Hewn Platters
While our previous post featured a plate made on a lathe, these three platters are hewn, meaning they were made from a piece of wood shaped with a small axe and then refined using something smaller, a small adze or a knife, perhaps.
The older two of the three platters date to the 12th century. The more complete example has a rounded base and slightly raised edges, and the other was perhaps similar in form when complete.
The third platter, dating to the later 13th century, is almost flat, with two straight edges and elliptical ends. It has a hole towards one end, probably so that it could be hung for storage.
This platter bears evidence of multiple repairs
It’s clear that one of the platters (right) had undergone significant conservation work done in the past. It seems that it was excavated in a fragmentary state. There are multiple different fragments that have been joined together in the past. You can recognise that by the lines of slightly different colour that run throughout the object. If the fragments don’t fit smoothly (for example if there is loss of material around the edges), they cannot simply be glued back together as gaps would make the join unstable – it might not hold or it would break again very easily. Therefore, when there isn’t a good fit between fragments, conservators use a gap filler, an adhesive mixture that has the consistency of a thick paste or putty. It is used to fill the gaps in the join and provide more strength. Whilst wet, it can be manipulated it to mimic the shape and texture of the surrounding area. The bowl’s previous conservators even used it to reconstruct three entire parts of the bowl – the lip in the centre and on the left, as well as the centre of the bowl – you can see that those areas have a slightly different, darker colour and texture than the rest of the bowl. Once dry, the gap filler can be painted to match the colour of the wood. We have used the same technique to reattach the broken fragment on the right.
