Crafting Ship Hull Ceilings: Timber, Shipbuilding, and Artisanal Knowledge in the Late Medieval Adriatic

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Event Description 
The ship hull ceiling—a wooden structure resembling an inverted ship in construction and design—was an adaptable building solution that flourished in the Upper Adriatic region of the Italian peninsula between c. 1300-1450. Ceilings were constructed using wood sourced from local forests, where timber was extracted, prepared, and transported through complex processes and infrastructures. This talk will examine how local timber extraction endowed artisans with the expertise to select wood suited to the needs of each ceiling and to navigate the numerous stages of preparing the raw materials. Additionally, Laura Hutchingame will highlight the innovative techniques that emerged from the dialogue between carpenters and nautical craftsmen and shed light on the diverse forms of labor that contributed to the production of ship hull ceilings.
 
Event Speaker
Laura Hutchingame, PhD student in Art History at the University of California, Los Angeles
 
Event Information
Free and open to the public; registration required. Contact scienceandsociety@columbia.edu with any questions. 
 
Hosted by the Center for Science and Society and the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at Columbia University. 
 
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