After noticing that they didn't seem to like rotating the folio until absolutely necessary, I spent some time looking into writing surfaces. Many of them had nothing more than a little board/shelf attached to the side or arm of a chair. Tables were apparently not commonly used for writing.
Some had lectern-style surfaces (these are often depicted in miniatures), but those were probably luxury items that were more common in scriptoria than other places. But even a lectern-style base would be awkward for creating a map or anything else where you have to rotate the folio.
Some had lectern-style surfaces (these are often depicted in miniatures), but those were probably luxury items that were more common in scriptoria than other places. But even a lectern-style base would be awkward for creating a map or anything else where you have to rotate the folio.