Court craftsmen

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A court bakery in Graz that has existed since 1569

Under court craftsmen are to be understood craftsmen who were employed at imperial, royal, princely or episcopal courts in Europe and who were not subject to the rules and constraints of the guild regulations . However, other tradespeople such as butchers, bakers or pharmacists could also be assigned to this professional group , which can be seen from the name “ purveyor to the court ”.

Employment Status

Particularly skilled craftsmen could for their services by the prince or other courtiers with the Hofprivileg are excellent, whereupon they were allowed to call "Hofhandwerker" or "hofbefreit". Perhaps this privilege could also be bought. Court craftsmen worked on the orders of the prince and delivered primarily to the court. With the addition of “court”, which was equivalent to a title, they could sign and probably also attach a coat of arms to their houses as a symbol of their status, as was the case with court craftsmen at the Hohenlohe Bartenstein Residence .

Court craftsmen were not subject to the restrictions of the guild regulations. This enabled an improved expansion of their activities. At the Bartenstein Residence, for example, the joiner's work was not limited to the manufacture of furniture, but was also responsible for the entire interior of the palace, including the parquet floors and stairs. The court sculptor there worked in stone and wood, but was also responsible for the painting of the stucco work. Some craftsmen of this court were permanently employed there and were subordinate to the court marshal , the highest noble court official. Others were able to accept commissions from citizens in addition to their work for the court.

In addition to the advantages, the economic dependence of the court craftsmen on the court could also be disastrous. In Bartenstein, after the court was closed, luxury goods such as wigs, gold and silver buttons, applications for uniforms or elaborate interior furnishings were no longer in demand. Numerous court craftsmen such as the court button maker, the court wig maker or the court trimmers had assets in the form of valuable raw materials and semi-finished products. But they could no longer sell their goods and therefore threatened to become impoverished, as these were only intended for production on the farm. Available criminal files from the early 19th century show that the children of these families were sent to the surrounding villages to beg.

Tradespeople with court privilege

Among the tradesmen who could carry the addition "Hof-" were

  • Court pharmacist
  • Court baker, Hofbauer, court sculptor, court gunsmith , Hofbüttner
  • Courier
  • Court gardeners , court glaziers
  • Hofknopfmacher, Hofkrämer, court confectioner, Hofküfer
  • Purveyor to the court
  • Court painter, court mason, court butcher,
  • Court wig maker, court trimmers (also court braid maker)
  • Court saddlers, court locksmiths, court blacksmiths, court tailors, court joiners, court shoemakers, court ropers, court stocking knitters
  • Court watchmaker

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cf. Oeconomische Encyclopädie , keyword Hof = Handwerker .
  2. ↑ "courtyard-free"
  3. ↑ a b c Hohenlohe-Zentralarchiv Neuenstein and archive in Schrozberg , archive part Bartenstein
  4. ^ Criminal files in the Schrozberg archive, Bartenstein department.

literature

  • Herbert Haupt: The court and court-exempt craft in baroque Vienna 1620 to 1770 . Research and contributions to the history of the city of Vienna, No. 46. Studien-Verlag, Innsbruck 2007, ISBN 978-3-7065-4342-2
  • A. and C. Reimann: Bartenstein as it used to be, by craftsmen, councilors and lackeys . Niederstetten 2009.