New stuff for Birka - Pics!
Here are requested pics of the new stuff for Birka. They're not all that great - I'm in a hurry and am using the phone on my camera.
The first jug on the left is a London-type Rouen-copy conical drinking jug. It's pretty large, over a quart, and it's London-type redware decorated with white applique and black underglaze slip. Next is a Danish jug from the Kalmar Museum, dated to the mid 14thC. It's a little old-fashioned, in that is looks much like what the Yorkshire and Norman French potters were doing in the late 13thC. The major difference is the reversal of colors - most English and French wares of this type were redware with white applique and slipwork. The medallions are stamped, and the red rim is an added coil (since the photos I saw offered no clue as to the methodology of that rim). Finally, there is a London Coarsewares-type chafing dish, done in a shell-tempered groggy earthenware. The glaze on the top half really makes the shell temper pop out - it must vitrify the calcium carb in the shells and make them expand.
These are a new (for me) type of server. They are a typical small-ish dish, suitable for one or two pieces, but they are flanged so that one can sit upside down over another, and they can be used for keeping a dish warm on the way to the table. We see in the Lutrell Psalter and other manuscripts similar systems being used for serving head tables, so I thought I'd make up a few and see how they work. These will be sold as pairs.
That's it for now. I'll try to post more of what I'm working on after I get back from Birka. Everybody stay warm and safe.
The first jug on the left is a London-type Rouen-copy conical drinking jug. It's pretty large, over a quart, and it's London-type redware decorated with white applique and black underglaze slip. Next is a Danish jug from the Kalmar Museum, dated to the mid 14thC. It's a little old-fashioned, in that is looks much like what the Yorkshire and Norman French potters were doing in the late 13thC. The major difference is the reversal of colors - most English and French wares of this type were redware with white applique and slipwork. The medallions are stamped, and the red rim is an added coil (since the photos I saw offered no clue as to the methodology of that rim). Finally, there is a London Coarsewares-type chafing dish, done in a shell-tempered groggy earthenware. The glaze on the top half really makes the shell temper pop out - it must vitrify the calcium carb in the shells and make them expand.
These are a new (for me) type of server. They are a typical small-ish dish, suitable for one or two pieces, but they are flanged so that one can sit upside down over another, and they can be used for keeping a dish warm on the way to the table. We see in the Lutrell Psalter and other manuscripts similar systems being used for serving head tables, so I thought I'd make up a few and see how they work. These will be sold as pairs.
That's it for now. I'll try to post more of what I'm working on after I get back from Birka. Everybody stay warm and safe.