medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Cecil T Ault <[log in to unmask]>
> Sorry, I did not see the metal "pipe" beneath the lecturn.
i only term it a "pipe" because, if i were to make such a Thingie with today's
technology, i would use heavy gage iron pipe.
Brother Briggs believes the Thingie to be made of solid iron.
by default, this would seem to be the only way the middlevils could have made
suchlike a Thingie, but i would point out that we've got at least three feet
of it showing (as a "crank"), and there would surely be at least a foot or
more buried in each element, for stability.
in other words, a piece of solid iron,3-4 inches in diameter, 4-5-6 feet
long.
so, we're talking about a pretty heavy object here, many tens of pounds,
difficult to "wrought" at right angles, twice.
having said that, as i mentioned before, the problem is that the damned thing
seems to have existed, so we must assume that those crafty middlevils were
able to, well, craft it.
>It is a swivel, not a crank.
well, technically, it's a Thingie, in the shape of a crank, which was used to
allow the upper element of the bookstand swivel.
Lynn Thorndyke, Jr., who had a bit to say about the history of cranks in
Western Technology (_Medieval Technology and Social Change_, U. of C. press,
c. 1960), illustrates what he takes to be the earliest representation of a
crank in a chinese model of a grain pounder --which i've always thought to be
something of a stretch. (he also has a picture of a 14th c. "mechanically
misunderstood" crank in an Italian drawing, which is quite a hoot.)
>Note it's relagionship to the reader. The swivel is pointed towards him and
the lecturn sets over his legs to bring it closer to him. He will push it to
one side so he can get up.
perhaps.
easier to swivel the bookstand than to move the bench he's sitting on:
http://www.kzoo.edu/history/Wickstrom/vincent.jpg
> As for the object in his hand, it is a pointer.
perhaps.
>Some old synagogues in the east still have such an item on the bima. It
appears to have been a common item in places where things were read, such as
libraries, churches, etc.
i don't think i've ever seen a non-Jewish one.
it does appear to be gold --though the wretched quality of the .jpg makes that
unclear here.
>It is called a "yad" (hebrew)or hand. Fancy ones have a little hand carved
on the pointing end of it with the index finger pointing forward. The reader
is pointing his way along, word for word as he reads the text.
perhaps.
i'm more inclined to see this as a more or less traditional (from E.C. times)
"Author Portrait" of Vincent, as a Homie. traditionally, authors were
writing.
now that i look at the .jpg closer
http://www.kzoo.edu/history/Wickstrom/vincent.jpg
i'm seeing *two* objects, one in each hand, one of which would be a pen, the
other a knife or burnisher for preparing the parchment before he scribbles on
it.
>Shalom.
pox.
c
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