Cattle Tendon Fibers on 14th to 17th C. Wooden Artefacts: Review and Peptide Mass Fingerprint Analysis

Title: Cattle Tendon Fibers on 14th to 17th C. Wooden Artefacts: Review and Peptide Mass Fingerprint Analysis Authors: Beate Fuecker, Daniel P. Kirby Abstract: Various medieval crafts employed animal tendon fibers – a material forgotten over the centuries but well known in the workshops of the late Middle Ages and in use until the 19th century. In recent years, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum (GNM) in Nuremberg, Germany identified animal tendon fibers on a wide range of objects dating from the 14th to 17th centuries. The study provides an overview of fiber preparation and application methods (mainly in paintings and sculpture) and a survey of primary sources documenting the historic use of the material. To identify the animal source of raw tendon material, peptide mass fingerprinting, together with markers proposed as specific for tendon-derived collagen, was used to analyze fiber samples from weapons, armor, musical instruments, paintings, and sculpture – including works by Lucas Cranach and Tilman Riemenschneider. Despite the object context, cattle were found to be the predominant source of tendon fibers.