Aryanhwy's Calligraphy and Illumination: June 2010

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Silver Guard for Mikael Carhu

The illumination was done by Countess Honor of Restormel.

The text reads:

Proclaim to all the will of Ulfr and Caoimhe King and Queen of Drachenwald. Know that we have on many occasions received from faithful and true denizens of our realm reports of the valor, courtesy, and prowess of our brave and noble Mikael Carhu and are moved by his many virtues and the acclaim of our populace to make him a member of our Order of the Silver Guard that all may know of his courage and skill. In witness of this action we have caused this present charter to be drawn up which we have signed below on the ____ day of July, a.s. xlv, at Cudgel War in Humalasalo.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Queens Order of Courtesy for Judith de Northumbria

The text reads:

To owre dear cousin the countess Judith de Northumbria. Right worthy and worshepefull ladye, I recomaunde me to yow and thank yow for þe good, trew, and diligent labour ye have hadde for the mattier of the quenes of Drachenwald. For yowr conseil and thee manhede yow have shewn to us and otheres, we wish and firmly command þat ye be everilkquar accompted, nombred, accepted, and receyued into our Order of Corteisie. My wille is that ye shew þe chief signes of this honour, ane whight edelweiss wyth a centre of redde.

Written at Knightes Crossing þe x day of Iuyl, a.s. xlv. Yowre frend and lege ladye, þe quene of Drachenwald,

This is based (very loosely) on some of the Paston letters, with a liberal dose of my own invention. Two comments on vocabulary:

Manhede: the Middle English Dictionary s.v. Manhede gives in sense (2) the following gloss:

(a) Manly virtue, character, or dignity; manliness; (b) the character befitting a knight or monarch; chivalric nature or dignity; courageous behavior, bravery, valor; (c) courteous behavior, good manners, gentility; (d) humanity, compassion, kindness, generosity.

Everilkquar: a form of 'everywhere', which I have been dying to use.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

This is the second of my scrolls based on the Visconti Hours, fol. BR2. The scan is really poor quality, the cream color of the perg seems to have interacted poorly with the lights of the scanner, I'm not sure why. And the gold turned out weird too.

It turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought, even though I started by significantly reducing the complexity of the original. It was drawn and inked Jan. 20, backgrounds and gold painted Jan. 21, white and the suns on Jan. 24, calligraphed on Jan. 26, trefoils and initials painted Jan. 27, and then finally finished five months later, so that I can hand deliver it next weekend.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Fox for Cedric of the Floppy Hat

The exemplar is from the Hours of Mary of Guelders, fol. 20, reproduced on p.79 of John Harthan, Books of Hours and Their Owners. The MS is dated to 1415.

The text reads:

One and all know that we, William and Æringunnr, Prince and Princess of Insula Draconis, have granted and by this our present charter confirmed to our subject Cedric of the Floppy Hat membership in our Order of the Fox and all the liberties and responsibilities which by law and custom belong to membership in the said order. Wherefore we wish and firmly command that he shall have and maintain all those good customs and rights, freely, quietly, and fully; and we prohibit any one from bringing any obstacle, or impediment, or diminution upon him in these matters on pain of forfeiture to us.

William
Æringunnr

at Klakavirki
iij julii xlv

It is based on the first charter of King Stephen, dated to 1135 and previously available online here.

16 June: picked design, drew layout, started drawing upper border, wrote text, calligraphed.
18 June: drew out rest of design except for leaves, inked everything except for initial
19 June: everything else.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

A congratulations card for our neighbors who had a baby

I got back from traveling and found that our neighbors across the hall had had their baby, a little girl. So I thought I'd find a suitably flowery initial 'C' to make a congratulations card for them. Took about two hours from start to finish. The exemplar is Codex Gottwicensis 453 (238), fol. 258v.

Monday, June 7, 2010

AoAs for Michael der Grosse von Bergen and Martin von Vrakenvorde

For my first court as signet I wanted to be absolutely sure that we had scrolls for everything; unfortunately, I was traveling a lot leading up to the event so I knew I couldn't do them on my own, and still have time to get them mailed to Germany. Luckily, during my travels I spent a day visiting Ælfwynn Leoflæde dohtor, who is running Isengau's scriptorium, and she already had one blank, by Apollonia Grünenzwig, on hand, and I asked if she and Apollonia could put together another before I arrived, and they rose to the occasion wonderfully.

The text of the first reads:

Michael der Grosse von Bergen, we Ulfr and Caoimhe rightful king and queen of Drachenwald salute you and send you fond greetings this nineteenth day of June, a.s. xlv. Know that we have heard many good reports of your service to the Shire of Veilburgen, particularly in fostering heraldry. Such service is a mark of nobility and it is our pleasure to recognize this nobility by making you a lord and award you all rights to such arms as you shall register with the College of Arms. In witness whereof we have set our marks below.

The text of the second reads:

All know by these words the will of Ulfr and Caoimhe, King and Queen of Drachenwald. To all true and noble people these present letters seeing or hearing greetings and good will. It is so that many persons been moved of noble and gentle courage to exercise virtuous marks and conditions by the which they shall come to the perfection of great honur. Of which persons one in especial whose name is Martin von Vrakenvorde of the shire of Aventiure who has served our realm greatly as chatelaine, web minister, and fencer. In these as well as in other of his affairs has borne himself valiantly and conducted himself honourably so that he has deserved well and is well worthy that henceforth and forevermore he may be in all places admitted counted numbered and received among the company of other ancient gentle and noble men. Where upon we the said king and queen have made herein an award of arms to the said Martin so that he and no other person but him may bear such arms as he shall register with the College of Arms. In witnes whereof to these letters we have set our marks below on the first day of the first month of our reign.

This is based loosely on some of the texts at http://verysleepy.itgo.com/grants.htm.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Queens Order of Courtesy for Saraswati-man.ikkam, aka Ruth

The exemplar is a 15th C Dutch MS, Codex S 1399, fol. 2054. The design was picked, layout drawn, text written, and calligraphed on May 24, and all the illumination (drawing, inking, and painting) done June 2.

The text reads:

Vistors comes from far away lands et many make this realm their home. Yet few of them shine so fair as the flower of India lately bloomed in Drachenwald, Saraswati-mán.ikkam, whom we know well and love greatly and whom it is our pleasure to call Ruth. For her deeds and largesse and delicacies brought from abroad, we, Fiona, queen of Drachenwald, make her a member of our Order of Courtesy. Done the 19th day of June, a.s. xlv, at the coronation of our heirs and in witness whereof we have set our hand below.