Frames and supports in 15th and 16th-century Southern Netherlandish painting

CHAPTER I 2 privilege of joiners, and would remain so until 1737. A carpenter can assemble with pegs, but to glue, he needs to bring in a joiner. 4 The carpenters’ Charter, established in 1444, specifies, on the other hand, that only carpenters can cut grooves in boards (“dat niement barderen of datter toebehoort grouven mach hi ne zij vrij temmerman”). 5 These regulations, generally disadvantageous for joiners, were the source of disputes and conflicts. On 4 June 1466, a certain Pieter Ruroc, joiner, was attacked by carpenters for producing an altarpiece for the convent of the Friars Minor. The aldermen settled the conflict: the altarpiece can stay where it is, but from now on the “scrinewerkers” may no longer produce the altarpieces intended for places of worship: they may, however, produce altarpieces for domestic use. There can be no exception to this rule other than by prior agreement reached amicably between the guilds or through the courts. 6 In 1590 an article added to the 1441 carpenters’ Charter specifies that it is the privilege of carpenters to cut and sell timber, sawn or not. By way of exception, the citizens of Bruges were allowed to saw wood for personal use, and wood “wholesalers” (“houtbrekers” or “houttuiniers”) that sold wood from the east (“Oostersche houtten”) by hundred pieces or more, were also permitted to saw wood. 7 This privilege of the carpenters also resulted in numerous lawsuits. The Bruges sawyers were protected from competition by article 7 of their Charter (“keure”) which prohibited the bringing into the city of timber sawn elsewhere, exceptions being made for “dootkisthoudt, raemscheden, aernasch houdt ende zuutveensche planken” [wood for coffins, rules (?), kindling (?), wood frames, wood for harnesses (?) and Zutphen (Zuidveen?) boards]. Carpenters were the main suppliers of work for sawyers. A quarrel in 1423 between the two guilds related to the wages of sawyers. The magistrate ruled that the sawyers would henceforth be paid eighteen mijts for Gdansk boards, idem for Königsberg and Russian boards, sixteen mijts (“van danseke barderen, achtiene miten. Item van Conincberchse ende rygsche barderen, zestiene miten”). 8 An ordinance of 1602 adjusts the price. 9 This new ordinance further specifies that, given the temporary shortage of wood due to the 1601-1604 siege of 4. Bruges, State Archives, no. 8178, quoted from Van de Velde 1909, 69. 5. Van de Velde 1909, 21. 6. Bruges, State Archives, Nieuwe Groenenboeck , fol. 212, quoted from Van de Velde 1909, 139. 7. Van de Velde 1909, 77. 8. “Zo es gheordeneirt bijder ghemeene wet dat de voorseide zaghers voordan hebben zullen van zaghene als hiernaer verclaerst staet : Eerst van uutdraghenden balken daer men maer eene snede snijt, zeven groote vanden snede, ende daer men meer dan eene snede snijd, van elcken snede zes groote. Item van taelgen ende stilen van balcken daer men maer eene snede snijd, zesse grooten, ende daer men meer dan eene snede snijt, van elcker snede vijf grooten. Item van stansoenen ende stilen van stansoenen, vier grooten. Item van payementen van xxx voeten, te wetene trappoysen stilen van xxiiii voeten, drie grooten. Item van payementen van xxiiii voeten, twee grooten ende eene halven. Item van drachoute, van middehoute van xxx voeten ende van brancoenen, twee grooten. Item van middehoute van xxiii voeten ende van bouten, twee grooten. Item van keperhoute, eenen grooten. Item van keperhoute, eenen grooten. Item vande pruusche delen, zeven grooten. Item vanden grooten rechters, vier grooten. Item vanden cleenen rechters, vier grooten. Item van kercsparren, twee grooten. Item van dobbelen sparren, revelschen sparren, peruansche sparren of van noreweichschen sparren, eenen grooten. Item van inkelen sparren, twaelf miten. Item van knorhouten, onder halven groote. Item van danseke barderen, achtiene miten. Item van conincberchsche ende ryghsche barderen, zestiene miten.” Bruges, State Archives, Groenenboeck A , fol. 132, v°, quoted from Van de Velde 1909, 79-81. 9. Van de Velde 1909, 82.