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A Cameroonian artisan at work

An artisan, also called a craftsman,^[1] is a skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft.

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

According to Classical economics theory, the division of labor occurs with internal market development (Adam Smith). However, according to economist John Hicks, merchants and artisans originated as servants to the rulers, which occurred much earlier. Artisans employ creative thinking and manual dexterity to produce their goods.

Main article: trade (profession)

During the Middle Ages in Europe, artisans usually organised into guilds. Guilds were associations of master artisans that were granted charters by the local sovereign authority. The guilds controlled all aspects of production and distribution to ensure quality and to prevent competition from outside markets. Along with merchants, artisans occupied the middle tier of the European and Indian social hierarchy, below the landowning aristocrats and above the agricultural workers. In contrast, Japan's Edo period artisan class was ranked below the samurai and the agricultural workers, and above the merchants.

To become an artisan in the guilds, a person worked under a master artisan as an unpaid apprentice at a young age. If the apprentice completed the training, the apprentice became a paid journeyman. For a journeyman to become a master artisan, he would have to produce a masterpiece that met the standards of the guild.

An artisan computer maker at work outside of his shop in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

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 often unsurpassed beauty. Reflecting the talents of the artisan onto the wearer, the broad spectrum of artisan jewelry is available to provide satisfaction to queens, rock stars and "everyday folk." Numerous jewelry artisans exist around the globe. Some fine examples of artisan jewelry can be seen at The Metropolitan Museum [1], and Sif Sigli [2].

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 where their traditional quilts are called Ralli quilts.

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• Quilter
• Artist
• Applied art
• Art Nouveau
• Arts and Crafts movement
• Blacksmith
• Jewelry
• Jewellery
• Caste — Tarkhan
• Wearable art
• Artisan fishing