Single wax table Manesse Codex

Product description

This single wax tablet is based on miniatures from the 14th-century medieval Manesse Codex from Zurich. The manuscript contains a large collection of Middle High German love poems and features no fewer than 138 miniatures.

The cera (Latin for tabula cerata – wax tablet) was a small writing board made from a hard material such as boxwood, beech, or even bone. In the center of the board was a recessed area filled with a layer of dark wax.

Writing on this wax layer was done with a stylus—a pointed tool made of metal, wood, or bone (Greek: stŷlos, Latin: stilus). With this tool, marks were scratched into the wax. If necessary, these marks could easily be erased or smoothed out, making the tablet reusable. Wax tablets were used for daily notes, reminders of tasks, debts, obligations, and as drafts of texts that were later copied onto papyrus or parchment.

Sealed wax tablets were also used for official purposes, such as drafting wills, delivering secret orders, statements, receipts, and even reports. The oldest known archaeological example of a wax tablet dates to the 7th century BCE, found in Etruria (Italy). In Europe, the use of wax tablets remained widespread until the mid-19th century.

Writing

Use the pointed end of the stylus to carve letters into the wax with light downward pressure.

Erasing

The flat side of the stylus is used to smooth the wax again. Keep the stylus flat, place your index finger on the flattened side, and move it in a pulling (not pushing) motion over the wax. This allows the tablet to be reused repeatedly.

This wax tablet measures 18 × 9 cm and comes with a wooden stylus, also based on medieval originals found in manuscripts.