joins, except for that of the large vertical plank, which has a chamfered
3–5 cm overlap.^22 Such additions were often done by professionals
(Rombouts and Van Lerius 1864–76).^23 On X radiographs these additions
appear to have been made after Rubens began his composition (Poll-
Frommel, Renger, and Schmidt 1993)—toolmarks beneath the latest paint
layer are observed (Sonnenburg and Preusser 1979).
In the northern Netherlands we see that Rembrandt’s panels from
the Leiden period are all on oak. The grain always runs parallel to the
length of the panels, and joins are always butt joins (van de Wetering
1986). The panel makers in Leiden belonged to the joiners and cabinet-
makers guild but are not mentioned in the guild regulations until 1627. At
that time the joiners and cabinetmakers requested that the Leiden guild
specify them as the producers of these panels. This request was made
because a certain woodturner—not a guild member—was making and sell-
ing panels, and the joiners wanted him stopped (van de Wetering 1986).
The tradition of the Netherlandish school of the seventeenth cen-
tury was applied to the French methods of the eighteenth century (Berger
1901:416). Studies of English panels show that up to about 1540, many
are of crude workmanship and often have uneven joins (Fletcher 1984).
However, in 1692 Marshall Smith recommended the use of old wainscot
for panels because it was less likely to warp (Talley 1981).H O P-M T N C 159b