Translucent Rawhide

[caiusbeerquitius]

For all you shield makers:
In the Illerup Adal publication (Ilkjaer, Jorgen: Illerup Adal. 9. – 10. Die Schilde. (Jysk Arkæologisk Selskabs Skrifter, 25:9-10) 2001. ) the author describes that the Illerup shieldboards were painted UNDER the rawhide. I tried this out while buidling a shieldboard by sketching the cut-out fo the hand-hole onto the board before glueing the rawhide on. Here´s a pic of the result:



If the rawhide has been cleaned properly by the tanner before drying, i.e. there are no hairs or hair roots left, and the hide was of a monochrome animal (which was not the case here), the result might be quite good, and the painting very well protected.

[Marcus Mummius]

Indeed, I find this one of the most amazing things from the Illerup finds.

I posted about this a few months ago in a thread here on RAT ( http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic. ... n&start=20 ).

I haven't read the books myself but I was told about this curiousity by Lars Bröck Andersen at a congres last year. He is a conservator who worked on the Illerup finds (not only the shields but also things like ring pommel swords).

A bit off topic but L. Andersen also told me that it appeared to him, from the originals he has studied, that the damast patterns of these swords was more complex and decorative than the later Roman swords...

Vale,
Jef

[Hibernicus]

I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my copy!