Somewhere in between January and February a friend approached me to work on a very special scroll for her husband. The whole thing was to be a surprise and at Defending the Gate they were going to put him on vigil in the morning to contemplate joining the Order of the Pelican, would I be willing to do his scroll? OMG YES!!! Of course I would! I was ecstatic that he was being recognized and was honored that she wanted me to do his scroll! She gave me some basic requests, and then I spent a good week looking for something that said "Colum" to me. Then I came across this brooch..and it said "I could be a Pelican with a little tweaking from you..." and it reminded me of him in a way too. Brooch in Form of a Bird of Prey Date: late 500s Culture: Vendel Medium: Copper alloy with silver overlay Dimensions: Overall: 2 1/8 x 1 1/4 x 3/8 in. (5.4 x 3.2 x 1 cm) Classification: Metalwork-Brass Credit Line: Purchase, Leon Levy and Shelby White Gift, Rogers Fund, and funds from various donors, 1991 Accession Number: 1991.308 Their dogs are extremely important to them as well, and it was asked that I include at least a black lab in the scroll somewhere. Well, I didn't think I could make it look right with that brooch, so the answer was to make a two sheet scroll. One side with the text and illumination, the other with his heraldry and achievement. Scrolling through the pictures she had of their dogs, I found one that seemed to fit. So I started work. Materials - 2 sheets of Pergamenta 11x14" with 2" borders on the side and 1 1/2" borders top and bottom. Windsor Newton Gouache, Finetec gold, and Noodler's Bulletproof black ink, applied with a C7 nib and a dip pen. I crafted the text and used various Anglo Saxon insular minuscule manuscripts plus Drohgin's to get the hand I wanted. The runes are the same text as in the next and are a mix of various types I found in order to transliterate the script to the upper design. In progress pics below.
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So, what happens when the Baronial Secretary gives you an assignment for a friend who you have a slightly naughty inside joke with? You find a way to incorporate it into the scroll, with the Secretary's blessing. A friend of mine, Yrsa, was being awarded the highest award our Barony gives - The Silver Heart of Stierbach. One night at scriptorium, we had been discussing badges, the slightly less prudish attitudes towards sex in period (seriously, many of the period exemplars have some beyond racy images) and the pilgrim badges of the time that seem to mimic or replicate the early Roman flying peni fetishes. I found a brooch that I thought suited her and was close to her time period and had a lovely little blank spot in front. Not too large, not too small. Hunterston brooch Celtic, ca.700.after Chr. Scotland Silver gold and amber Scottish National Museum Edinburgh I attempted to mirror the pieces that were covered by the pin since I was taking that out of the equation, and changed the amber to garnet because the badge for the award is red and white, I thought the color would pop more. Materials used: Pergamenta 11x14"
Winsor Newton Gouache, Finetec Gold, Noodler's Bulletproof Black. Calligraphy exemplar: Various insular minuscule manuscripts of Anglo Saxon writing plus Droghin's. In progress and a couple details below. |
AuthorMe, Faílenn Chu ingen ui Fháeláin. Archives
February 2021
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