2020 Essays

Artisans of Toulouse

Muñoz, Sarah; Debuiche, Colin

Many artisans worked in Toulouse in the years during which Ms. Fr. 640 was likely written, and their names can be found among the archives of Toulouse, especially the “Comptes du trésorier,” the “Pièces à l’appui des comptes,” the registers of the 1571 cadastre in the Archives Municipales of Toulouse, as well as the minutes of notaries in the Archives Départementales de la Haute-Garonne. The activities and handwriting of these goldsmiths, founders, artisans working for the Arsenal and the Mint of Toulouse, and other guild artisans were examined, as these could have been professionals who worked alongside the author-practitioner or even the author-practitioner himself. A list of artisans classified by profession, along with information on their documented dates, location in the city (when known), proximity to notaries, and handwriting is provided, which demonstrates that in handwriting, at least, the author-practitioner was not represented among them.