Revisiting the medieval turned chair of Duchess Agnes

Recently, due to a comment on my blog, I have bought the article of Horst Appuhn that had appeared in the Aachener Kunstblatter band 48 of 1978/1979. The article, Beitrage zur geschichte des herrschersitzer im Mittelalter. I teil. Gedrechselte Sitze, concerned the medieval turned chairs that were in use as seats of authoroty or 'thrones'. It describes four specific examples of turned chairs: the chair of Duchess Agnes in Kloster Isenhagen (Hankesbuttel, Germany), a chair from Husaby (Sweden), the bishopsseat from Gammla-Uppsala in Sweden, and a chair from Gotland (also Sweden). Both the chairs from Duchess Agness and that from Gammla Uppsala have appeared in previous blogposts. However, the article from Horst Appuhn contains such interesting and additional information that they deserve to be revisited in a new blogpost.

The chair of Duchess Agnes from Kloster Isenhagen

Left: The back of the lectern/chair. Right: Front view of the lectern/chair with the door of the cupboard open. Inside you can see the original seating boards of the chair. Black and white photo from the article of Horst Appuhn.

The chair is now a lectern, but constructional evidence, such as open grooves and mortises, proves that it has been originally used as a chair. Conversion to a lectern presumably took place around 1610, when the chair (and the choir stalls) were painted by Master Hanss Godecke from Walsrode. Also the lock of the lectern chest is of later date than the chair. The turned rail that now holds the front of the lectern desk, likely was the front bottom rail of the chair. It has the same marks of use as the the bottom rails.

  

The four posts of the chair are made of oak and have a diameter of 10 cm. The back posts are 1.425 meter long, the front posts 1.18 meter. The other turned parts are made of ash, except half of the small rungs, which are also oak. The large ash rails that connect the posts have a diameter of 5.5 cm. The rungs measure 6.4 cm and have a diameter of around 2.8 cm. The original chair had 6 fields of 3 x 8 rungs = 144 rungs for the back, and for the sides 1 field of 4 rows with 12 rungs and 1 field with 3 rows of 12 rungs = 84 rungs each.

The boards are all oak, as well as the seating (now the board in the lectern chest). The outside of the chair is painted in grey-green, green and red, but the inside of the lectern is unpainted. Here the original, unpainted decoration can be seen. The rows of rungs are either ash or 'blackened' (using fire) oak. The turned ash rails have browned rings at the places where the rungs connect. Also the ash rungs have two browned rings at the top and bottom balls.






Three rows of rungs from the inside of the chair. The top and bottom rows are oak rungs, 
the middle ash. You can see the darker (browned) rings on the rails where the rungs connect.  
Black and white photo from the article of Horst Appuhn.

The construction of the chair holds a surprise: beneath the seating is a chest! The lid of the chest, however is not the seating, but the front panel. To open the chest, it slides upward (with the top front rail). It explains why there are no mortise holes for the seating rail in the front posts, and why there is a groove in the front posts.

Rungs, left original rungs, right restored rungs in the back of the chair. 
 Black and white photo from the article of Horst Appuhn.

 

The bisshopsseat of Gammla Uppsala

The so-called bisshopsseat of Gammla Uppsala church (Sweden) is dated between 1156 and 1164. The chair has place for two persons, and therefore is also called (and used as) a marriage bench. However, the date of the chair and the location in Gammla Uppsala, a royal place, suggest that this chair may have been a coronation throne for King (Saint) Eric IX.

Left: The bisshopsseat in Gammla Uppsala church. The alternating coloured rungs can be clearly seen. Right: The nearly identical seat from Vaksala kyrka in Uppsala. Black and white photo from the book 'Studier i Sveriges medeltida mobelkonst' by W. Karlson.

The chair measures 118 cm wide at the front, and 112 cm at the back. The depth of the seating is not given, but as the number of rungs is twice the amount of the side, this should be around 66 cm (112 cm - 20 cm for the posts)/2 = 46 cm + 20 cm posts). Height of the posts are 80 cm (front) and 105 cm (back). The posts are connected by flat boards sawn as arcades. The pillars of the arcades are turned.

In total there are 8 rows of 15 rungs (3 x 2 at the back, and one at each sides). Rungs are made of turned ash and are 7 cm high. Half of the rungs are dark brown coloured, the other half blank, in pairs of three in a row, giving the chair a charming appearance.

Interestingly an almost identical 'bisshopsseat' exist in Vaksala church in Uppsala, just a few kilometres away from Gammla Uppsala. Due to the striking similarity, it is likely that both seats were  made by the same workshop.









King and Saint Eric IX of Sweden (reigned 1150, undisputed from 1155 – 1160). 
Image from internet.
 

 

The turned throne of Gammla Uppsala. A good view of the side of the chair is given. The armrest consists of a turned ribbed rail. The photo also gives a good view of the seating boards. Black and white photo from the article of Horst Appuhn.



For those interested in the German article, which contains many black and white photo's of similar medieval turned chairs, you might have a look at the sources-other page, or consult second-hand internet book-shops.

An Italian sgabello

'The so-called Strozzi-chair, above all, a pearl of the collection, a world-renowned uniqueness, a truly enchanting masterpiece, one of the most beautiful Florentine pieces of furniture. Under the hand of an artist - who could not think of Benedetto da Majano? -  the profiling, tasteful intarsia, the magnificent 'schiacciato' carving of the medallions that crown the backrest, which are yet lifted by delicate gilding -  a real work of art has been created. Even in the princely Palazzo Strozzi this chair has been regarded and guarded through centuries as a family treasure.'

This (translated) praise of a three-legged chair from around 1489, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (gallery 500), comes from F. Schottmuller in his book 'Wohnungskultur und Mobel der Italienischer Renaissance' from 1921. At that time the chair belonged to the collection of Dr. Albert Figdor. He acquired the chair from the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. When the Figdor collection was auctioned in 1930 the chair - along with some other furniture - was bought by the New York museum.

This beautiful 15th century chair is made of walnut, with maple, ebony, ebonised wood, fruit-wood and gilded details. The octagonal seat plate rests on three oblique, upwardly rejuvenating triangular edged legs. The also oblique backrest is small and high, and spreads upward. All parts are decorated with geometric intarsia strips. The backrest is crowned by a circular medallion, surrounded by a row of  pierced carved rising moons of the Strozzi crest. Both sides of the medallion bear the crest of Strozzi in low relief (so-called schiaciatto) carving: the front with a buckler occupied by three half moons on a cross bar, covered by a helmet crowned with an eagle with raised wings; the back side has the buckler alone with the Strozzi family coat of arms of the three half moons on a cross bar.

The chair was made by the workshop of Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano, who were also responsible for the portrait bust of Filippo Strozzi, as well as the sculpture of his funerary chapel, and the designs of the Strozzi palace and its furnishings. The chair is 147.3 cm high, 42.5 cm deep and 41.9 cm wide.

The front (left) and the backside (right) of the medallions of the Strozzi chair. The rising half moons are omni-present in the 'schiaciatto' carving. Images by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 

The side of the Strozzi chair. You can see that the octagonal seat is enlarged at the back to accommodate the backrest. Also can be clearly seen that the backrest is angled backwards. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

This photo shows the intarsia strips that decorate the backrest, seating edges and legs.The dark lines are ebonized (painted like ebony) wood. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

A detail from the intarsia of the photo above.

A modern version of the Strozzi sgabello

In 2006, I did not have these detailed colour images, or had any background information of this famous chair from the Dr. Figdor auction catologue. I only had  one black-and-white photo from the book 'Oude meubels' (old furniture) by Sigrid Muller Christensen, with no more information than that it dated around 1490, that it once belonged to the Strozzi family and that it resided in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No dimensions were given, nor anything else. But I liked the appearance of the chair, and decided to make two modern versions of this chair, using modern wood glue and finish. For the rest, the construction could be like the Strozzi sgabello, but as said before, the only piece of information was the photo in the book.

The photo on page 55 of the book 'Oude Meubels' by Sigrid Muller-Christensen.

Using this photo I tried to reconstruct the dimensions. I used a standard seating height of 42 cm and based the rest of the dimensions on that. I also guessed the angles (10 degrees) using a protractor. The total height of the photo chair was 109 cm, 36 cm short compared to the real Strozzi chair.

Measurements of the chair based on the black-and-white photo and a 42 cm seating height.

I had some leftover wood from a (non-medieval) rocking dragon I made, which I wanted to use for the two chairs: European maple for the chair itself, and walnut for the intarsia - the opposite of the Strozzi chair. The same leftover wood has been used for the playing board of the 'game of the Four Seasons called the World' described in an earlier blogpost. Instead of a round medallion at the top of the Strozzi backrest I used an octagonal one, also the intarsia decoration used on the chairs was designed by myself.

I made only rough sketches of the furniture I made at that time. I have put the dimensions on a photo of one of the two chairs. The legs of the chair are triangular. The backrest also has an angle of 10 degrees, like the three legs.

The plan for the walnut intarsia at the top of the backrest. The decorative plan for the octagonal medaillon and the seating was drawn more precise in 2006. The dimensions were added in 2012. The two diamond intarsia on the backrest were skipped in the final plan.

The intarsia plan for the seating. You can see that the octagonal seating is elongated at the back to accommodate for the backrest.The walnut triangles at the bottom and the two left and right at the top are the places where the legs of chair connect to the seating.

The two modern Strozzi chairs without final their coating. The chairs were finished with an oil-wax mixture (Osmo Hardwax oil - satin finish).

Two details of the construction. Left: The backrest of the chair is connected to the seating with dovetails, which in turn are fixed by the walnut intarsia strip. Because of the angled backrest, the  dovetails are also set at an 10 degrees angle. Right: The walnut intarsia strip at the seating. The strip is around 3 mm thick. The groove for the strip was made with a router.

The legs stand at an angle of 10 degrees on the seating, which means that the mortise has to be set at the same degree. I used a block of wood set at the same degree to guide the chisel when cutting the mortise. I started the mortise at the top of the seat at the place of a walnut traingle. I then calculated where the mortise would appear at the bottom. After the mortises were made, the legs were glued in and the mortises wedged. At the top of the seating the mortise was covered with the walnut traingle.

Some more views of the chair and the intarsia. The grooves for long walnut strips on the backrest were made with a router, the grooves for the short strips were made by hand.

The intarsia of the octagonal medallion were made by hand. The walnut diamonds were made slightly tapered to fit exactly in the corresponding hole. After glueing, the medallion was planed flat.

Both my modern Strozzi chairs at Castle Loevestein in 2012..

Woodworkers guild chests

Not only wills and inventories are are great sources of information for which tools medieval woodworkers used, also images of woodworkers at work with their tools can provide knowledge of how and which tools they used. However, when such images are made by miniaturists or painters one can doubt the accuracy, as the artist does not know the exact working and looks of the tools. But when the artist himself is the woodworker, there can be no doubt that he knows his tools. This can be seen for instance at the intarsia of woodworkers tools at the choir stalls of the San Petronio Basilica in Bologna, Italy, the image of the insarsia worker Antonio Barili at work, or the woodworker on the choir stall of the cloister in  Pöhlde, Germany.

Intasia by Antonio di Marchi showing a variety of woodworkers tools at the choir stalls of the San Petronio Basilica in Bologna, Italy. Images from J.M. Greber 'Die geschichte des hobels'.

Another great image source is the furniture used by the woodworkers guilds. They can be very illuminating by showing the tools they used. You can also be very sure that the tools depicted are very accurate - the makers of the chests are also the users of the tools! The following examples are two Austrian/Tiroler woodworkers guild chests and table with a large variety of tools. Last example is a Dutch woodworkers guild chest from the 17th century from Deventer, the Netherlands with only a few tools. However, what these images do not show is how many of each tool the woodworker owned.

The guild table and the guild chest made by the the Bozen (Bolsano) joiner Hans Kipferle in 1561. Walnut, maple, and other woods were used for the intarsia..The table and chest are supposed to be in the Stadtmuseum in Bozen (Bolsano), Italy.. The table measures 125 x 108 cm.

The table top of the Guild table by Hans Kipferly. Image from Mobel Europas 2 - renaissance - Manierismus by F. Windisch-Greatz.

The tools depicted on the guild table by Hans Kipferle are (clockwise): a frame saw, an auger, a mallet, a try square, a smoothing plane, a claw-hammer, a wooden screw-clamp, a chisel, a straight bevel crossed with what seems to be a depth measuring tool, a bench support, an axe, a shoulder-knife, a compass, a gluepot, a moulding plane, a rule, a double marking gauge and finally in the middle the work bench on which another hammer and chisel are shown as well as some bench hooks.In fact the gauge depicted is even earlier - and more accurate - than those shown in the post on the squantillion.

Front and backside of the Guild chest of the joiners guild of Graz, Austria dated 1600. It is made of walnut, maple, ash and ebony and measures 30 by 50 by 32 cm. It can be found in the Landesmuseum Joahannum, Graz, Austria. The panels on the front and backside show the tools of the joiners trade. Image from Mobel Europas 2 - Renaissance - Manierismus by F. Windisch-Graetz.

The tools shown on the four different panels are: Top left: an axe, a claw hammer, a rule, an auger and a straight bevel.Top right: a gluepot, a compass, a mallet, and a shoulderknife. Bottom left: a frame saw, a square, chisels and a gouge. Bottom right: a crew clamp, a smoothing plane (very similar to that of Durer on his engraving Melancholica), a double marking gauge.

The guild chest (cassette) and lid of the chest of the Deventer woodworkers guild of 20 March 1685 lavishly decorated with geometric carved patterns. At the bottom of the chest is a small drawer. Image from the website of the Deventer historic museum, Deventer, the Netherlands.

The lid of the Dutch guild chest shows only few tools compared to the Tiroler and Austrian counterparts: a hand saw with pistol grip, a try square and a compass. below are an axe and the typical Dutch 'gerfschaaf' a small smoothing or scrub plane. Note that the brass lockplate has been moved.

Medieval and later woodworkers inventories

Medieval house inventories (of deceased or banished inhabitants) and wills can give an insight in what people owned or valued. It also gives a good indication how much of certain items are in the house or the workshop. In the case of inventories often prices are given how much value (groups of) items have. However the information in these wills and inventories should be treated with care. That items are not mentioned does not mean that they did not exist in the house. It could be that they were considered worthless - for instance wooden items that could easily be made by the household members themselves.

Several wills and inventories have been found of medieval woodworkers, but they seem to be rather scarce. I have found two dating from the fifteenth century. They become more common during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Below, for comparison, also a few wills/inventories from these periods are shown. The images are from the Hausbucher of the Mendelschen and Landauersche Zwölfbrüderstiftung.

Jan Heynemanszone

1422. Inventory of Jan Heynemanszone from Helle (near Sluys), wheelwright (In old Dutch).  

Wouter Coolman, Jacop Wychaerde, Jan de Weghe ende Jan Poppe, hebben ghedaen arresteren tgoed bleven naer Jan Heynemanszone, die ghevloon es. Eerst 2 haexen, 1 bochude, 1 diesele, eene baerge, 2 scaven, 11 hanghen, 3 snimessen, 2 yserine staven, 1 cloofmes, 2 spikerboren, 1 handtzaghe, 1 kerfzaghe, 2 grouf haken, 2 ketels, 11 avegheers, 4 wetsteene, 1 groot spikerboore, 3 vilen. 

(Rijksarchief te Brugge, Belgium, Brugse Vrije, Register van Verbanden 1421/1460, nr. 16.937, f.4, printed in Frida van Tyghem 'Op en rond een middeleeuwse bouwwerf' ).

Translated from old Dutch the woodworking items would be:

•  2 Axes
•  1 Bochude?
•  1 Adze
•  1 Baerge?
•  2 Planes
•  11 Hanghen?
•  3 Carving knives
•  2 Iron staves
•  1 Froe
•  2 Braces
•  1 Hand saw
•  1 Small (tenon) saw
•  2 Grouf haken? (large hook = holdfast? or square?)
•  2 Kettles (for glue?)
•  11 Augers
•  4 Whetting stones
•  1 Large brace (breast auger?)
•  3 Files

There are several items of which I do not know what tools they are like the bearge and the bochude.

Thomas Vyell

Woodworking tools were handed down from father to son with other possessions. The following is a copy of the will of Thomas Vyell, of Ixworth in Suffolk, of 1472:

Radulph Penteney al’ Sporyer de Ixworth 1402
Lego ad vsum gilde S’c’i John i’s Bapt’e in Ixworth. Iij s iiij d.

Thomas Vyell 1472.

In die no’i’e. Amen. I Thomas Vyell of Ixworth the yeld’, the xj day of the moneth of October, ye yeer of oure lord m’cccclxxij of very sad and hoole mynd and good avysemente, make myn testament in this wyse. Fyrst I beqweth and bytake myn sowle to almyghty god, to yet blessed lady and to all the Seyntes of heven, and myn body to be beryd in the parysh cherche of Ixworth be for sayd befor the auter of Seynt James. Also I beqweth to the heych awter there ijs. Also I beqweth to ye stepyll of the same cherche vj marcs. Also I beqweth to ye pryor of Ixworth ijs, to the Suppryour xxd. Also th Sire Edmund Stowe xxd, to eu’y chanon preste ther xijd and to eche movyse vj. Also 1 beqweth to the newe freers of Thetford to a trentall xs. and to the same hows ijbs of whette and a combe of malte. Also I beqweth to the holde hows of the same town to a trentall sx. Also the sreets of Babwell to a trentall Ns. Also I beqweth myn mass hyngfatte to ye gylde of Seynt Thomas, so that myn wyffe and John my brother have the kepyng thereof ther lyve. Also I beqwethe and assigne to myn beforeseyd wyffe alle the ostylments of myn howssold.  Also I beqwethe to Thomas myn sone, myn splytyng saw, myn brood axe, a luggyng belte, a ffellyng belte, a twybyll, a sqwer, a  morteys wymbyll, a foote wymbyll, a drawte wymbyll, a compas, and hande sawe,a kytting sawe. Also I geve and beqwethe to Thomas myn sone myn place that I dwelle jn wt. all the purtenance and to his heyers wt. owtyn ende, and yeffe he deye wt. owtyn heyers the seyde place to remayne wt. the purtenance to John myn sone, and to his heyers wt. owtyn ende. So that myn beforeseyde wyfe have the seyde place wt. the purtenances outo the tyme myn assyned ever be of age to meynteyne it by him selffe. As I gave and beqwethe to Crystyan myn wyffe by forsey myn place wt. the purtenances that was John Knotts for terme of her lyffe, and aft her decesse to remayn to John myn sone to his heyers and assignes wt. owtyn ende. But yeffe it happe the seyde John to Hereryte myn other above seyd place, thanne I wolde and assigne that place wyche John Knotts hadde be solde and dysposyd for myn and for myn frendes sowly, to execucion for this myn laste wylle and testaments. I make and ordeyn befor seyde wyffe and John Vyell myn brother.

(Bury and West Suffolk Archaeological Institute and Suffolk Institute Archaeology, Vol. I, p. 108 reprinted in H. Cescinsky and E.R. Gribble 'Early English Furniture and Woodwork'). His woodworking possessions were:

• A rip-saw with large teeth
• A broad axe
• An adze
• A felling axe
• A twybyll
• A try square
• An auger or a brace for boring holes
• A large auger
• An auger with a guide for accurate boring
• A compass or divider
• A hand-saw
• A cross-cut saw>

Very interesting is that the carpenter is named Thomas, as is his son and that he bestows his mass to the Guild of Saint Thomas - likely the same patron saint as our woodworkers guild..

Cornelius Eversen

This is an inventory of tools left by an Essex joiner at his death in 1592. Although he is an Essex joiner, the name sounds very Dutch. It is known that many Dutch and Flemish joiners worked in the United Kingdom in these days and influenced the style of the 'Britsh oak furniture'. 

• 15 Joiners planes of divers woods
• 2 Jointers
• 2 Foreplanes
• 1 Smoothing plane
• 4 Squares
• 1 Mitre square
• 1 Adze
• 1 Hatchet
• 1 Handsaw
• 1 Frame Saw
• 1 Hammer
• 2 Holdfasts
• 2 Gauges
• One brace and 5 bits for the same
• 3 Files
• 2 Broad pairing chisels
• 3 Mortise chisels
• 3 Small Flemish chisels (perhaps this also point to the Flemish origin of the joiner?)
• 1 Gouge
• 3 Ripping chisels
• 1 Line rowle with the line upon it (chalk line)
• 2 Staples or bank hooks (bench dogs)
• 2 Rules of two foot apiece
• 3 Mallets
• 2 Spare planing irons

From the Newsletter of the Tool and Trades History Society 47, pp. 41–43, and found on internet.

John Thorp of Plymouth

The tools of joiner John Thorpe of Plymouth, died 1633, mentioned in his inventory included:

1 Great gouge, 1 square, one hatchet, One Square, 1 short 2 handsaw, A broade Axe, An holdfast, A handsaw, 3 broade chisels, 2 gouges & 2 narrow chisels, 3 Augers, Inch @ 1/2, 1 great auger, inboring plaines, 1 Joynter plaine, 1 foreplaine, A smoothing plaine, 1 halferound plaine, An addes, a felling axe. 

From C.H. Simmons 'Plymouth Colony records: wills and inventories', printed in Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee 'Make a joint stool from a tree - an introduction to 17th century joinery'.  

In total there are:

•  3 Gouges, of which one large

•  2 Squares
•  1 Hatchet
•  A short handsaw
•  3 Handsaws
•  5 Chisels, of which 2 narrow
•  A broad or side axe
•  A holdfast
•  4 Augers of which one large one
•  Moulding planes
•  Jackplane
•  Smoothing plane
•  Round plane
•  An adze
•  A felling axe

Missing from this list are braces and tools like dividers and measurement tools.

William Carpenter senior 

William Carpenter passed away in Plymouth in 1659. Among the items he had listed in his estate were the following tools. They were given a specific worth as well.

Smale tools att 10s; one axe and a peece of Iron att 7s; a foot and an old axe att 1s; one old axe...; the Lave and turning tools att 13s; 3 Crosscut saws 15s; smale working tooles 12s; smale saws 8s; an adds and 2 turning tooles att 6s; three Joynters 3 hand plaines one fore plain 10s; one bucse a long borrer one great gouge 10s; Rabbeting plaines and hollowing plaines and one plow att 1 pound 3 Drawing knives att 7s; 2 spokeshaves att 3s; Chisells a gouge and a hammer and a Round shave att 19s; 2 adds att 8s; one vise ... 2 beetles...; a grindstone 15s; 2 axes att 6s

Summing up, his tools consisted of:

• 5 Axes
• A foot?
• A lathe and turning tools 
• 3 Crosscut saws
• Several small tools
• Small saws
• 3 Adzes
• 3 Jointer planes
• 2 Hand planes
• A fore plane
• A buck saw
• An auger
• A large gouge
• Rabbet planes
• Hollow and round planes
• A plow (plane)
• 3 Draw knives
• 2 Spoke shaves
• Chisels
• A hammer
• A gouge
• A vice
• 2 Beetles (ringed mauls)
• A grindstone

From C.H. Simmons 'Plymouth Colony records: wills and inventories', printed in Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee 'Make a joint stool from a tree - an introduction to 17th century joinery'. 

Joseph Carpenter

An Inventory of the goods and Cattle of Ioseph Carpenter of Rehoboth deceased (1675), exhibited to the Court held att Plymouth the 2cond of Nouember on the oath taken by those whose hands are heervnto. 

Item a Grindstone 00 16 00
Item 500 foot of board 01 10 00
Item spoaks and timber for work 00 05 00
Item 2 broad axes 00 15 00
Item 4 [------] axes 00 15 00
Item a Croscutt saw and a hand saw 00 10 00
Item 2 adds 00 10 00 (adzes)
Item a sledge 00 08 00   (for carrying logs out of the woods)
Item a frow and a hold fast 00 05 06
Item 2 [-----] Ringes & 4 w[ --- ]s 00 10 00
Item 2 hatchetts 00 05 00
Item a viz 00 02 00  (a vice)
Item a spoke shav and Gripers 00 05 00
Item a paire of Chissels and a Gouge 00 05 00
Item a paire of doggs 00 04 00 (bench dogs)
Item a [-]arre and screw & bow[ -- ] and turning tools 00 16 00 (bow lathe with turning tools)
Item plowes plaines & a Ioynter 01 05 00
Item 2 paire of Mallett Ringes 00 03 00 (rings for a maul)
Item a Great Ioynter 00 05 00
Item a [ - ] are screw and turning points 01 04 00
Item a square and spokeshaue 00 06 00
Item a Coopers adds and drawing kniffe & a rond shaue 00 09 00
Item a Round shaue [no value given]
Item 2 bursses 1 Great Gouge 00 18 00
Item Ringe and stapl & foot 00 04 00
Item 5 augers 3 wrybitts 01 01 00
Item 3 paire of pincers 00 04 06 (braces)
Item 2 paire of plyers 00 03 00
3 files 00 03 00
Item 3 plaine Irons 00 02 06
Item smale tools 00 07 00
Item wimble bittls & a sett 00 04 06
Item seiring Irons 00 03 00
Item Calking Chissels & Cold Chissells 00 02 00
Item 2 smale saues & a scribe 00 04 00
Item a hammer and a markeing tool 00 02 00
Item more smale tools 00 01 00
Item a maderell 00 01 06  (is this a woodworking tool? a mandrel lathe?)
Item a brake 00 05 00
Item red occur and Glew 00 01 00
Item smale nailes for wheeles 00 01 00
Item a burning Iron 00 01 00
Item a Coller 00 03 00 (is this a woodworking tool?)
Item 2 paire of Compassas & prickers 00 02 06 (compasses and awls)
Item smale moulds 00 00 06
Item workeing benches 00 05 00

This man was, next to his occupation as a carpenter, also a farmer owning a cider press. The list contained numerous other items, unrelated to woodworking, which I left out. Some items were very unclear to me and left in, as they might be woodworking tools. The worth of the items is given in pounds, shillings and pence after the mentioned items. From the Plymouth Colony Wills 3(2):33-36, found on internet at the Plymouth colony archive project.

A tinkling piece of pottery and a tinkling ring

 

A tinkling piece of pottery

A reader suggested that the rings on the curious piece of pottery described in a previous post was meant to attract the personnel at the bar to refill your cup. We tested this out and our cup made a nice tinkling sound. So nice that we decided to make a (half a) minute movie of it.

A 'tinkling' medieval finger ring

The style of the ring on the hand holding the beaker very well suits the tinkling cup. It is a replica of a medieval ring, of which we also posses the original. We bought this ring through internet, but unfortunately we did not record the accompanying information. The only thing we remembered is that it dates (according to the seller) to the 13th-14th century. The original ring is made of bronze, the replica of silver. The bead of the replica ring is turquoise, the bead of the medieval ring is either a blueish turquoise or coloured glass. Turquoise is a gem that was known during the middle ages. It originated from the orient and travelled trough Turkey to Europe, hence its name Turq-uoise.The rings have a decorative spiral groove on the outside. Spiral grooves are more often found on finger rings of the 14th century, for instance on the golden ring from the Fishpool hoard (Nottingham, United Kingdom) which has a beaded spiral groove.

A gold finger ring from the Fishpool hoard dated 1400-1464. The ring has a beaded spiral groove on the outside. On the inside is an inscription in English 'Uphaf ye entier' with a heart between the last two words. (lift-up your whole heart). 23 by 6.1 mm. Image and object from  British Museum, London, United Kingdom. Hinton (1982) in the book Medieval Jewellery suggests that the ring has a religious context, however the text and the heart seem more reminiscent of  medieval love rings that show similar texts.

Our replica ring was constructed by taking a 0.8 mm thick strip of silver of 60.6 x 4.2 mm. While still flat, the strip was decorated with parallel diagonal grooves: first with a triangular small sweet file, later with a 0.8 mm joint file. After this the ring was roughly rounded on a triblet and the ends were soldered together. Next, the ring was rounded on the same triblet till it was completely round-shaped and had an inner diameter of 18.5 mm - the right size for my ring finger. A small ringlet made of 1 mm round silver wire with an inner diameter of 3 mm (and thus an outer diameter of 5 mm) was first soldered close, an then slightly flattened on one side with a file to create a larger contact zone. Next, it was soldered perpendicular onto the ring with the flattened side. The turquoise bead has a diameter of 5.3 mm with a drilled hole of only 0.9 mm. Like the original medieval ring, the wire for the eyelet to fasten the bead is slightly thinner than the ringlet connected to the ring. In this case, I used a piece of 0.9 mm silver wire to fix the bead neatly to the rest of the ring. Both wire ends are stuck inside the bead, so no soldering - with chances of cracking the bead - was necessary.

The silver replica and the bronze original side by side. 

The original measures 16.3 mm diameter inside, the bead is 5.3 mm.

The tinkling ring. Actually, the ring does not tinkle that loud and nice as the beaker.

The spiral groove can be seen nicely in both rings standing on their side..