SC - questions

[LrdRas@aol.com]

Cairistiona writes:

> Thinking of tablecloths, I notice that both the Berry picture (January) and 
>  another picture I have (marriage feast at the court of King Yon of Gascony 
>  is all I know) show damask tablecloths in pieces:  a separate piece of 
>  damask pleated (maybe pinned to the table top?) about 2 ins every foot or 
so 
> all round the sides of the table, and coming to no more than about 2/3 of 
>  the way down to the floor.  The top cloth is only as wide as the table 
top, 
>  and so doesn't cover the pleats at all.  On the Berry picture the top 
cloth 
>  extends over the ends of the table, but not the long sides.  I think I've 
>  seen some other, less clear, examples of the same technique, but not 
>  actually registered in my mind before.  Any thoughts on this?  Has anyone 
>  tried laying a table this way?

Yes.  I've experiemnted with laying tablecloths as I've seen in many medieval 
illustrations.  What I've come up with at this point is an undercloth, very 
much longer than the table, gathered and pleated (with the help of staight 
pins), and a smaller top cloth, just the size of the tabletop.  To get an 
undercloth long enough, I've used two long cloths, joined together at a 
gather and pleat.  An example of this type of tablecloth may be seen at:
http://www.50megs.com/matterer/medpix/gallery4/mpix91.htm

There are better examples, but this is one I could lay my browser on at short 
notice. I have also seen examples of a gathered cloth, without a top cloth:
http://www.50megs.com/matterer/medpix/gallery2/mpix40.htm

As far as the January Berry Hours picture goes, it looks to me like a single 
damask cloth, lightly pleated (draping naturally?), without a top cloth.  
They seem to be using little gold plates, rather than roundels.  The big nef 
seems to be holding more little gold plates.

Rudd Rayfield