Forget ships in a bottle. This museum includes interlocking wooden wheels showcased in bottle displays. It’s also home to a violin composed of sugar, a pair of wooden shoes about four feet long, and a booby-trapped lock designed to snare the hand of anyone who tries to pick it. The common denominator for all these items? Each of these objects is a chef d’œuvre, or masterpiece produced by a craftsman applying to become a compagnon. Compagnonnage refers to a system of social organizations for skilled tradesmen that started in the…
