A name, a task
Museu das Terras de Basto collection
A “fingernail” for the grape harvest
The Museu das Terras de Basto’s unha — “fingernail” — MTB 437 was used to cut bunches of grapes. Made from sheet zinc, it measures 4.5 centimetres high. The inventory documents the utensil without explaining how it was used or attributing it to a village of origin. The recorded diameter is 2.7 centimetres: a small piece with a very specific task. Its name, function and dimensions provide different clues. Unha is the inventory’s name for it; cutting bunches is its documented use. The record connects vineyard work with the craft of shaping metal. Moving on to the stories of grape varieties and wine containers changes the scale: from a small utensil to the plant, harvest and movement of the product.
Vamos experimentar?
- Draws a line of 4,5 cm to represent the height recorded.
- Next door, he writes material, function and inventory number.
- Choose an object of yours whose name also surprises and compares the designation with the use.
Activity from sources and readings; does not require displacement or manipulation of historical pieces.
Open a história e os seus recursos →Sources of this proposal
- Basto Land Museum — Latoaria, Teresa Soeiro text and inventory of piecesConsultation/revision: 2026-11-07
My findings
An idea, a drawing or a question to go on.