This brass curfew is embossed with scenes from the lives of two saints: St Laurence and possibly St Francis.
It's an oval brass dome, with a width and depth of about 30 by 55 centimeters (12 by 21 inches), and a height of about 40 centimetres (16 inches), including the handle. It's embossed in 3D with an image of Saint Lawrence, and inscribed "S LARENTIUS 1627" for Saint Laurence and the year of manufacture.
This curfew is on display in Victoria and Albert Museum's metalware galleries of its South Kensington site.
Photo: V&A.
How did 1600s Dutch households keep their fire embers from going out at night? With a curfew.
Yes, it's a pun. Curfews were metal covers that kept fire embers smouldering overnight, to be revived for the next day's cooking and heating. The word curfew comes from […]
[Original post on toot.garden]