Early modern pewter from the castle of Middelburg-in-Flanders (Belgium): uses, material composition and ranges of quality

SUMMARY

An exceptional archaeological assemblage of pewter was found during excavations at the castle of Middelburg (Belgium). This article gives an overview of the forms and marks that are represented and discusses the chronology and spatial distribution of these tin-alloyed finds. As such, it becomes possible to delineate certain functional zones at the castle, and get a glimpse of the lives of some individuals who have lived at the castle, from a Catholic priest to Burgundian and Habsburgian nobles. This pewter set is subsequently analysed by PIXE to determine its elemental composition. Besides some methodological considerations for the future elemental analysis of pewter, these investigations illustrate the existence of various qualities of pewter. These different tin-based alloys are discussed with respect to market expectations and the various constraints that pewterers faced in elaborating these alloys.

Keywords:

• Pewter
• castle
• materials
• regulations
• Flanders
• 16th–17th centuries

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Flanders Heritage Agency and the Province of East Flanders (Heritage Department), in particular Leentje Linders and Lien Lombaert, for making the Middelburg material available for study. Our thanks also go to Paul Verstraete, former owner of the grounds of Middelburg’s castle. For their help with the PIXE analyses, we would like to thank the New AGLAÉ team, in particular, Claire Pacheco, Quentin Lemasson and Laurent Pichon of the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (Paris), and Nicolas Thomas for his help and advice. Finally, we warmly thank Nicolas Méreau for his helpful suggestions and Philippe Probst (Flemish Pewter Society) for consulting the society’s database and kindly sharing the results of his investigations and his knowledge.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential competing interest was reported by the authors.

RECORD OF ARCHIVE DEPOSIT

The site archive is available at Ghent University. The finds have been deposited at the Erfgoedcentrum Ename (Lotharingenstraat 1, 9700 Oudenaarde, Belgium) and the Flanders Heritage Agency (Gustaaf Levisstraat 45, 1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Ghent University, the National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.-FNRS) in Belgium, and the Iperion program (Integrated Platform for the European Research Infrastructure ON Cultural Heritage) Horizon2020 (project MECAMI. Metals in the Castle: Early Modern Materials for Objects of a Noble Residence and Military Stronghold in Middelburg-in-Flanders (Belgium, 15th–17th c.), Grant Agreement no. 871034).