"Gilt leather/guadameci in Coimbra..." by Pereira (2012)

Pereira, Franklin; “Gilt leather/guadameci in Coimbra – comments on documents of the 12th and 16th centuries”, Boletim do Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra 25 (2012) 169-180

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Resumo:

Entre vários tipos de calçado, as posturas municipais de Coimbra, de 1145, referem botas em couro dourado/”gudemiciz”; parece ser esta a primeira referência aos guadamecis no reino de Portugal, e em particular numa cidade recentemente reconquistada ao domínio muçulmano. Em finais do século XVI, vários documentos da Universidade de Coimbra referem cobertas de parede, coberta de mesa e guardaportas, tudo fabricado por um guadamecileiro. Esta documentação leva-nos numa viagem às modas mudéjares e medievais onde o guadameci se encontrava.

Abstract:

Amidst different footwear, the taxes of Coimbra, dated from 1145, refer boots made in gilt leather/“gudemiciz”; it seems this is the first reference to gilt leather in the kingdom of Portugal, and in particular in a city recently conquered from the Muslims. In late 16th century, several documents of Coimbra University refer wall hangings, a table cover and large door frames made by a maker of gilt leather. These historic data take us into a journey of mudejar and medieval fashions where gilt leather was a part.

Pocket book covered with sharkskin, ca.1680, Victoria & Albert Museum

Fish skin grain layer: "lixa", sharkskin

Definition of sharkskin in Matt T. Roberts and Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the conservation of books: A dictionary of descriptive terminology, 1982

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"Les techniques et le commerce de la tannerie à Montréal au XVIIIe siècle" par Perrier (2000)

Perrier, Jocelyne; “Les techniques et le commerce de la tannerie à Montréal au XVIIIe siècle", Scientia Canadensis: Canadian Journal of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine / Scientia Canadensis: revue canadienne d'histoire des sciences, des techniques et de la médecine 24 (2000) 51-72

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Resumé:

Les travaux sur des groupes d’artisans canadiens pratiquant le même métier ou des métiers dans le même secteur de transformation, à l’époque préindustrielle, ont montré la diversité des caractéristiques socio-économiques des individus les composant. Les historiens se sont peu penchés sur l’aspect marchand du travail de l’artisan. Or, l’étude de la pratique d’un métier artisanal doit inclure l’analyse de son commerce, puisque la propriété des moyens de production est l’un des facteurs déterminants de la hiérarchie interne des groupes d’artisans. Dans cet article, nous présentons d’abord le contexte dans lequel était pratiqué le métier de tanneur à Montréal au XVIIIe siècle. Nous décrivons ensuite le tannage, une technique complexe et longue, et le commerce de la tannerie, qui exigeait de son propriétaire des assises financières solides. À l’aide de nombreuses sources documentaires, nous avons suivi les individus tout au long de leur cycle de vie et mis en lumière le rôle joué par leur famille.

Abstract:

Studies of artisans in pre-industrial French Canada have demonstrated the diversity in the socio-economic characteristics of people working the same trade, or trades within the same sector. Historians, however, have been less interested in the merchant aspects of the artisan's life. The study of artisans should address the ownership of the means of production, because it is one of the many factors that have determined the internal hierarchy amongst artisans. This article will explore the context in which the tanning trade was practiced in eighteenth-century Montreal. Furthermore, it will analyze the long and intricate process of tanning and the demanding characteristics of the trade, which required tanners to have a strong financial base. With the use of various sources we are able to follow the lives of several individual tanners and shed light upon the role of their families.

Satchel made from crocodile skin, early 20th century, The MET Museum of Art