Ariane Laue Kunsthandel

This rare model of a winding tower, also known as a headframe or sinking tower (German: ‚Teufgerüst’) is of museum quality. Precisely manufactured connectors made of wood and brass make the model, as well as the tower in its original size, dismountable into individual parts. It is completed by a detailed, movable winch system with metal gear wheels and wooden drum, iron cranks and wooden handles - it is fully functional. As the tower was used in mining it probably served for the instruction of mining apprentices who were taught at special schools like the Bergschule Bochum with a thematic collection of technical models. Crafting models was sometimes part of the education.
However, this model is so fine, detailed and of such high quality that only fully trained, specialised craftsmen can be considered as manufacturers – the sinking tower was probably made in France. Since the model can be completely dismantled, the construction of the tower, which is transported in individual parts from one day work to the next, can also be explored en miniature.

Published in: Raum für Objekte - Ariane Laue Kunsthandel, Kat. II - Nr. 2, München 2014