Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-27
HoHsEsHuERs Or OLD.
Antiquity Of the Craft - illustrated In
s,as Classic Arts.

The early historians made a sad mis-
take when they neglected to hand down
to posterity a record OF the Hves ana
manners of these ancient craftsmen, for
by them we could be better able 70 judge
of the intelligence of the people of that
period, as i'm all ages the smltny mas Deen
recognized as the center OF intelligence
in rural communities. nave no DOUBT
the sheer of ancient times was quite an
important chap, as his work was very
essential to the preservation or limb and
life. While we have been deprived or Il
| knowledge of the sheer himself and his
WAYS we can feast our eyes on some of
his works. at least representations of
them I'M art pictures. and ii is doubtful If
| some of these artists didn't work their
| Illustrations and put the SHOES then in
use on their subjects. Hans Bergman,
| in his, Horses of Antiquity" represents Il
| numed knight on horseback. The horse
! had raised heels on his shoes, which We're
| fastened on by nails apparently. three on
each side (painted in 14i3.) He had an
other showing groom ieaolnS Two
horses that are apparently snod with
| fiat. thick heeled shoes.
| There is another picture by albert Dur
| err Q47) which shows ii knight on horse
back whose horse is shod with fiat
shoe having a wide web at the toe, much
like the toe weight of the present day.
He also has another good picture of a
heavy draft horse that is shod with heel
calks Q50S)
Another German painter. about that
time. Lucas Cranach Q472) has horse
and plumed knight, the horse having heel
calks and nails.
The English in the sixteenth century
represent horse figure called the Tour
nament Roll that is shod with shoe
that looks like the Dunnng steel Shoe or
the Goodenoush of the present day. hav-
ing fine small calks on the side, or they
might be extra large nail heads.
The Italian masters show the toe.
weight shoe in the fifteenth century.
They have a picture taken from a fresco
painting in the Campo Santa de Pisa. The
horseman is one of the followers PLATE,
and the artist represents him as one OF
the Cortege of Christ bearing his cross
towards Golgotha. His horse had heel
calks and the shoe nailed on The French
have a picture of a knight on horseback,
shod with fiat shoes in the twelfth CEN
tury He carries "a Maltese banner. and
| it is in the Cathedral on Charities.
A study of these pictures surprises us,
and somewhat lessons the self-esteem
we may have INDUCED in at our progress
siyeness, for. after all, many of our sup
posed new ideas are only resurrections.
Even the felt shoe is as old as the hills,
as note this little bit of ancient gossip.
In Lord Herberts' Life of Henry WILL
| it is stated that that monarch while in
France. having Toasted the ladies royalty
| for divers days, departed from tourney
vited by the Lady Margaret. who caused
them jouste or tournament to be held
in an extraordinary manner. the place
being a large room raised high from the
ground by many steps. ana paved Dy
black square stones like marble while
| the horses. to prevent slipping. were shod
with felt, after which the ladies danced
all night.
A shoe of the seventeenth century was
found with a fullered margin, or as we
say, creased and calks with the letters
H. /. stamped on it, evidently the initials
| of the maker.
There is a complete treatise on shoeing
by Caesar Fiaschi. written in the seven
teenth century. Along about 1916 and lat
er there must have been quite a rad IN
fancy shoeing, and silver. cheaper than 1t
| is today, as we find it was used for
horseshoes. A certain Lord Duncaster:
an English ambassador, when he entered
| Paris, his horse was shod with silver
| where beauties of eminence were sta
toned. the cavorting of the charger
would make him cast shoe. which the
greedy bystanders scrambled for, While
a liveried farrier came and tackled on an
other one. and thus with much ado, he
reached the Louvre.
In the eighteenth century the craft
gained in prestige and honors. having TAX
en- up the art of doctorins. There can be
no doubt their methods in this respect
were crude and barbarouS. but they had
a better excuse for such treatment than
some of those that continue their meth
DDS of the present day. Many were just
as conceited as many of our youngsters
| today. Many maids could echo the fair
Portals sentiment. when she said of her
| lover that he does nothing but talk con-
| tinually of his horse. and layetn great APP
preparation to his own good parts. that he
| can shoe him himself. The lessons we
may learn from this brief review are mod
| esty in our accomplishments. pride in
| having an avocation that. George
! Fleming says. kings and mobiles have not
| disdained to practice. and which is very
| intimately connected with the comfort
| and utility of the noblest and most use
| full animal ever domesticated by man.
Horseshoers Journal.