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Thorson's Crown Tournament Gift

Project Documentation
 

Technique and Tools

     This box is decorated with a technique known as pyrography.  According to Webster’s Dictionary, pyrography is, “a process of printing, ornamenting, or carving, by burning with heated instruments.”  The word itself comes from the Greek for fire and markings.  Pyrography is more commonly known as woodburning, but the technique is not restricted to wood alone.  It can be utilized on any burnable surface.

       It is not known exactly what tools were used in period to create pyrographed work.  Both Kingsbury and Schreffler remark that their research has turned up no definitive evidence for period tools.  Speculation on the exact method of burning includes the use of magnifying lenses (Kingsbury 5), heated tools (Schreffler 2) or soldering irons (Schreffler 2).

        Theophilus describes a period soldering iron, “Now you should have a soldering iron which is long and thin, with a thick round end drawn out to a slender point and filed and thinned.  Put this into the fire” (Hawthrone & Smith 71).  The description of this tool closely matches the modern pyrographic tool that this artisan utilized to burn the decoration into the small chest.  For this reason, I believe it likely that soldering irons were the tool of choice of pyrographers.

        There are at least three varieties of woodburning tools available to the modern pyrographer.  This project utilized the tool most similar to the fire heated soldering iron. It is an electric soldering iron with a threaded end to allow for the changing of metal burning points.  The benefit of this tool is in the, more or less, consistent supply of heat to the burning point and the ability to change points when the iron is cooled.

        In period, an artist could vary their shading and patterning on wood through the use of different shaped tools, amount of pressure applied, and the speed of the movement the tool makes across the wood (Kingsbury 3).  These same techniques are used today.  Allowing the point to linger in place produces a deeper, darker, and wider mark on the wood.  The application of light or heavy pressure can create a deep cut or the barest of darkening on the wood’s surface.

         Schreffler has uncovered extant pieces or descriptions of the same that utilized color (Schreffler 3).  The photographs of modern pyrographed pieces utilizing color did not appeal to this artisan’s eye.  For that reason no color was added to this piece.  The intent is for the eye to get lost in the line and pattern as it travels across the small chest, not in the colors used.

        In period, designs could be applied to the wood by drawing directly onto the wood or through pouncing.  To create a pounced guide, a design would be drawn onto paper and laid on the surface to be worked.  Small holes would then be punched through the paper and charcoal dust patted over the holes.  The result would be a dotted outline of the images to be pyrographed (Schreffler 3).

        Two different methods were employed to place designs onto the wood surface of the small chest.  The first is freehand drawing directly onto the box.  The second transfer technique was the use of tracing.  Printed images were transferred to the wood by tracing them over graphite paper.

Extant Pieces

     The 15th or 16th century ‘Brian Boru’ Harp held at Trinity College in Dublin.  This harp is the oldest surviving Irish harp and has been erroneously attributed to Brian Boru, the high King of Ireland in the early 1000’s. (Pietrse-Davidson)

        The research of Schreffler and Kingsbury indicate that more than one surviving harp has been pyrographed.  In addition to harps, they not the following surviving examples of Western European pyrography in the form of chests, coffers, panels, church alters, and a Roman wax tablet. (Kingsbury and Schreffler).

        These examples are dated from the earliest being a Roman wax tablet found in Britian (Kingsbury 3) to the latest being a Celtic harp.  Italian marriage chests (cassones) feature pirografata (York 389).  These chests are dated circa 1415-1430, (Kingsbury 4 and Schreffler 2).  The Celtic harp, the “Brian Boru’, previously mentioned is either a 15th or 16th century piece.  The Queen Mary is a 16th century example.

        Although few individual pieces have been found, there are enough to draw some conclusions about the art form.  Most notably, you can see that the pyrographic work spans several Western European countries over an extended period of time.  Even through pieces dating between the Roman British tablet and the Italian bridal chest have not been revealed to me, it is likely that they were created.  Kingsbury hints that at the use of the technique by the Vikings in Scandinavia (4).  If this claim is substantiated, it places at least one more culture and time period on the pyrographic map.

        The idea of Viking pyrography fascinates this artisan as it seems highly possible that it did occur in period.  Graham-Campbell illustrated 47 individual stamps used to decorate gold and silver (58).  Conversations with this apprentice’s Mistress support the speculation that if soldering irons were used to burn designs into material, decorative metal stamps may have been heated and used as well.

        Stewart and Plath each provide examples of pyrographed pieces in the Norse and Swedish cultures respectively.  Unfortunately, none are definitively dated to the Viking Era or Middle Ages.  Those that are positively dated are from the 18th century.  Forms pyrographed by the Norse include: a cover of a round box, a pudding dish, butter containers, porringers, & tankards.  However, there are two pieces that are tantalizingly questionable and may utilize the technique in period.

    The questionable pieces photographed are a medieval Romanesque carved, and to this artisan’s eye pyrographed, container for raw wool from Seljord Telemark held in the Norsk Folkemusuem (Stewart S20) and a 13th century cbox for fleece or carded wool from Rattvik, Dalarna.

       One cannot definitely determine which Viking pieces are wood burned, unless noted, and which are decorated with by carving and rubbing soot or lampblack into the incised design (Plath 132).

Designs

       Two different designs were employed to decorate this small chest.  The first is a rendition of a holmgang by Mistress Gunnvör sílfrahárr (Ward).  A scene depicting a Viking tournament of sorts seemed to be an appropriate focal point for this small chest. 

       The edges feature this artisan’s rendition of the lion featured on the Cammin casket.  The Cammin casket is a wooden box decorated with 22 carved elk ivory panels in the mammen style of ornament.  Again a Viking lion from the Jelling era (880-1000 AD) seemed a most appropriate choice to honor His Majesty.

 Bibliography

   

 ©2004 Apollonia Voss
 Last Updated: Sunday, 25. January 2009
Email:ApolloniaNOSPAMvoss@comcast.net