A Masterly Hand / Scientia Artis 9

guild at that ti me. 6 Th e skippers often used rafts to transport wood from the Ardennes. In the sixteenth century this wood was referred to as ‘Maesholt’ ( Meuse wo od). 7 It is also possible, however, that the Master of Elsloo was using wood found in the vicinity of his home or workshop. There were several heavily-wooded areas around Roermond: the Swalmer, Echter and Elmpter forests, a forest in Wassenberg and another in Montfort. The fifteenth-century laws of the Swalmer, Echter and Elmpter forests permitted certain people to drive pigs into the woods to feed on acorns, so it can be inferred that there were oak forests around Roermo nd. 8 Pig s were also herded in the forest area of Montfort and Wassenberg. These forests had to be maintained and it is therefore quite possible that the sculptor used wood from one of them. From Tree to Wood Fit for Sculpture The tree trunks from which the sculptures were made were not always straight and sometimes the growth direction became an element in the work’s eventual shape. In some cases very thick trunks with specific shapes were used, for example for the sculptures from Elsloo and Rindern which were made from a part of the trunk where bifurcation occurred (fig. 11.2). In several statues the number of knots indicates that the woodcarver also used wood from branches. Most of the sculptures appear to be made from a single piece of an oak trunk or a thick branch. In a number of cases separate pieces of oak were added to the main block, to which they were attached with animal glue and wooden dowels. Dendrochronological examination has shown that some sculptures were made from the same t ree. 9 Th is does not necessarily mean that they were ­ created by the same woodcarver or in the same workshop. Preparation and Drying of the Wood It is difficult to determine how the wood used for the sculptures was pre- pared. The household register of Anton Tucher mentions that in March 1517 he ordered the felling of a lime tree which was most probably used by the sculptor Veit Stoss for the construction of the famous Angelic Salutation ( Nuremberg, St Lawrence’s Church), which was polychromed and then installed in the church in June 1 518. 10 It took only sixteen months to complete this monumental work. This short space of time suggests that in this case unseasoned wood was used. Generally, however, timber was dried – at least to a limited degree – before it was used, and there were several ways of doing this. Before a sculptor could start to carve his block the bark and underlying sapwood – which are particularly sensitive to attack by insects and fungi – had to be removed. It is uncertain whether the bark was taken off before or after the wood was stored for drying. The tree was sawn into pieces and stockpiled at a timber yard for air drying. As the wood dried, cracks might appear. These were often filled with oak wedges by the sculptor during the subsequent carving process. Such wedges can be seen in many sculptures associated with the Master of Elsloo, for instance those from St Lambert’s Church in Neeroeteren. 11.2 Fig. 11.2 St Anne with the Virgin and Child, Elsloo, St Augustine’s Church, showing the bifurcate part of the trunk used for the sculpture