Some of the finest examples of early European wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Germany, Russia, Italy and France, where the typical themes of that era were used in Christian icons. In England many complete examples remain from the 16th and 17th century, when oak was often used. In general, really fine carving is done in fruitwood (wood of a fruit tree) because that is easy to work with. The famous woodcarver Grinling Gibbons used to work with lime wood. Complex pieces are often carved in separate sections which are later stuck together.