlands have even been decorated using Pyrography. These were dated at 3,000 years old. [Nazca Image] Another early surviving example of wood burning found was a Roman caudex that dates back to the occupation of Britain (1st - 4th centuries CE). A caudex was a wax tablet within a wood frame used for writing letters. The caudex's outer cover carried a brand mark to denote the identification of the letter writer, much as sealing wax was used in later centuries. The primary difference between period and modern pyrography is electricity, which allows the heated tool to maintain a more constant temperature for longer time periods. To achieve the same effect without the use of electricity requires the maintenance of a brazier fire at a fairly constant temperature. Also required is several tools of the same type, since once removed from the heat source and applied to the wood, the tool loses heat. It has been discussed that magnifying lenses were used in early times to produce Pyrography. Even though the existence of such lenses and their use in producing fire has been known for many centuries, research has not yielded any mention of it in Medieval and Renaissance periods. It is a method of creating Pyrography, but it has been mentioned that there is risk of retina damage, and the necessity of wearing eye protection impairs vision This history indicates that the early populace also had an interest in Pyrography, and appreciated the simplicity of applying fire or intense heat to a yielding surface, such as wood or even gourds. Return