SC - roundels and tablecloths

[Christina van Tets]

Hello the List!

>Cairistiona (that's me!) writes:
>
> > There is a picture in 'Chaucer and his World' of some roundels (?) on a
> >  table in a tavern (also of a rather nifty chest-chair with a reversible
> >  back).  I wondered what they were at the time I read the book.  But
>they're
> >  small - they look just like drink coasters.  Would they be the right 
>thing?
>

and Rudd Rayfield writes:
>I think I have seen the same picture on page 34 of the Time Life series 
>book
>"What Life was Like in the Age of Chivalry".  It shows pilgrims at a table
>with a striped tablecloth, sharing poultry from a common dish, two beakers
>shared between them. A joint of meat is being served to them.  Each diner 
>has
>before him a knife and a metal disc (pewter ?), 4 inches across, about 1/4
>inch thick, very much like coasters.  A stack of extra discs stands at the
>corner of the table.  I haven't seen anything quite like them in other
>medieval dining scenes.
>

I can't help wondering if they're also on the table in the January picture 
in the Berry Hours.  I'm not sure we were talking about the same picture 
earlier, I don't remember any food or tablecloth on the table, but will 
check when I get home.

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?

Cairistiona


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