Wie hängen sie zusammen

Feathers have long been used as everyday objects. Since the Middle Ages, people have used quills from geese or swans as writing tools. In Lucas Cranach's portrait of Cardinal Albrecht von Brandenburg, sharpened quills can be seen in a small box. Before use, the quills were stripped of their down and angled with a penknife. A professional scribe could use up to five quills a day because the soft quills needed constant resharpening.