posted 01-27-2004 07:37 PM            

It depicts a man sitting at a table, thinking. He is holding a pen and there is an open book before him. Behind him stands another man, who is pouring red fluid into the writer's head via a funnel. There is a thermometer next to the writer's head with six labels.

I cannot make out many of the words, unfortunately. I can tell that the funnel's exterior reads "Es werde Licht," I think: "It brings light". So presumably, the standing man is attempting to influence the writer. I am thinking perhaps "It brings light" refers to "realization" on the writer's part. And the thermometer (I can't make out the words, they could be: Echlau, C--cili, Klug, K---, Keil (?), and K-) is measuring the writer's product. I think the interior of the funnel reads "NURN TR--CHIED".

Can anybody identify the scene exactly, as well as the participants? My first thought was that it was political, as it feels similar to some old political cartoons.

If I can help by providing close-ups of anything I will be happy to do so.

posted 01-28-2004 12:19 AM            

The three sayings on the "thermometer" appear to be labels to measure progress. On all three of them, the first character on the part to the right of the gauge looks more like a 'k' than a 'h'. Still I think they are meant to be 'h's.

We then get probably : "Schlauheit" (shrewdness) for the top one; the bottom one seems to be "Klugheit" which is close to wisdom but not as close as "Weisheit" would be, it has a bit greater 'common sense' connotation than 'Weisheit' does, though in some contexts it can also convey something of 'smartass'. I can't think of what the middle one tries to say.

The inside of the funnel could be "NURN" ?? "TRICHTER" (= funnel).

Could the whole thing be trying to poke fun at "NURN berger(?)" scholars ?

How old do you think the spoon is? Looking at it closely, it seems to me that the two faces are well done and the rest considerably less so. I'm speculating now: could it be that the overall picture was applied by cheap labour and the faces added by a more skilled individual. That would also explain the poor writing and justify the assumption of spelling errors.

posted 01-28-2004 02:20 AM            

Your suspicion about the funnel is right on: the second word in the interior is in fact TRICHTER.

The spoon dates to ca 1890-1910. It is better made than many German souvenir spoons I have encountered. (For example, the detail on the handle's finial is outstanding and the individual feathers in the wings are hand-sawn, unlike many clumsily cast souvenirs one might encounter.)

The faces are quite well done. I think the problem with the lettering is not due to poor manufacture, but most likely just to problems with the brush and the small scale of the letters (the largest are scarcely 1mm in height).

posted 01-28-2004 02:21 PM            

Where a linkage could be expected is between the three words stacked behind the 'thermometer' but I certainly can't make a connection. The middle one might conceivably be 'Gedeihlichkeit', something in the nature of a leisurely prosperity. But 'Schlauheit', 'Gedeihlichkeit', 'Klugheit' somehow do not make a convincing set. A motto of a student fraternity? maybe, but it's a stretch.

posted 01-28-2004 11:37 PM            

Paul, I appreciate what you say about the difficulty of doing such small lettering. But look at those 'k's. Just omitting the little upstroke would have yielded a passable though rudimentary 'h'. Why wasn't the work corrected?

I still think that the answer lies in it having been done by someone with minimal knowledge of spelling - maybe children? I am speculating again: could it be that the painting of these bowls was done by homeworkers (meaning their entire families)? If so, then it would be logical to have the fine lettering done by children with their small fingers and steadier hands than the work-worn adults.

I do not know anything about enameling. Someone who does, might comment on the practicality of the painted goods being left to air-harden before being taken back to the manufacture for firing. I do remember reading that at one time the painting of Dresden porcelain was done as a home industry.

posted 01-29-2004 12:22 AM            

Similarly, perhaps these spoons were purchased without bowl decoration and the customers would tell the retailer what bowl they wanted on what handle. So if one ever encountered another spoon with this enamel bowl design, there may be far better lettering, but perhaps poorly rendered faces.

posted 03-13-2007 10:03 AM            

quote:

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Georg Philipp Harsdörfer

born: Nov. 1, 1607, Nürnberg
died: Sept. 22, 1658, Nürnberg

German poet and theorist of the Baroque movement who wrote more than 47 volumes of poetry and prose. His most famous theoretical work, a handbook for Baroque poets, is titled Poetischer Trichter, die Teutsche Dicht und Reimkunst, ohne Behuf der Lateinischen Sprache, in sechs Stunden einzugiessen (1647–53: “A Poetic Funnel for Infusing the Art of German Poetry and Rhyme in Six Hours, Without Benefit of the Latin Language”).

Nuremberg funnel
Harsdörffer, Georg Philipp: Poetischer Trichter.
Nuremberg 1648-1653

Harsdörffer's idea of the Nuremberg funnel and its application in didactics has survived until today, as in the word 'eintrichtern' - to drum something into somebody.

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Beer Stein

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