I have been going through my old dissertation research notes and came across a bunch of guild regulations. Here's one for the joiners (they do fine wood work, in contrast to carpenters) of Strassburg from 1571. I offer it as indication of just how detailed could be the requirements for mastership.
1. The candidate shall make an armoire for clothes with two closets and four doors; with a base, center, crown, and drawers, according to the following proportions.
2. Total height shall be 9 ½ feet. This height shall be divided into 21 equal parts and three of these parts shall comprise the height of the base.
3. The lower portion of the body shall be seven units high and the Gurt (belt) shall be two parts high, so that the whole of the base, lower body and Gurt, shall be twelve units high.
4. The remaining nine parts are reserved for the upper body and the crown (cornice).
5. The armoire shall be in width 2/3 of its height.
6. The doors shall be ¼ width of the height and shall be well-made, so that each fits correctly.
7. For the assembly of the base and interior wall, it is necessary that the pillars and transverses be of tongue and groove construction so that the partition walls shall be level and shall not slide about.
8. All inner and outer faces shall conform to the square [Winckelhacken] (a metal device somewhat like a T-square)
9. The doors shall all have veneer, at least on the outside. On the inside, the junction of the cornices must be perfect.
10. The upper doors shall have a Welch (a particular renaissance style) window.
11. The door frames shall be one unit wide and 1/3 deep.
12. The base and Gurt shall be fitted with their cornices so precisely that the cornices could be reversed and would still fit exactly.
13. Whoever would be master here shall not only demonstrate according to the division in parts but also shall make a model representing the completed work and he shall conform to this model and the model shall conform expressly to the preceding description.
Each is free to spend as much work and use whatever costly woods he wishes, so long as he conforms to the divisions and rules.
1. The candidate shall make an armoire for clothes with two closets and four doors; with a base, center, crown, and drawers, according to the following proportions.
2. Total height shall be 9 ½ feet. This height shall be divided into 21 equal parts and three of these parts shall comprise the height of the base.
3. The lower portion of the body shall be seven units high and the Gurt (belt) shall be two parts high, so that the whole of the base, lower body and Gurt, shall be twelve units high.
4. The remaining nine parts are reserved for the upper body and the crown (cornice).
5. The armoire shall be in width 2/3 of its height.
6. The doors shall be ¼ width of the height and shall be well-made, so that each fits correctly.
7. For the assembly of the base and interior wall, it is necessary that the pillars and transverses be of tongue and groove construction so that the partition walls shall be level and shall not slide about.
8. All inner and outer faces shall conform to the square [Winckelhacken] (a metal device somewhat like a T-square)
9. The doors shall all have veneer, at least on the outside. On the inside, the junction of the cornices must be perfect.
10. The upper doors shall have a Welch (a particular renaissance style) window.
11. The door frames shall be one unit wide and 1/3 deep.
12. The base and Gurt shall be fitted with their cornices so precisely that the cornices could be reversed and would still fit exactly.
13. Whoever would be master here shall not only demonstrate according to the division in parts but also shall make a model representing the completed work and he shall conform to this model and the model shall conform expressly to the preceding description.
Each is free to spend as much work and use whatever costly woods he wishes, so long as he conforms to the divisions and rules.