An attempt to unveil the past
Whichever theory one
favours, proof of how the transition from 'sliding' to 'cutting' occurred is not present. From an engineering point of view a development from bones to metal attached to wooden platforms seems natural. Wood
is easily worked and metal long lasting.
Unfortunately, early descriptions of the
construction are not available and we depend on what was left by our artistic ancestors in the form of prints. These prints, however, were not made
to explain the construction in detail and therefore seldom are detailed
enough to be certain about the appearance. The pictures on this page show
the developments in the 16th and 17th century, based on details from post medieval engravings.
1553 - This picture shows a detail from an
engraving made
in 1553 by Jan Galle after a drawing of Pieter Breughel
Senior. It is clear that these ice skates consist of three parts: a
platform, a runner blade and some kind of strapping. From elsewhere in the
picture it appears that the shape of the platform is triangular and that
the runners sit in a vertical slot at underneath
the platforms. How the blades are fastened tot the platform is unclear. The
strapping looks very similar to the way we use laces to tie
on our shoes.
1570 - Here we see a detail from an
engraving made in 1570 by Hans Bol. The front of the ice skate already
displays a similarity to a curl. The strapping seems to
be a leather 'harness' that is tied together by some kind of lacing.
These pictures from the sixteenth century show
primitive specimen of
ice skates. The scene changes dramatically in the seventeenth century. This
period is often referred to as 'the Small Ice Age' due to the severe
winters that then afflicted northern Europe. Ice skates became common
objects for the entire population and the
blacksmiths that produced them must have had golden times. They must
have made thousands of them and consequently the skate designs became more
sophisticated. From the
following pictures it appears that the foundation
laid in the 17th century lasted through to the 20th century.
1614 - This picture shows a detail from an engraving made by
Roemer Visscher in 1614. The ice skates have lost their primitive look and appear as gracious skids with beautiful high rising slender prows. The strapping is simplified to just two bindings, one for the heel and one for the toes.
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1667 - In 1667 a certain Balduinus composed |
some sort of a
catalogue of shoes and boots in which he also inserted this drawing. It shows very clearly that the platform has the
shape of a fiddle and that the wood extends to the end of
the prow where the runner blade ends in a tiny bullet. This style of
strapping continues to be used on wooden ice skates.
1700 - This detail comes from a cartoon made by
A. van de Venne in 1700. These skates are very much like the skates above, but it will be noticed that the tiny
bullet at the top of the neck has grown taller and changed to some kind of a curl.