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Medieval chess pieces made from antler
Last summer we have been in France, where we combined leisure time with satisfying our medieval curiosity. I did not only see medieval furniture (of which you already have seen some on this blog), but...
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Medieval chess pieces from antler: individual chess pieces
This post will show the individual chess pieces of the medieval Noyon-like chess pieces made from antler. Some more information on the original pieces and the construction of this set can be found in...
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More on sevensided dice
Several years ago I made some seven-sided dice for some medieval board games mentioned in the Libre de los Juegos (1283) by Alphonso X 'The Wise'. These dice were not entirely fair, as they showed more...
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A medieval 'ship' game
14th century games-board made from spruce. The other side holds a nine men morris board. Novgorod, Russia. Image from the book Wood use in medieval Novgorod by M. Brisbane. The games board above dating...
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Oblong chess
Oblong chess is a chess variety that was also played during medieval times, however not in Europe, but in the Arab world. The game is known under the names Shatranj al-Mustatîla, al-Tawîla (long) or...
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Medieval benches
Dieric Bouts. Triptych The last supper, dated 1464-1468. Oil on oak panels. Museum M, Leuven, Belgium. Several small and large benches can be seen on this 15th century painting. Medieval benches start...
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Some Bulgarian medieval furniture
Our medieval furniture posts often features West European and late medieval furniture examples, but not this time. Recently I received a book on Bulgarian medieval art - which happened to be very...
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Making medieval benches
For re-enactors the bench described in the previous post is ideal. It is easy to take apart and to carry with you as a flat package (in medieval Ikea-like style). A good guide on how to make such a...
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The medieval toolchest: the plane (part 6)
I thought that the medieval plane history was more or less complete in the five and a half previous posts. I was wrong, a book on archaeology in Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) did contain two medieval...
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Pieces of St. Thomas and St. Joseph
When visiting several churches and musea in Toscane, Italy, we discovered some pieces of the patron saints of the woodworkers: Saint Thomas and Saint Joseph. The reliquary of St. Thomas likely...
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The choirstalls of the basilica San Petronio in Bologna
The front of the basilica San Petronio in Bologna, Italy.The Basilica of San Petronio is a large Gothic brick-built church dating from 1390. It is dedicated to Saint Petronius, who was bishop of...
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Woodworking tools in medieval Italy, part 1
Information on medieval woodworking tools usually comes from four sources: archaeological finds, mention of it in written sources (like wills, payments for work, or guild regulations), tool marks left...
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Thongs and Letters
 Castle Wijchen in grey and wet autumn weather last sunday.Last Sunday an exhibition opened in castle Wijchen (the Netherlands) on 'Strengels en Letters' - I am not sure how this would correctly...
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The annual meeting of the Dutch crafts and tools association
A different kind of setting than we are used to at the yearly meeting of the Dutch crafts and tools associationLast Saturday the Saint Thomasguild showed their medieval replica woodworking tools at...
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Woodworking tools in medieval Italy, part 2
A lucky coincidence for medieval woodworkers is that that the bible contains some stories on building, e.g. Noah's ark and the tower of Babel, or the construction of the cross. Furthermore there are...
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A not so foldable chair
This post concerns a medieval chair that is nowadays known under several names, most commonly the 'Glastonbury chair', the 'Petrarca chair' or 'sedia Petrarca', as well as 'sedia pieghevole', the...
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Who is afraid of red, yellow and blue?
Barnet Newman - Who is afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III. Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Netherlands.A bit curious opening for a blog on medieval furniture, a contemporary artist that has attracted...
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A medieval drawer
We are planning to make a new piece of medieval furniture for a Dutch castle that will also contain a drawer. While there are plenty of examples on how modern drawers are constructed, there is...
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Furniture of Palazzo Davanzati
The Palazzo Davanzati is a restored 14th century medieval palazzo in the centre of Florence, and nowadays a museum containing late medieval and renaissance decorative arts, including furniture. The...
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A milestone for the Thomas tapestry
Anne and Katinka busy with the St. Thomastapestry in the Kemenade of castle Ammersoyen, 10 June 2019Previous two weekends we have been active with living history at both castle Ammersoyen (together...
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