Stonemason's mark

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Stonemason's mark at Coucy Castle in France .
Spanish stonemasons in Samachona ( Cantabria )
Stonemason's mark from England ( Fountains Abbey )
Plaster casts of Arabic stonemasons in the Mezquita de Córdoba .

A stonemason's mark is a mark common in the Middle Ages that stonemasons placed on their work. The stonemason's marks, like the master's mark, are among the marks with which craftsmen identify an object as their work. The guild symbol stands for a profession. On many old buildings, especially on churches , the stonemason's marks can still be recognized today; similar marks are also known from ancient times .

General

The most likely explanation for a stonemason mark is that the mark made a stone carved as the work of a specific stonemason (or a specific family, clan or workshop) and this made it easier to settle accounts for the stone delivered . An explanation for the purpose of the stonemason marks on the basis of a “stack theory”, which comes from Karl Friederich , is still valid in research today and the meaning of the stonemason marks is seen in the practical area of ​​the organization of the respective construction site itself: "The stonemason stacked them individual stones, perhaps the entire top layer, were given the mark . “Today's research on stonemasons agrees that these mostly geometric, also monogram-like symbols were used as quality marks for accounting purposes. An unresolved contradiction remains, because on some stones there are several stonemason's marks.
The stonemason's marks are an important guide for modern archaeologists . They allow conclusions to be drawn about the building history and the organization on a historic building site.

Stonemason's and master's marks

Typical Gothic stonemason's mark on a profile

Foreman, master builder, or master craftsman's marks were affixed to emphasized places in coats of arms or to master builder portraits themselves. The beginning of the development of the stonemason's mark is regarded as an “artist's signature” as early as the 12th century: Finds at the cathedral of Lyon from the first half of the 13th century show characteristic profiles of the stonemasons. The first known "artist's signature " of Gislebertus appears as an inscription between 1130 and 1140 on the west portal of Autun Cathedral. Maker's marks of the Gothic are partly enclosed by a coat of arms.

Offset characters or accidentals

Personally bound stonemason marks are to be distinguished from similar-looking "offset" or "offset marks", "set marks" or "offset marks" used since ancient times and in particular from the "height layer marks". They performed a purely structural task. Mostly they were formed from numbers, letters and the simplest geometric shapes, which had to do with the sequence in which the stones were moved and which differed fundamentally from the stonemason's marks in terms of shape and system. The current state of research cannot conclusively clarify whether stonemason marks are to be formally differentiated from offset marks and whether an attachment that is visible or hidden in the stone structure contributes to a distinction.

Quarry brands

" Quarry , quarry, construction or supplier brands" were used as "quarries' symbols of origin" and were already used in Greek and Roman antiquity as a symbol of origin and control mark when the material was accepted by the client. Excavations in old quarries show that ashlars had been worked on by professional stonemasons even in medieval times. These characters, often elaborated in a fleeting way, were mostly chiseled away in the course of later processing steps.

Historical development of the stonemason's mark

Egyptian stone carving marks

The oldest stonemason's marks can be found in Egypt . They were found on a tomb from around 2450 BC. Discovered and - read in the correct order - result in a sentence. These were quarry or offset marks, which were mostly posted by their own scribes and were intended to indicate either the origin of the material from a specific quarry or the affiliation to a certain construction site.

Stonemasons of the Phoenicians and Persians

Phoenician stonemason marks are known from Sidon , Baalbek and Damascus and the oldest Persian stonemason marks were seen in Ekbatana and Persepolis (approx. 700 BC). They are large, roughly carved and formally not to be confused with Greek and Roman characters. Similar to the Egyptian marks, these marks were also work marks that were struck by professional stonemasons themselves due to a performance-based accounting mode.

Stone carving marks in Mesopotamia

The Mesopotamian building method initially only knew air-dried or burnt clay bricks , which were marked with brick stamps and pitch marks.

Stone carving marks of ancient Greece and Rome

Stonemason's mark on the Roman city gate Porta Nigra in Trier, here the letters "MAC" carved into a stone in the western gate passage (2014).

Greek characters, which formally correspond to Greek letters , have now been found on ashlar structures of almost all ancient excavation sites.

In contrast, Roman stonemason's marks were made in a coarse and less careful technique, mostly in straight lines between 20 and 25 cm in size, and do not offer any personal reference to the stonemason.

Large numbers of other Roman characters were found at the Porta Nigra in Trier (2nd century AD).

Early Christianity

From the early Christian- Byzantine period (4th to 7th centuries AD), stonemasons and a. discovered at the Birbindirek cistern (550 AD) and at Hagia Sophia (532 to 537 AD). These characters were probably name abbreviations that formed the basis for billing.

Stonemason marks in the pre-Romanesque and Romanesque

With the actual beginning of Western architecture, when pre-Romanesque prevailed in Carolingian times, the stonemason's marks also appeared in the German Empire. It was churches and not castles on which the first signs were posted

Based on the stonemason finds at the monastery church Murbach , the monastery church Knechtsteden , the monastery church Maulbronn and the cathedral in Gurk an almost simultaneous occurrence in the Staufer dominion area towards the middle of the 12th century can be determined.

In France, stone carving marks appeared as early as the second quarter of the 12th century. In the Irish area they can be observed after 1167 in connection with the Anglo-Norman invasion.

For Spain, George Edmund Street reported on early stonemason marks on the cathedrals of Salamanca (completed around 1178) and Lugo (1129–1177), among others .

Gothic stonemason marks

Architect Leopold Oelenheinz in gothic representation (approx. 1900) in the Marienkirche Königsberg (Bavaria) with stonemason's mark (bottom left)

Written regulations on stonemason's marks in the hut regulations

Only the Rochlitz Order of 1462 dealt with it in more detail as a copy of the main order in Art. 69 and points to the misuse of the stonemason's marks : "Which journeyman does not help ask to turn his stone out or turn it in, bring it or turn it around when it is necessary , or his sign is bad whether he is right, but it should happen before you see the stone that he has put into the casual comet unsolicited or predicted unsinged (!), who should give a half pound of wax to the bus. " In the Strasbourg main order, which is considered the central hut order of the Gothic, the stonemason's marks were not mentioned.

The stonemason's mark apparently developed into a "badge of honor" over time.

Article 30 of the Rochlitz Regulations refers to whether signs were only posted by trained stonemasons. He granted permission to give an apprentice a mark before the end of his apprenticeship so that he could go on a journey. This in turn indicates that it was very important to have a mark, which, however, was not proof of a completed apprenticeship.

Master's or journeyman's pieces should not have served as the basis for the award of the mark.

Stonemason's marks in Gothic hut books

The Admonter Hüttenbuch in Styria notes the respective stonemason's or master's marks. For the Austrian area, the Tyrolean brotherhood book, the founding document and a necrology of a Carinthian brotherhood, the Thanner and Klagenfurt order, the Tamsweg brotherhood directory and other copies have been preserved. Everywhere, however, the masters and journeymen are only noted by name.

Stonemason or offset marks on Gothic architectural drawings

It is not uncommon for "stonemasons" to be found on old architectural drawings, for example on the cracks of the building works at Ulm Minster and the sketchbook by Villard de Honnecourt (1220/1230). Recent research that u. a. H. Deneux employed at Reims Cathedral, however, suggest that these must have been offset marks. Alois Kieslinger, on the other hand, compared the work drawing of the pulpit of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna , on which the different segments were numbered with offset symbols, with the actual pulpit components, which today have real stone carving marks. Kieslinger could not find a satisfactory explanation for this.

In some cases, architectural drawings were even "signed" with stonemasons or masters' marks. Peter Pause urged caution when interpreting drawings with monograms, names, stonemason marks and dates, as it cannot be assumed that these originate from the draftsman himself.

Stonemason's marks on seals, in contracts and documents in the Gothic period

Portrait of Peter Parler

Maker's marks were also included in the seal and used to sign contracts. Eleven proverbs (1402–1418) with the seal of Ulrich von Ensingen were found in Strasbourg . Louis Francis Salzman published a sales contract between "Thomas Maude off Maydston" and "Rychard Young off Bowton" from 1536, in which the contract amount and extent of a stone delivery were fixed. This was not - as usual - signed with the seals or names of the contractual partners, but with their stonemason's mark.

In this context, Clemens Pfau reported on a silver thumb ring from the early 16th century, which shows a maker's mark with two flanking letters that could stand for the first and last name of the owner. Apparently the ring was passed on from father to son, as the letter of the first name was corrected, while the character itself and the second letter remained unchanged.

Referring also to the derivation theory of masons' marks should be noted at this point that the common master and Steinmetz character of the entire [!] Family Parler , the edges of the pile - the double-angled Maßbrett of Parliers - as "family character" for both construction and Figurative works as well as seals were used.

Stonemason and master craftsman marks on Gothic master builder portraits

Simultaneously with the respected personal position of the foremen , master portraits were often attached to statically important and symbolic positions of the buildings in the Gothic era. Master Hans Bock, for example, still bears the weight of the church vault of the St. Gallus Church in Frickenhausen, which he built between 1514 and 1516. However, the actual story of the master builder portraits began at the same time in southwest Germany at the Münsterbau in Basel with one of the later typical Gothic portraits: The monument shows two men, the master builder and foreman, and was set inside the Georgsturm.

Of course, the self-confident portrayal of Peter Parler (1330–1399), who, together with the builder Matthias von Arras (died around 1358), had equal rights around the busts of the emperor and his family, the archbishops and builders in the triforium of Prague, should be emphasized Domes immortalized.

In addition, the appreciation of the master craftsman has been increased since the 13th century by the theory of ideas of Thomas Aquinas , according to which the master proceeded in the construction of a cathedral like the creator god in the construction of the cosmos and thereby followed geometrical-mathematical principles.

None other than Ulrich von Ensingen has ever "set himself a monumental monument in such a grand form": He put his mark on the master shield four times in and on the ingenious Strasbourg cathedral tower and on the inside of the balustrade at exactly the point where his portrait figure kneels looking up at the spire.

In addition to console and keystones, master's marks can also be observed in direct combination with other architectural components: Such a monumental design can be found on the helmet of the St. Theobald zu Thann cathedral tower, where, in contrast to the example of the Strasbourg cathedral, the master mark without Schild [!], Was placed directly and in plastic execution in a crab construction.

Stonemason and master craftsman marks on Gothic epitaphs

Along with the increasing social position of the foremen , they left inscriptions on the building itself - north of the Alps from the second half of the 13th century.

Often such tombstones and epitaphs were placed on the outside or inside walls of churches to praise the builder whom posterity should remember. Mere grave inscriptions were often added to portraits, tool representations and stonemason's or master's marks. The latter should refer to the deceased's occupation.

As an example of a tombstone on which a maker's mark was immortalized, u. a. that of Matthäus Ensinger (1463, Ulm Minster). Moritz Ensinger's (1492, Ulm Minster) portrait of the epitaph also depicts his master's mark.

Stonemason's mark by the Viennese Baroque cathedral builder Johann Georg Haresleben
Stonemason's mark at the Martinikirche in Braunschweig

Stone carving marks in the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo

In contrast to the well-researched Romanesque and Gothic periods, research on stone carving marks in the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods is very moderate. Alfred Schottner gives a hint : “ Even in the course of the Renaissance, stonemason's marks very similar to those of the Gothic appear in abundance. In the Baroque era (...) the number increases noticeably without changing in shape or size. Buildings from the Rococo period (...) are only exceptionally marked with stone carving marks. "

Classicism and Historicism

Coat of arms of the architect Friedrich von Schmidt with stonemason's mark, 1886.

From 1770 the period of classicism began , which passed into historicism in 1820 .

According to Elisabeth Schatz: “In the course of the enthusiasm for the Middle Ages that emerged in the first half of the 19th century, people began to deal with medieval buildings and their stonemason marks as early as the Romantic period. The first unscientific considerations of the German stonemasons 'brotherhood arose from the Freemasons' interest in the legitimation of their own history. Roots were reconstructed back to the medieval “German building works” and it was claimed that the “brotherhood” of today's Freemasons had already taken place back then. As proof, the writings of F. Heldmann, KCF Krause, G. Kloß and FA Fallou referred to the word context "Freemason" and the connection between Masonic symbolism and medieval building. The workers' huts were seen as the conspiratorial cells of Freemasonry and the logo related to the stonemason mark was used . Furthermore, Schatz stated: “ In the older literature, partly shaped by Freemasonry, there were terms such as“ corporation, smelter or federal symbols ”,“ business and honorary symbols ”and in connection with the“ just stonemason reason ”and the "Construction secrets" of the building huts also the term "hand-painted" again. At that time, stonemason's marks were called “markings” and “monograms” as well as “guarantee marks”, which served to “control the quality and quantity of what was produced, thus also what the individual deserved” . ”
A myriad of publications were made and it continued a certain amount of research. In particular, the work of Franz von Ržiha , in which stonemasons' marks were systematically documented on historical buildings, was trend-setting, but is not tenable with regard to his statements about the stonemason's keys. Ržiha developed the 14 general keys, according to which all stonemason's marks since antiquity [!] Can be classified. This view is still widespread among stone workers today. The extent to which the award of stonemason's marks was still widespread at the time has not been precisely researched. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the knowledge and the award of the stonemason's marks took place sporadically.

20th century

Sign of the Reich Association of Stone Masons and Stone Sculptors
Stonemason's mark from 1968 on St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau

It was only with the work of the Ulm minster master builder Karl Friederich , published in 1929, that a systematic explanation of the stonemason's marks and the arrangement of the stonemason's marks on the buildings took place.

After the Nazis came to power in 1933, the following was stipulated in December 1934 in the new guidelines for the journeyman's and master's examination in the stonemasonry and stone carving trade of the "Reichsfachverband des Deutschen Steinmetz- und Steinbildhauerhandwerks" of December 1934: " Has the apprentice passed the examination, so he should be solemnly absolved to be a journeyman. On this occasion he is obliged by the head master of the guild to adhere to custom and practice of craftsmanship and receives a medal of honor (stonemason's mark), which he should lead for his entire life and where it is appropriate and permitted to cut into his work ".

Another strong resurgence of Steinmetz sign is on an arrangement of the Empire guild master, Albert Wacker , due October 1, 1937, when the Nazis all regional guild associations across the Empire Guild Association of Sculpturing and stone craft " equal-off ". In the arrangement states: " The foreman gives in my name, the Steinmetz sign of his guild all masters, instructors and - after passing the final examination - all fellows of his guild, unless they are in possession of a stonemason character due to this arrangement" . One of the four master keys , the so-called quatrefoil , from Ržiha served as the basis for the design of these stonemason marks . The basis of these considerations for reintroduction was the misconception of history about the Germanic peoples with their mythical places and runes , which the Nazis had spread . The initiative at that time undoubtedly led to an increase in the number of stonemasons.

After the Second World War , stone carving marks were usually no longer given. However, individual traditionally oriented stonemasons' guilds still award these today at the final acquittals of apprentice stonemasons and stone carvers. The German Federal Guild Association of the Stonemason, Stone Sculpture and Wood Sculpture Trade and its regional guild associations have a modified stonemason mark from 1927, which goes back to a master stonemason, Josef Aschenbrenner from Munich, who long years after the First World War was 1st chairman of the " South German Working Group of Associations of master stonemasons and stone sculptors ”. The Reichsinnungsverband adopted this symbol as its association symbol in 1934. Today it is registered with the German Patent Office with the number 850045 as a protected stonemason mark ( trademark ) and may only be used by guild members. The Swiss stonemason and stone sculptor guild association has a similar sign, the upper half of which is merely a mirror image of the German sign.

Signature with stonemason's mark by Leopold Grausam on a monument created in 1985 on Morzinplatz in Vienna

Another attempt to revive the stonemason's marks from 1960 comes from the Viennese provincial guild master, Josef Aufhauser , who proposed the reintroduction of a "badge of honor on a historical basis", which was unanimously decided by the provincial guild of Vienna for masters, foremen and journeymen. One leaned on the study by Otto Erwin Plettenbacher from 1961 on stone carving marks.

Furthermore, vocational schools, the so-called stonemason schools, for example in Demitz-Thumitz and Königslutter , have stonemason marks as logos, which have been developed from the so-called general keys. Individual stonemason and stone carving companies still use stonemason's marks as logos, some of which have been modernized. It remains to be seen to what extent stonemasonry marks will be introduced in today's stonemasonry businesses.

Stonemason's mark and today's building research

Today the historical value of the stonemason's mark is undisputed, because the purpose and the distribution of the stonemason's mark are of great importance for the dating and construction history of a stone structure. Since stone corrosion accelerates on historical buildings due to environmental factors , securing stone carving marks is of great importance. There has recently been software (see web links below) for the targeted and systematic archiving and documentation of stonemason's marks on buildings. With the help of these EDP-supported systems, life courses and professional personality developments could be traced from stonemason's marks. Behind the anonymous stonemason marks were people who were assigned increasingly high-quality tasks after their time as apprentices, some were specialists and others were all-rounders.

Current initiatives for building research on stone carving marks

An interesting European initiative for systematic research into stone carving marks has been taking place since 2000 via a database called “Stonemarks Database” on the Internet (see web links). There is also a European initiative by the “Wiener Dombauverein” to use stonemason's marks across national borders.

See also

literature

Current publication
  • Elisabeth Schatz: About stonemason's marks. On the meaning and documentation of a medieval “trademark” using the case study of the “double spiral staircase” of Graz Castle. Graz 2005 (Graz, university, diploma thesis, 2005).
  • Thom Frühwirth: The Computer Art of Mason's Mark Design with VanDeGraphGenerator. BoD, Norderstedt 2018, ISBN 9783752842975 .
  • Alexander von Kienlin: On the interpretation and origin of antique offset marks , in: Ulrike Wulf-Rheidt: 12. Discussions on archaeological building research: Traces of work - material processing and craftsmanship in ancient building, 2016, pp. 27–34
Standard literature
  • Franz von Ržiha : Studies on stonemason signs. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1883 (reprint. Bauverlag, Wiesbaden et al. 1989, ISBN 3-7625-2670-2 ).
  • Louis Schwarz: The German construction huts of the Middle Ages and the explanation of the stonemason's marks. Lecture at the delegates' day of the Guild Association of German Building Trade Masters in Berlin on October 21, 1925. Publishing house of the Guild Association of German Building Trade Masters, Berlin, 1926.
  • Karl Friederich: Stone processing in its development from the 11th to the 18th century. Filser, Augsburg 1932 (partly at the same time: Karlsruhe, Technische Hochschule, dissertation, 1929), (reprint. Aegis, Ulm 1988, ISBN 3-924756-02-3 ).
  • Alfred Zappe : stonemason's mark . Their historical development and significance with special consideration of the construction huts. In: Archives for kin research and all related areas. Vol. 29, No. 9, 1963, ISSN  0003-9403 , pp. 22-27.
  • Alfred Schottner: The custom of the stonemasons in the late medieval construction huts and their continued life and change to the present day (= folklore. Vol. 6). Lit, Münster 1992, ISBN 3-89473-248-2 (also: Münster, Universität, phil. Dissertation, 1991).
  • Günther Binding : Construction in the Middle Ages. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1993, ISBN 3-534-10908-2 .
More specific literature
  • Alfred Klemm : Württemberg master builder and sculptor until around 1750. W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1882.
  • Clemens Pfau : The Gothic stonemason's mark (= contributions to art history. NF Vol. 22, ZDB -ID 508967-0 ). Seemann, Leipzig 1895.
  • Otto Erwin Plettenbacher: About the old and the new stonemason mark. (What every stonemason should know about his badge of honor). Vienna State Guild of Master Stonemasons, Vienna 1961.
  • Hans Koppel: Stonemason's mark in East Lower Franconia. A contribution to the history of handicrafts and construction (= German stone cross research. 1977, ZDB -ID 960193-4 ). Festival of the Chamber of Crafts for Lower Franconia for the German Crafts Day 13./14. June 1977 in Würzburg. Chamber of Crafts for Lower Franconia u. a., Würzburg 1977.
  • Michael Werling : The building history of the former Otterberg abbey church with special consideration of its stonemason marks (= contributions to Palatine folklore. Vol. 3, ISSN  0936-7632 ). Home office Pfalz, Kaiserslautern 1986 (at the same time: Kaiserslautern, University, dissertation, 1986).
  • Horst Masuch: stonemason's mark. An introduction to systematic collection. In: Christiane Segers-Glocke (Hrsg.): Reports on the activities of building and art monument preservation in the years 1989–1990 (= Lower Saxony monument preservation. Vol. 14). Niemeyer, Hameln 1992, ISBN 3-87585-314-8 , pp. 83-95.
  • Hans Dietl: Stonemason's mark in the Bottwartal. In: History sheets from the Bottwartal. Vol. 11, 2008, ISSN  0948-1532 , pp. 88-113.

Web links

Commons : Stonemason's Marks  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Karl Friederich : The stone processing. 1932.
  2. ↑ Ulf Weber: Offset marks in ancient Greek building , Philippika - antiquity treatises 58, 2013
  3. ^ Karl List: The stonemason marks of St. Cyriak in Sulzburg (Kr. Müllheim). In: Newsletter of the preservation of monuments in Baden-Württemberg. Vol. 5, 1962, ISSN  0465-7519 , pp. 110-111.
  4. ^ George Edmund Street: Some Account of Gothic Architecture in Spain. Edited by Georgiana Goddard King. 2 volumes. Dent et al. a., London a. a. 1914.
  5. ↑ a b Alois Kieslinger : The stones of St. Stephan. Herold, Vienna 1949.
  6. ^ Louis Francis Salzman: Building in England down to 1540. A documentary History. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1992, ISBN 0-19-817158-7 .
  7. ↑ Clemens Pfau Clemens: The Gothic stonemason's mark. 1895.
  8. ↑ Alfred Schottner: The Customs. 1992, p. 217.
  9. ↑ a b Elisabeth Schatz: About stonemason's marks. 2005.
  10. ↑ Franz von Rziha: studies on Steinmetz characters. 1989.
  11. ^ Karl Friederich : The stone processing. 1932.
  12. ↑ Alfred Schottner: The Customs. 1992, Annex 18 and 21st
  13. ↑ Thom Frühwirth: The Computer Art of Mason's Mark Design. 2018.