Eduard Philipp Körberi keskaegsete hauaplaatide mudelid

Eduard Philipp Körber (1770–1850) was a pastor in Tartu county. He is known to posterity as an avid local historian. In this article, we look at a collection of models Körber made of grave slabs in the churches of Estonia and Latvia. The 18 models that have survived are carved out of stone and about the size of postcards, with information as well as a signature and a date on the back. The models were later owned by the learned societies in Tallinn and Tartu. Nowadays they are in the Estonian History Museum and the Estonian National Museum. Until World War II the collection was used by Estonian, Latvian, and German researchers. Some of the grave slabs depicted had been destroyed or were inaccessible. Photographs of the models were used as illustrations for books. One model was even used as an example for restoring the original grave slab. The models are carved with great care and detail, but researchers drew attention to discrepancies between originals and models, calling for caution. Nevertheless, the collection remained in use, with each publication adding to its credibility. The material of the models was described by Körber as slate (Schiefer). However, the information in his correspondence about the location where he acquired the stone as well as close inspection of the models led us to conclude that it is graptolitic argillite. We reenacted gathering pieces of it from the shores of the Jägala river in Harju county and experimented with using different tools to carve it. Graptolitic argillite proved to be easy to acquire and model, which could be the reason why Körber used this unconventional material.