One of the basic criteria that an artefact or a tradition must meet in order to qualify as heritage is age. This practical exercise helps students to understand this principle, to critically analyse a given item and to make value judgements. It can be adapted to any context that aims at heritage education. 

Objectives

• Clarify the principle of age as a basic principle underlying the protection of heritage objects.
• To research and discover elements of composition that indicate the age of the heritage piece (furniture).
• Practising the spirit of observation.

Competences

• Expressing interest in the heritage of a community, understanding its value.
• Cultural sensitivity and expression.
• Artistic skills.

Activity

The students will receive cards/photographs of pieces of painted Saxon furniture from different centuries (18th, 19th and 20th), among which there will be ‘trap cards’ which do not belong to the Saxon style. Firstly, the students will have to remove the ‘trap cards’  so that only those that are part of the traditional Saxon style remain. Students will be given a printed sheet in which they will write down the elements/details that helped them to identify the age and compare them with each other according to the age criteria. They will then explain this to their peers.