Table Manners (c. 1540) This image is accompanied by a text by Hans Sachs about proper table manners. Among other instructions, the text states that one should sit down at the table with clean hands and trimmed fingernails, chew with one’s mouth closed, and refrain from wiping one’s mouth on the tablecloth. Woodcut by Georg Pencz (c. 1500-55), c. 1540.