A Masterly Hand / Scientia Artis 9

281 Lucretia Kargère 15 280 Technical Observations Generally speaking, the study of carving techniques provides essential data in the characterisation of workshops or hands; yet both the school of Kalkar and the sculptors of the Elsloo group seem to elude precise classificati on. 18 W hile broad features can be distinguished, wooden sculptures from these regions display no real standard in the quality of workmanship, materials used, and in the nature of the joins. In these centres sculptors generally favoured oak over other species, although walnut was also selec ted. 19 O ak is a ring-porous hard- wood recognised for its excellent physical characteristics and durability. In particular it is resistant to changes in relative humidity, an important­ quality for art that was to be kept in the uncontrolled climates of churches. Consistent with this practice, both the New York and Tours sculptures were carved in the round from a relatively large log of oak. The log for the New York St Roch must have measured at least 50 centimetres in diameter, with the presence of knots indicating that it was most likely extracted from the branch of a tree. Since oak is laborious to carve when dry, it appears sculptures were carved while the wood was still relatively fresh, or non-seaso ned. 20 In fact, no real evidence points toward the use of a particular method of wood preparation and drying. A number of seasoning methods were available to the sixteenth- century sculptor to combat the common symptoms related to the wood’s dry- ing process, such as problems of warp, dimensional change (shrinkage and swelling), surface checks and fractures. Certain workshops dried their woods in generally controlled environments such as sheds. Others utilised more ­ drastic means such as ov ens, 21 w hile some chose to rely on the systematic removal of the log’s heart to homogenise the drying rate throughout the log, as sapwood and heartwood shrink differently upon drying. Another method 15.7 a 15.7 b Fig. 15.7 Hair of St Roch a New York b Tours Fig. 15.8 New York St Roch, underside 15.8