[Sca-cooks] Tableware

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 06:28 PM 3/26/02 EST, you wrote:

>Really?  Much of my research indicates that in 12th century England and
>France, they rarely used plates, but used trenchers instead, and that that
>practice carried over for well over a century afterwards.  Certainly there
>are trenchers shown in, among other places, the feasting scenes of the Duc de
>Berry's book of hours, which is 14th century, I believe, and depicts banquets
>served for nobles.
>Certainly there is metalware (mostly utensils and covered hanaps or drinking
>vessels) depicted on the tables, but I don't recall seeing plates that
>frequently for personal eating.  Certainly they appear as serving utensils.
>
>Brangwayna Morgan

This is true- I did some seminar work on it. There is usually very little
on the tables, until VERY late. And- *rummage rummage rummage* I just found
in a box here in my room (along with one of the awfulest papers I ever
wrote- it got an undeserved A-) the 34-page bunch of illos that went with
the seminar paper! Wahoo! It's not in Dad's garage!

Ok- what have we here (I will just cite a few examples)...

Oh- HEY! Someone was asking the other day about group handwashing? Found
the picture- the one with the 'kiddie pools'- from: _Prose Tristan_,
Italian, ca. 1320-50 (Bibliotheque Nationale, MS. Fr. 755, fol.115). It is
figure 31 in Henisch's _Fast and Feast_, but I don't have a page number.

Tableware-

St.Louis feeding the poor- (BN, MS. Fr. 5716, fol.213) 13th c- there are
large serving dishes, a few bowls, a salt cellar, a goblet, two knives,
assorted bread bits and sops.

a Life of Christ (BN, MS. Ital. 115, fol. 79v) 14th c.- manchets, cups,
knives, large serving platters, and some bowls.

Judith- (Winchester Bible, f. 331V)- 12thc.- Serving dishes, two salt
cellars, and knives.