When we published “The Book of Plates” years ago, we received many questions from customers as to why they should buy a book filled with pictures of dinner plates.
“Plate” is, of course, an old word for “engraving.” And the pictures in the book were not of dinner plates, but of the drawings in A.J. Roubo’s “l’Art de Menuisier.”
But today we’re going to talk about a delftware dinner plate from 1769 that shows an interior of a nice woodworking shop with lots of tools, a workbench and (perhaps) a zombie attack.
The plate appeared on the cover of The Magazine Antiques’ May 1981 issue and was in the collection of James C. Sorber, a well-known Pennsylvania collector. I learned about this plate from Dan, a woodworking comrade in Texas, and so I bought an old back issue to examine it.
Delftware has its origins in the Netherlands, and so it didn’t surprise me to see a Dutch saw hanging on the back wall of the shop. The other tools on the back wall are typical for the time, including the chisels with the fishtail blades, the braces, the nail pincers and the dividers.
The workbench is interesting (of course). It gives me a Dutch vibe as well. It bears some resemblance to the one shown in the altarpiece at St. John’s Church in Gouda (circa 1565). The Gouda bench has six legs, with the front three pierced with many holes for pegs or holdfasts. No vises.
The 1769 bench also features three “legs” pierced with many legs for holdfasts or pegs. No vises. But two of the legs are drawn more like sliding board jacks (aka deadmen). Though a bench with two sliding board jacks is unusual – this is the first one I’ve seen.
I’m not sure what tool the woodworker is using on the bench. It looks like a scorp or travisher to me. But I have chairs on the brain.
Also, we have to keep in mind that the purpose of this plate was not designed to educate, but to immobilize some gravy or restrain some pudding.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the guy to the right. At first I thought he was destroying the picture frames leaning against the wall. Then I looked at his feet, and it appears he is standing on a board. It looks like he’s holding an axe, but it could be an adze. In either case, he really should look where he is cutting, or the artist will have to add some red glaze to the plate.
In fact, I think he looks poised for a 18th-century zombie attack on the workshop. If this plate were indeed made in the Netherlands, then they are probably Spanish zombies.
And now I am going to end this blog entry before it gets too ridiculous.
— Christopher Schwarz
Nice way to start the day, thanks.
I like finding things like this. I have a vinyl copy of The Guess Who’s Share The Land and noticed the front and back cover show the inside of a hand tool shop; with some sociopolitical context, but a hand tool shop nonetheless.
No, by all means Chris, keep going. The more ridiculous the better. My wife asks how I can have half the conversations with male friends about anything whilst quoting lines from movies, shows, songs etc whilst not having any capacity left for important stuff like my kids birthdays or when we got married. Fundamentally, guys are just built differently . Run with it.
Mr. Schwartz, I suggest that it’s not a scorp, but a hand plane. There’s shading under the worker’s left hand, and it is out of place versus the other tools which are depicted. I think Mr. Follansbee discussed some examples partway down the page: https://pfollansbee.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/some-dutch-planes/
Hem lines were high in 1769…
At that time men always wore break aways with baseball sweat pants underneath. Why? Because you never know when you might have to defend your honor and swat the wannabe chirpping players more interested in tea time than a proper slide with spikes flying.
LAP, I wonder if a cabinet maker became well off he would get plates to signify how well off he was. So went clients came to his house he offered them cookies on plates that showed him hard at work. Ralph
I envision a lost art press set of dining China depicting historic (and maybe not-so historic) workbenches plus other appurtenances.
It could go next to the collection of Elvis plates.
So is an adz or axe better in a zombie attack?
There was no adze in the “Left for Dead” video games, so I can’t help you.
An adze only works against slow zombies, not the fast kind.
….and then the apprenctice decided, because of his angry master, that the best way to stop woodworking would be to have no right foot or only half of it. The master, who also was the father had to take car of his on foot son and so began his new “safety at work” insurance and wheelchairs company.
Concerning the dual sliding jack possibility … I can’t help but wonder if they solved the adjustability question (generally solved by sliding) by simply having two of them fixed in place …
Maybe!
Or maybe, it’s just a plate.
I chuckle thinking of people in the future studying plates from the Franklin Mint for clues about the Western wear of music legends. Or something.
This is an interesting point! I always wonder how you can tell the difference between what is artistic interpretation and what is true to life. Those fishtail chisels in particular are bothering me, who has that many fishtail chisels and why would they be in such a prominent place!
This is an interesting point! I always wonder how you can tell the difference between what is artistic interpretation and what is true to life. Those fishtail chisels in particular are bothering me, who has that many fishtail chisels and why would they be in such a prominent place!
My thoughts also, four legs and two possibly fixed jacks. And it’s a handplane he’s working with – it looks like a little ship…
Interesting that the bench is triangulated. That has always made intuitive sense to me but it just isn’t common on benches. When I made my first (currently only) bench I triangulated it both front to back and side to side and it is completely, utterly without rack or wobble. When I eventually get around to a roubo or similar I probably won’t bother as it isn’t traditional, but I guess I’ve always wondered why it isn’t traditional.
You see it older European workbenches. I showed one from Italy in “The Anarchist’s Workbench.”
Hmm, I missed that. Guess I’ll have to add it to my stack and reread it!
It always depends on perspective how to interpret art/drawings!
Clearly, the first guy found a snake on his workbench. He grabbed it behind the head and by the tail to give it a quick exit out the door!
The other fellow found a nest of snakes under the board and is trying to eradicate them!
The Bench Dude has two right hands. Or are they paws….
A couple of other details: The bench seems to have a small tool rack on the right hand end with some shadowy tools hanging from it. The vertically hanging saw has an early-ish handsaw handle pattern that came out of the Netherlands (Holland) in the 1600’s – there are a number of surviving examples in the collections at Skokloster Slott castle at Skokloster, Sweden – they even have the maker’s invoices for the various tools, including planes a lot like the one Bench Guy is using – the body looks a lot like toy snow sleigh with a rounded back end and the front ‘horn’ curling over like the front of a sleigh (or a surf wave).
The Book of Dishes?
When is LAP coming out with hats like these?
I second! LAP Shop Tricorne, proudly made in a small Kentucky factory.
Can’t wait for Chris’ face while modeling to advertise it XD
On a side note what could the three small target-like objects hanging on the wall be?
(the hats would be made of local ferret felt, of course)
i am interested by the number of fishtail chisels. they are featured very prominently and In a place I would have expected to see bench/firmer chisels. I notice a lot of old illustrations of different workshops/objects can be exaggerated or out of proportion. I wonder how you can figure out the difference between the artists interpretation and the reality of the subject they are imitating