Hello all,


I was wondering the other day-What kinds of furniture did our ancestors use in medival times? How was their design and construction different? What were the designs? How embellished were the peices?
I should think only the wealthist probably had "good furniture" at the time, the common people really couldn't afford that luxrury. If anyone has any pics I'd like to see them..... We've got a pretty good woodshop here, I'd like to try and make somthing simple if anyone has a design.

You might find these of interest:

Constructing Medieval Furniture: Plans and Instructions With Historical Notes
[url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0811727955/104-3752666-3143931 [/url]

Medieval Furniture: Plans and Instructions for Historical Reproductions
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-...url][/url]

The interior of a Swedish commoners house in the later 15th Century as reconstructed by Göte Göransson.
Havign lived in simialr type of hosue for several days under "medieval" conditions I can say that while they are a bit dark and smokey they also keep the bad weather outside and the warmt inside. With fresh straw and good beding and blankets one sleeps quite soundly after a day of what by medieval standards would be fairly light labor.

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There is one piece of furniture that seems to transcend culture and time. The folding X leg stool. It is a very simple, sturdy, and adaptable piece of furniture.

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King Tut's

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medieval

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modern

Another fine case of thread necromancy...

[url]http://www.companie-of-st-george.ch/cms/intro.html

Follow the above link, through your language of choice, to the Company of Saynte George's periodical, The Dragon. A good number of issues feature line drawings of furniture taken from period art (most drawings by the great John Howe, at that!). The Company's living history efforts are focused on a specific time and place in history, but my guess is that basic furnishings were pretty constant in form.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, is also a great source for this stuff. Their online images are nothing to being there, of course... They also publish catalogues of their shows, track down Gothic: Art for England, if you can. Expensive, but if you're into this stuff, well...

Best,
Eric

Skip the Diehl books, they are full of minor errors and have no useful references.

Probably the best book on medieval western European furniture written in the English language:
Furniture in England, France and the Netherlands from the twelfth to the fifteenth century / by Penelope Eames
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL18613953M/Furnitur...th_century

Ole Wanscher's Sella Curulis is particularly useful for a comprehensive study of folding chairs throughout the ages.
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL3797606M/Sella_curulis

Another useful book for the relationship of moveables in historic homes.
Furniture, 700-1700 Eric Mercer
http://openlibrary.org/b/OL17556019M/Furniture__700-1700

All should be available through ILL at your reference library.

Here is a link from 'Blood and Sawdust"

http://www.bloodandsawdust.com/Blood_and_Sawd...ading.html

Couple of good points made in the reviews which accompany this reading list, particularly in regards to an author's viewpoint as an art historian, archaeologist, furniture maker, etc.; each will bring their own particular bias to their published work on medieval furnishings.

Something else to consider if you intend to make medieval period furniture, and that is whether or not you will use modern tools(including powered tools) or period style hand tools; sometimes the method of construction differs depending upon which tool set you use. In the end, you need to 'pound your own nails'.


And nothing wrong with the Diehl books as a "starting" point in your research as they are readily available at this point; as far as books go Henry Drummond said best "It is a good book, but it is not the only book"