Career
All we know about Tresilian comes through few documents in Windsor Castle and his surviving handiwork. His name is Cornish but the dates of his birth and death unclear. According to official documents, John Tresilian was a "principal smith" that worked in Windsor Castle from 1477-1484.
His annual wage was £24 5s or 16 pence a day.
Documents mention his in connection to a 1479 creation of a large anvil that was brought to Windsor. In the King"s Book of Payments for the year 1515 Tresilian was paid 30s 5d for clockmaking.
He probably died within a couple of years. Other clues are based on his unique handiwork.
Before 1841 these had been attributed to Brabant painter Quentin Metsys (who lived 1466-1530).
