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 "I
have seen the fine art of skinning many times, both in the field
and the studio… but never had I seen anything as beautiful and
graceful as the art of “Capping”, especially when performed by
a sensual woman on a magical misty afternoon in the forests of
Northern Portugal!
A
capping artist uses special knives, sharper and more exacting than
any skinner knife, and with almost undetectable small movements of
delicate fingers, they cut out intricate patterns with stunning
precision. My experience was made that much more invigorating,
because the “caper” in question was a beautiful Visigoth
Portuguese girl named Madeira.
The
combination of watching her long delicate fingers working that
knife, and (I must admit) taking “respectful” peeks at her
perfect voluptuous body as she bend over her game in the hazy
forest (whose overhead light turned her cotton dress almost
transparent!), was something I will never forget! Madeira’s
family had one of the largest cork factories in all of
Portugal.
She
spent half her time helping her father with the business, and the
other, preserving the wildlife which she loved so much. She would
find “naturally fallen” animals and brilliantly bring them
back to life with her taxidermy art. She was also a strong
activist for endangered species and the wilderness in general, and
her passion when she would talk, was matched by her passion when
the sky turned dark and the wine flowed! When I went with
her in the forest on this particular day, she had found a Chamois,
which had died naturally only a few hours before. They are an
endangered species now, and Madeira, after saying a prayer over
the animal’s spirit preceded to save its delicate beautiful
skin. Afterwards we spent the day (and into the night!), by a
small stream, eating olives and local cheese and bread, all washed
down with homemade wine, and though I was young at the time, I
felt even younger… like a school boy having his first wild
crush. To commemorate that special day in my life in the misty
forest of Portugal with Madeira, I made a very special capping
knife… crafted to the exacting specifications of the demanding
capers.
I
call it MADEIRA’S PERFEIÇÃO, which is Portuguese for
“Madeira’s Perfection”. The blade has a special satin finish
to recreate the sensual mist that only can be found in these
Northern forests. I also gave it a special “Finger of God” on
the tip of the blade. Capers put their forefinger against the top
of their blades to guide them, and I felt this would help in the
craft, and make for a very unusual shape… not to mention
practical, if you would like to try capping yourself. Most
important, its made to commemorate that one day in all our lives
that we remember as being “Perfection”.
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