Johanna Report post Posted May 24, 2008 Dear Leatherworker:I work with a group of archaeologists in South Carolina who have discovered a large, 16th century Spanish clay vessel with a stamped design. We believe the design is from a metal stamp or punch which would have been used on leatherworking in the 1570s or 1580s. A photo of the pot is attached. If you can identify this pattern, or know a different medium (such as clay or metal) where it might have been used, please let me know. If you have colleagues who might be of assistance, please feel free to forward this email and photo to them. Thanks in advance for your help! Lisa Hudgins Art Historian SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology USC-Columbia SC I removed Ms. Hudgins' email and phone number from her email above, (I don't want her to collect inadvertent spam!) so please post your thoughts and ideas here, and I will make sure she gets them. Thanks for your help, folks! Johanna Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillB Report post Posted May 27, 2008 I removed Ms. Hudgins' email and phone number from her email above, (I don't want her to collect inadvertent spam!) so please post your thoughts and ideas here, and I will make sure she gets them. Thanks for your help, folks! Johanna When I look at the pattern I think more about what they would have available to them here in the new world at that time, and especially to have transported it across the ocean in a sailing ship. So rather than thinking about what it is used on, I would think about where would such a pattern appear on anything from that time period. My first thoughts would be some sort of wooden gear system and that being the teeth on the and of an axel that would then fit into a barrel gear. Some of the old clock I have worked on have a similar drive system. I also think about what folks might have had and would use. Today, I look old and worn out tools and see if I can reshape them into a new tool with a modified pattern. So is this a cleaver artisan that took a broken tool/gear and made it into a pattern tool for use in his shop. Wast not, want not. I also think about what would be naturally available here at that time and wood and reeds were common. I have a Native American Reed Flute and if I notched the open end, it would make a nice circular pattern. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Report post Posted May 27, 2008 Hi Johanna, My daughter is a Ceramic Artist (BFA Alfred). According to her, ceramic artists use (and have used) anything readily available and the least bit unique to decorate. The pattern you see is decoration and probably has no real meaning, it is not a maker's mark. It could be made by anything from a small piece of bamboo with notches cut in it to a wooden or brass gear or cog or something whittled out of a twig or dowel. Ada says she has even used bird feet. As a resource it was suggested that the archaeologist contact: Scholes Library New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Carla Johnson 607-871-2494 http://scholes.alfred.edu/ or any of the Ceramic Art Faculty at the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred Wayne Higby John Gill Andrea Gill Linda Sikora Anne Currier Walter McConnell 607-871-2441 The Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred houses nearly 8,000 ceramic and glass objects, ranging from small pottery shards recovered from ancient civilizations to contemporary sculpture and installation pieces to advanced ceramics reflecting the cutting edge of ceramic technology. This is another resource available to her. The Alfred website is: http://www.alfred.edu As with most university websites it is a real pain to navigate. Scholes is at: http://scholes.alfred.edu There is more than enough here to keep her busy for a few days. Art I removed Ms. Hudgins' email and phone number from her email above, (I don't want her to collect inadvertent spam!) so please post your thoughts and ideas here, and I will make sure she gets them. Thanks for your help, folks! Johanna Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Ellis Report post Posted May 31, 2008 Did she offer any reason for thinking that the tool would have been used for leather working ? I'm confused that they would find something used to mark up a clay vessel and think of it as a leatherworking tool. As far as resembling anything I've seen evidence of in historic leatherwork - from the late 1500's or earlier - this stamp doesn't look like anything I've seen. I haven't seen much evidence of using stamps for anything but backgrounding work, and those are all much, much smaller. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
