Month: September 2022

THE GLASS FRIT. “Throughout the night, add dry wood to the fire so that the glass, which liquifies from the frit, may be completely fused. “ https://lnkd.in/d7yzXt5 View in LinkedIn

PAINTBRUSHES. “Make for yourself two or three paintbrushes of hair from the tail of a marten or badger, or a squirrel or cat, or from the mane of an ass.” (A badger has a diminutive tail). https://lnkd.in/d7yzXt5 View in LinkedIn

SPANISH GOLD. “There is a gold, called Spanish gold, which is prepared from red copper, powder of basilisk and human blood and vinegar. The heathen, who are said to be skilled in the art, produce basilisks for themselves this way. “ A second notable deviation which he qualifies by the Latin “in hac arte probabilis est.” https://lnkd.in/d7yzXt5 View in LinkedIn

CARVING CRYSTAL. “Take a goat, two or three years old, bind its feet, cut an opening between its chest and stomach in the position of the heart, insert one of the crystals and let it remain in the blood until it becomes warm. Immediately take it out, while this warmth lasts, carve in it what you want.” Clearly a deviation that winks historically to lines from Pliny. https://lnkd.in/d7yzXt5 View in LinkedIn

“The Lumen Animae (a medieval encyclopedia) quotes Theophilus as saying that silver and gold, mixed with metal, makes it (a bell) sound sweeter and stronger.” But this is a false quotation, for it was a superstition not attributable to Theophilus. https://lnkd.in/d7yzXt5 View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this second and last weekend of indulging in a remarkable mediaeval text on old craft methods. Today, craftsmen’s lives are much easier; many go to learn their trade in excellent technical schools, can set up shop with a minimum of investment and time, and everything that they need can be sourced from hundreds of companies. I bought a giant iron T square and compass from my metal worker Mario, made by his father out of necessity. His was the last generation to need such skills. We are forgetting our heritage. View in LinkedIn

TS ELIOT. “I’m waiting to see the immense poem. There are I think about thirty good lines in The Waste Land, can you find them? The rest is ephemeral.” (Letter to Ford Madox Ford, 14 August 1923). https://lnkd.in/dUt_Wyf View in LinkedIn

Anastomosis between roots of the same tree, which can also happen on branches, and between different individual trees of the same species. All about the boundaries of self. View in LinkedIn