Clik here to view.
A tresoor for castle Hernen: part 2 - the backside panels
At the moment much of the front and back panels are carved. This post will consider the construction of the backside of the tresoor and its panels. The visible parts: linenfold patternsFor the visible,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two late medieval trestles
Original real medieval trestles (not the X-trestle tables or the trestle tables that have a horizontal support between the two trestles) are extremely rare. There is a table top with several trestles...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A six-sided tresoor for castle Hernen - part 3: the large side panels
While the tresoor is nearly finished; all woodwork has been done and it is awaiting the hinges and lock, the blog is somewhat lagging behind with the story on how it was made. In this post I want to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Tresoor of castle Hernen (part 4) The small panels
This post continues the construction of a six-sided tresoor (dressoir) for Castle Hernen. For those who are in the Netherlands, the finished tresoor can already be found inside the castle, in the room...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Getting the large photos from the Thomasguild blog - correcting a mistake
All the time I thought I was posting medium to high resolution photos on my blog, but it appeared I have been wrong. Yes, when writing a blogpost I added the high-resolution photo, but then I edited...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The tresoor of Castle Hernen (Part 5) - The drawer
This post continues the series on making a six-sided tresoor for castle Hernen. Previous posts concerned the large and small panels and the frame, this post will concentrate on the construction of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Tresoor of Castle Hernen (Part 6): The Front Panel Door
The door of the tresoor of chateau Langeais. A similar layout, but with different scenes was used for the front panel of the tresoor of castle Hernen.The door consists of a 3-D carving, something which...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Alquerque de doze
The setup of a game of alquerque in the Libro de los juegos of Alfonso X the wise (1283), folio f91 verso. It is difficult to distinguish the two colours of the gaming pieces here, but the orientation...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Updated medieval furniture books and articles page
I have updated the sources page for books and articles on medieval furniture; in fact I created a new separate page for it. We have acquired quite some information over the years on medieval furniture,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A visit to Museum Mayer van den Berg, Antwerp
This autumn, I visited the Museum Mayer van den Berg in Antwerp, Belgium. It is a small museum that houses the private art collection of Fritz Mayer van den Berg (1858-1901). The collection consists of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A painting of the woodworkersshop of (Saint) Joseph
The doubt of Joseph by the Master of du Jardin de Paradis, early 15th century. Musee de l'Oevre Notre Dame, Strassbourg, France. I have been able to view this painting myself last summer in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Some more madder business
Both blogs on colouring bone and antler red with madder (part 1 and part 2) had attracted the attention of the Dutch historical bone and antler craftsmen of Bikkel and Been. Monica, one of the members...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Thomasguild at a podcast
At 7 July the Thomasguild woodworkers Bram and Marijn were guests at the historic open air museum in Eindhoven. The manager of the museum Yvonne Lammers conducted an experiment where she lived,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tresoor of castle hernen (part 7): the hanging stiles.
Six-sided medieval dressoirs, like our Hernen Tresoor, often had some free hanging stiles with a decorated end. Also larger four-sided dressoirs could have such a free hanging style in the middle of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A pre-medieval tool post: Dutch wooden runcina
Both Bram and I are members of the Dutch Tools and Crafts Society (Vereniging Ambacht en Gereedschap) which also publishes a well-illustrated high quality yearly magazine (the Gildebrief) with articles...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The medieval turned bench at Alpirsbach
Three turned benches (with footrest) are visible on this old photo of the Alpirsbach monastery, where there is now only one.Turned wooden furniture was relatively common during the early medieval...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An unusual folding chair at Burg Eltz
Burg Eltz is one of the many castles along the Mosel river in Germany, and a main tourist attraction, mainly because it is still complete and furnished, and thus pleasing to visit. Unfortunately, you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tresoor of Castle Hernen Part 8 : Fitting the tresoor together
This post continues the story of the creation of the tresoor of castle Hernen and concerns fitting the main parts of the tresoor together. Until this post, all parts of the tresoor were loosely fit and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tresoor of castle Hernen Part 9: The crown
This blogpost continues the story of the making of the dressoir or tresoor for Castle Hernen and concerns the top or crown of the tresoor. We were presented with new challenges with regards to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The medieval toolchest: the plane (part 7): another ship-like form plane
Recently I could borrow the book 'Antique woodworking tools' by David Russell, a photobook lavishly illustrated with all kinds of antique tools from his collection (but mainly, too modern Norris planes...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Medieval fir-niture
Most of the surviving medieval furniture in central Europe has been made from oak. This does not mean that all medieval furniture consists of oak; oak is just a wood type that can withstand the test of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tresoor of Castle Hernen Part 10: the lock and hinges
The lock with key, and hinges in place. Note the red leather under the hinge.One of the last things to complete the tresoor for castle Hernen were the metal fittings: the hinges and the lock. As...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tresoor of castle hernen Part 11: The tresoor at the castle
On 18 September 2022 the finished tresoor officially moved to its final place in castle Hernen to be revealed to the general public. But first ...Whereas the tresoor was ready, there was still one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
White ravioli
It has been a while since I have written anything about a medieval food recipe. Last year, we were re-enacting at the (pre-)historic village in Eindhoven which also involves cooking a meal for the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A visit to Dordtmund: medieval furniture from the Museum für Kunst und...
Detail from the "Entkleidung Christi" showing a man using an auger. Egg tempera on oak, around 1480. Painted by someone around the Master...
View Article