Writing tools

Date: 1300s

Tablets of ivory or wood with wax-filled compartments were used as handy notebooks for the ephemeral jottings of the day. The tablets, often as many as six, were laced together with strips of leather or parchment in the form of a book. Those on the outside provided a protective cover and the exterior surfaces were often embellished with figurative or geometric carvings. Biblical scenes, figures of saints or secular images of courtly love and leisure pursuits were popular. The tablets were housed in special travelling cases of leather like the example shown here (without its lid) and the notes were scribed into the wax with a bone or metal stylus.

Accession number: MedWeb017

Place of collection: City of London

Material: leather; ivory

Measurements:

Gallery location: Case 23

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