THE OWNER BUILT HOME & HOMESTEAD
(Page 8 of 13)
September/October 1972
By Ken Kern
Credit for being the first painter known to the West will have to be shared by Noah of Biblical fame and the Cro-Magnon Reindeer Man. After his well-known ark was completed, Noah "pitched it within and without." Pitch (asphaltum) is still used by varnish manufacturers to produce protective coatings. Pre-historic cave man, it seems, was more interested in the decorative aspects of paint. He mixed simple earth colors with animal fats and painted the walls of his cave-houses.
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Decorative painting assumed an important role in the lives of Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman ruling classes. White lead was extracted and used as early as 430 B.C. by the Romans. In medieval times the people used paint to decorate and protect the spokes of their carts and the handles of their various agricultural implements.
With the advent of the Renaissance came the guild organization of master, journeyman and apprentice. The formation of the Old English "Payntour-Steynor" guild in the 13th century laid the groundwork for our equally hidebound unions and trade organizations. In the early history of painting guilds are items that might have come from a contemporary grievance committee:
In 1488 the Mayor was petitioned to halt the ingress of "foreyns" (outsiders) from working in the city limits, there by taking work from members of the guild . . . In 1502 the Companies of Painters and Stainers were united into one company . . . In 1575 the Payntours-Steynors petitioned the Queen against Plasterers who were infringing on their paint ing work.
In 1581 the Payntours-Steynors received a new charter, seal and license from Queen Elizabeth. This new ordinance required seven years' apprenticeship, except from the genteel class who were permitted to paint for their own private pleasure. No person was allowed to instruct another in the art, unless that person be an apprentice bound for seven years. All work had to be approved by the Masters and Wardens. Masters and Wardens had rights to enter any building for inspection and approval. They had the power to impose fines or destroy the work if it fell below standards. The oaths of all members required them to keep "the secrets of the mistery, and not reveal these same except to apprentices and report all evils to the Company."
In 1606 it was determined that the price for laying color or oil paint upon any flat surface must be sixteen pense per day. Later the cost was figured by the square yard of surface covered. The work day was stipulated to be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. As the Company grew in size and political strength, it started labor exchanges for the employment of painters. These became meeting places and finally evolved into our current labor unions. Masters and Wardens founded The Institute of British Decorators which in this country is called the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America.
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