Though the ornamentation may look elaborate, the gallery has much of interest. I settled down in front of a case holding domestic items from the Dutch golden age - the 17th century.
 |
| A linen press; you can see a bit of the curfew next to it |
 |
| Ornamentation on the brass of the curfew |
 |
Venus and Cupid on a warming pan (note the snail in the upper left,
its companion gone missing |
 |
| A foot warmer - a ceramic bowl holding glowing coals was put inside |
 |
| A set of tiles, 1610-40, on which the animals seem to wear little knitted jackets |
The textile details were interesting -
Drawn thread work, bobbin lace, and the red stitches denoting ownership of a large linen sheet
 |
| Amsterdam Town Hall, then the 8th wonder of the world, woven into a damask towel |
 |
| Lace on a ladies' collar |
Grander things were within view - these worthies, for instance (keep the terracotta cardinal in mind) -
 |
| Buttonholes stitched into marble, marvellous |
Everyone chose a page of their morning's work for photography -
 |
| Jo's terracotta cardinal |
 |
| Janet K's Norwegian ale bowl |
 |
| Sue M's Norwegian powder flask |
 |
| Sue S's ironwork from a gondola |
 |
| One of three view of "the horse" by Janet B |
 |
| Marina's crossbows |
 |
| Mags' drinking vessels |
 |
| Carol's jacket, and some silk lining |
I produced a total of three pages -
 |
| Three (charcoal pencil) views of the linen press |
 |
Getting to grips with the patterning on the curfew
(a metal cover for the fire overnight ('couvre feu'), to keep the
embers glowing ready for morning; another such is shown here) |
 |
| The animals from the set of tiles |
Some items were obviously very appealing, as they showed up in several sketchbooks -
Tool of the week - Carol's favourite pen -
And another sketching stool, which folds into a compact bag, but is only about 40cm high -
OK -- I'm confused and ignorant. I thought a curfew was a bell -- if it's a fireplace screen how can it toll the knell of parting day?????
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring set of artefacts and drawings. That lovely marble jacket with its buttonholes especially amused me.
ReplyDeleteKathy, this is how it started, according to Wikipedia -
ReplyDeleteThe word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "fire cover". It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew". Its original meaning refers to a law made by William The Conqueror that all lights and fires should be covered at the ringing of an eight o'clock bell to prevent the spread of destructive fire within communities in timber buildings.