I am wondering who got to wear medieval funeral badges. Relatives of the deceased? All mourners at the funeral? Paid mourners? How expensive were they?
I can't answer those questions, but it strikes me that both the Black Prince's badge and the badge associated with showings of the shroud of Turin in the mid-14th century are very high quality:
I was at a museum (Archeon) in the Netherlands the other day and there was a display (without commentary) of pilgrim's badges. Because of the nature of that living history museum, I'm pretty certain that they were created by or for them there. As there was that tradition (pilgrim's badges), it was probably not as big a deal for people then (especially kings) to find someone to cast small things as it would be for me, today, to find an artist and a metalworker who could cast small items.
They probably weren't "expensive" in modern terms. An artist probably already in royal employee would've carved a mold, and someone would've poured lead or pewter however-many times. Like lead soldiers, only easier (flat-back, not 3-D), wouldn't it be?
I am wondering who got to wear medieval funeral badges. Relatives of the deceased? All mourners at the funeral? Paid mourners? How expensive were they?
ReplyDeleteI can't answer those questions, but it strikes me that both the Black Prince's badge and the badge associated with showings of the shroud of Turin in the mid-14th century are very high quality:
ReplyDeletehttp://shroudofturin.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/image_thumb68.png?w=373&h=287
I was at a museum (Archeon) in the Netherlands the other day and there was a display (without commentary) of pilgrim's badges. Because of the nature of that living history museum, I'm pretty certain that they were created by or for them there. As there was that tradition (pilgrim's badges), it was probably not as big a deal for people then (especially kings) to find someone to cast small things as it would be for me, today, to find an artist and a metalworker who could cast small items.
ReplyDeleteThey probably weren't "expensive" in modern terms. An artist probably already in royal employee would've carved a mold, and someone would've poured lead or pewter however-many times. Like lead soldiers, only easier (flat-back, not 3-D), wouldn't it be?