

This follows the surviving rulebook of the guild. The best-known example today is Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868), where much of the plot is concerned with the hero's composition and performance of a "masterpiece" song, to allow him to become a meistersinger in the (non-commercial) Nuremberg guild. In its original meaning, the term was generally restricted to tangible objects, but in some cases, where guilds covered the creators of intangible products, the same system was used.
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In some guilds, apprentices were not allowed to marry until they had obtained full membership. If they failed to be admitted, then they could continue to work for other goldsmiths but not as a master themselves. In Nuremberg, Germany, between 15, apprentices who wished to become master goldsmith were required to produce columbine cups, dies for a steel seal, and gold rings set with precious stones before they could be admitted to the goldsmiths' guild. The same goldsmithing organization still requires the production of a masterpiece but it is no longer produced under supervision. The wardens of the company had complained in 1607 that the "true practise of the Art & Mystery of Goldsmithry is not only grown into great decays but also dispersed into many parts, so as now very few workmen are able to finish & perfect a piece of plate singularly with all the garnishings & parts thereof without the help of many & several hands.".


The workhouse had been set up as part of a tightening of standards after the company became concerned that the level of skill of goldsmithing was being diluted. In London, in the 17th century, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, for instance, required an apprentice to produce a masterpiece under their supervision at a "workhouse" in Goldsmiths' Hall. Great care was therefore taken to produce a fine piece in whatever the craft was, whether confectionery, painting, goldsmithing, knifemaking, leatherworking, or many other trades. His fitness to qualify for guild membership was judged partly by the masterpiece, and if he was successful, the piece was retained by the guild. Originally, the term masterpiece referred to a piece of work produced by an apprentice or journeyman aspiring to become a master craftsman in the old European guild system. They would have to produce a masterpiece to become masters at the end of their apprenticeships. Take a break with Sigmar’s Garden, an original alchemy-based solitaire game.Federico Zuccari, Two Painter's Apprentices, 1609. Solitaire Minigame - Alchemical engineering takes focus and concentration. Alchemists, who hold the power to create almost anything known to science, are highly sought- and highly dangerous. Rich Story - Intrigues and dark plots swirl around the city’s ancient Houses. Export animated GIFs of your elegant designs to show them off. Open-Ended Puzzles - Compete against your friends and the world to build the simplest, fastest, and most compact solutions to the game’s challenges. Master the intricate, physical machinery of the transmutation engine- the alchemical engineer’s most advanced tool- and use it to create vital remedies, precious gemstones, deadly weapons, and more.ĭesign Machines - Design and build machines that carry out alchemical processes using a variety of components including programmable arms, customizable tracks, and more esoteric devices like Van Berlo’s wheel and the Glyph of Animismus. Opus Magnum is the latest open-ended puzzle game from Zachtronics, the creators of SpaceChem, Infinifactory, TIS-100, and SHENZHEN I/O. But dangers lurk behind the family’s opulent facade, and alchemy alone may not solve every problem.

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