Horner's flowers
Some eight years ago when we began our way of craftsmanship, horn was the very first animal hard tissue material we started to explore.
Horn is a material that seldom survive in the ground therefore archaeological examples of hornworking are few and far between. The most ancient object found we know of is dated to c. 950 to 1050 [1], but later in medieval era and then also in early modern era and all through to the early 19th century the specialists in hornworking are often mentioned in historical documents as horners. Different kinds of produce can be ascribed to horners, indeed it seems to have been an industry with many branches and expressions, but the horners proper engaged in making of translucent horn sheets, for horn-books, lanterns, windows and such. That's why the demise of this profession coincides with the discovery of new sheet-glass making technologies at the end of 18th century [2].
Fritz Hornrichter at work. An image from the famous
Die Hausbücher der Nürnberger Zwölfbrüderstiftungen, beginning of the 15th c.
What refers to medieval horners and their tricks of the trade, many legends circulate nowadays. One of such legends we debunked only recently.
It is sometimes mentioned that back in ''those days'' horners mastered a technique that allowed to ''weld'' together several plates of horn so that a larger one-piece plate could be achieved [3]. This technique, as so many things, has now, of course, been lost in the mist of past together with the treasures of the Templars.
Well, everybody who have had some more or less serious experience in working with this wonderful material will know that it doesn't give any promise to be weldable, no matter what tricks you come up with. But that is not to say that horn sheets were not indeed joined together - they were, usually and quite often at that - only not by any kind of ''welding'', ''soldering'' and such.
Look at this one picture below and, Fortune smiling, you will know the truth in no time! Notice the division of the window of this lantern? Such divisions can be seen in countless depictions of medieval lanterns, so much so that one can assume them to be a typical feature. All the secret is hidden behind those lovely pewter flowers. Of course, one can connect two horn plates also without these ornaments, sometimes even a wooden crossbar has been used instead, but they make the whole lantern so much more brighter in a way!
With these observations in the pocket, we have started to sprout our own horner's flowers for use in our next projects.
[1] Kinmonth C. Irish horn spoons: their design history and social significance // Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. 118
[3]
e.g.
Lord Mikal Isernfocar, called Ironhawk Working with Horn and Skeletal Materials booklet, chapter ''Hot work techniques''