GUILDS AND APPRENTICESHIPS

Craft guilds develop in the 11th century as a way to control the production of a particular craft. These hierarchical guilds consist of a group of artisans (apprentices, journeymen or assistants, and masters) who work together at various skill levels to produce their craft. The apprentice typically begins working at around age 13 and trains for several years for a specific craft. Becoming a master is very difficult, a feat that very few achieve. Medieval apprenticeship is one of the first examples of art instruction in the Western world.