Our earlier posting on Dan Webb prompted one contributor to remind us of master carver Grinling Gibbons.

The Dutch-British sculptor and wood carver was probably the first craftsman to attain wide recognition in Europe, graduating from decorative frames and plaques to major creations in wood and stone which still grace the churches and palaces of England. 

Grinling Gibbons (read his Wikipedia entry here) brought an unprecedented level of design and skill to traditional artisanship, his elaborate wreaths cut with such delicacy, it's said that the wooden flowers on one of his pieces would tremble when a carriage rode by.

Gibbons' work very often includes carvings of pea pods. One myth has it that he would include a closed pod in his work, only carving it open when he had been paid. If the pea pod was left shut, it supposedly showed that he had not been paid for the work. It brings a whole new meaning to the word 'appeasement'.