Category Archives: Yet to identify

Tunnel (vault)

I’m not sure what the construction at the bottom of this tracing board is supposed to be. It looks like a tunnel. This is the tracing board of the “Vray Maitre et Ecossais” (‘true master and Scot’) degree which is supposedly from 1745.

The degree also appears to be called “Écossais de la Voûte Sacrée” or ‘Schot of the sacred vault’, so it just might be a somewhat uncommon version of the Royal Arch, or at least, the vault in which Royal Arch masons find the Word.

Also see: cold man

Bibliotheque Nationale de France – Fonds Maçonnique – FM4 (232)

Chair

This complex tracing board of the degree of “Chevalier Prince d’Orient ou Chevalier del’epée” in the Kloss collection has more elements that I could cut out, but what’s with all these chairs?

I have a 1780’ies ritual of the degree. I can’t find anything that explains the chairs. The degree appears to be a forerunner of the 15th degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite which is sometimes called “Knight of the East and the Sword” (or “Dagger”). In French the title of the degree is similar to that of the historical degree that I took the image from. The AASR degree also offers no explanation of the chair. Interestingly, in an old Dutch version of the degree, some elements are described that can be found on the old tracing board such as a rectangular Holy Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, an arm holding a trowel in the South and one holding a sword in the North (below the towel is in the North and the dagger or sword in the South) and the river.

The only indication for the chairs is that both in the old ritual and in the AASR ritual, the meeting is called a “council”.

Also compare the stools on the image in Les Plus Secret Mysteres (1820) which are -unfortunately- also not explained. See for example here.

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Mountain

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees.

Here we have one section of a plate (see below). Do the first two rows show emblems of officers? The third row general Masonic symbols (perhaps referring to the first three degrees)? And the bottom row? If the image on the bottom right is the Master’s drawing board does the mountain refer to the second degree and the mountain to the first? Do all images refer to different degrees?

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Unknown

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees.

Here we have one section of a plate (see below). Do the first two rows show emblems of officers? The third row general Masonic symbols (perhaps referring to the first three degrees)? And the bottom row? If the image on the bottom right is the Master’s drawing board does the thing in the middle refer to the second degree and the mountain to the first? Do all images refer to different degrees?

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Head with Sword

In the fascinating, French publication, supposedly originally from 1765, called Mutus Liber Latomorum we find about 30 beautiful colour plates with often uncommon Masonic symbols. There is a suggestion that they refer to historical (proto Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite?) degrees. The image above is early in the book, so it refers to a low/early degree?

More about the book here.

Mutus Liber Latomorum (1765)

Y

An emblem of the German Grand Lodge Zur Sonne (‘to the sun’) from 1829. Possart (Die St. Andreasgrade 1877/7) explains the Y as the lewis. Elsewhere in the same book, he uses the Y as a symbol of a threefold union.

The reference to Possart makes another possible connection. His book is about the Große Landesloge degrees and it is within that ‘Grand National Lodge’ that the interesting tracing boards with strange symbols and grasshoppers appear in their Andreas degrees. On these tracing boards you also see the image below.

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Man with Scythe?

Tracing board from Von Löwen in the Kloss collection (Collection de 84 tableaux, Kl.MS:XXV.1) for the degree of “Chevalier du Soleil” (‘knight of the sun’). Is this a man with a scythe?

Christina Voss in The ‘Universal Language’ of Freemasonry (2003) describes a man with a scythe as “time”, which is an interesting interpretation.

Also see Grim Reaper.

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Hammers and Mallets

There is a great variety of hammers and mallets. Also within Masonic symbolism you see a variety, but -fortunately- not as big as above. Sometimes these different hammers and mallets have a symbolic significance, oftentimes not. In Mark symbology you often see a carver’s mallet with a chisel. A hammer on one tracing board can also be a pick hammer on another. Perhaps it could be fun to make a list is types of hammers and mallets and their specific symbolic meanings.

A flat hammer (in German “Setzhammer”) is sometimes called “Grandmaster Hammer” (“Großmeisterhammer”), while a pick hammer (“Spitzhammer”) is for entered apprentices. In this way there are more specific meanings for specific types of hammers.

Wikimedia Commons.

Child

There is a fascinating book called Mutus Liber Latomorum, subtitled Le Livre Muet des Franc-Maçons. I suppose the French ‘the silent book of the Free-Masons’ is supposed to be a translation of the Latin title. The book appears to have been originally published (without a title?) in 1765 and should not be confused with the famous alchemical book Mutus Liber from 1677. It was republished in 1993 by J.C. Bailly and some say that it was him who came up with the tile. The republication supposedly contains: “two symbolic and historical studies: one by Philippe Morbach and the other by Didier Kahn, as well as the illustrations presented here”. These studies are not available on the website or a PDF of the book that I found. The original is in possession of the Grand Orient de France.

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Instruments?

Feddersen (SO/20) calls the below tracing board: “Working board [Arbeitstafel] of the Andreas Entered Apprentice-Fellowcraft from the year 1883, almost exactly as still used today”. I have to think of a 3rd degree myself actually, and what are these three circles in the lower half? Some sort of (scientific) instruments?

Btw, German “Andreaslogen” are Swedish-type “Scottish” (high degree) lodges.

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Cloud

Apparently the German Masonic reformer Schröder designed this minimalist tracing board around 1815. I don’t know the significance of the cloud. The image can be found in Feddersen (D/71).

Obviously it became part of the Schroeder ‘type of Freemasonry’, as clouds are still part of the Brazilian “Rito Schröder” emblem below left.

Interestingly, clouds can also be seen on this tracing board of the Gold- und Rosenkreuzer (one of three tracing boards used in the 1st degree).

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