Aryanhwy's Calligraphy and Illumination: May 2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Grant of Arms for Genevieve la flechiere

Scroll	Exemplar

This is based on BL Arundel 68, f. 41. I picked out the design and drew the layout on May 13; composed the text, based primarily on the grant of arms to John Aleyn (1454), with a few phrases liberally stolen from the grant to John Alfrey, drew the O and side border, calligraphed incipit, painted all background pink, blue, and carmine, and gold, on May 14; and on May 15 finished the calligraphy (took about 2.5 hours), and the rest of the painting. I am SO PLEASED with this one. (I got to do diapering on the shield! Yay!)

The text reads:

By Vitus and Eleanora the kyng and quene of Drachenwald to alle owre princes, dukes, barons, lords and nobles these present lettres seing or hering humble recomendacion.

Omnes boni remunerabuntur. It is soo that many persones been moeved of noble courage and gentile worth to exercise virtuous marks and condiciones by the which they shal come to the perfeccion of grete honour. Of which persones oone in especial whos name is Genevieve la flechiere of the shire of Thamesreach who has long borne herself valiantly and conducted herself honourably so that she is well worthy Where upon we the said sovorains of Drachenwald have made due serche and founde the right armes of the seid Genevieve as our dear cousins Sarnac and Jolicia, erstwhile souerayns of the raume of Ealdormere, haue assigned to her by grant, that is to say argent crusilly sable a bend gules, as depicted more pleynly above. The grant of which armes we conferme to the said Genevieve and witnesse here that no persone ought for to bere hem but her. In witnesse whereof to thise letres we have sette oure signes manuell the ____ day of ____, a.s. xlvi

The Latin phrase is translated: "All good men shall be rewarded".

Friday, May 13, 2011

Panache for Elsa Snakenborgh

I recommended Elsa for the award with a design already in mind. I knew that I'd seen some great examples of giraffes in some medieval bestiaries, and wanted to do an image of one with some text that made it sound like the record of a naturalistic expedition. I found the giraffes on Feb. 11, and drew the layout on Feb. 12. The text was composed on Mar. 8, and then in May I started the actual work: May 6 the gold squares were painted and the text calligraphed; I sketched the design and painted all the base colors. May 8 was black and white. May 13 was some details on the grass, trees, and beastie; I'm not terribly happy with them and so stopped there before I made it worse.

The giraffe is based on the giraffes in two copies of Jacob van Maerlant's De natura bloemen in the Royal Library in the Hague, KB, 76 E 4, fol. 13rb1, and KB, KA 16, fol. 50vb.

The text reads:

Cameleopard: Native to Juneborg in Nordmark, a lady of fine repute and noble rank. Noted for its skill and teaching in the scribal arts, and for this reason, recognized as a companion of the Order of the Panache by Vitus and Eleanora, king and queen of Drachenwald, during their Double Wars expedition, a.s. xlvi

Sigillum Regis et Reginae for Anya Mstyslavyaya

The scroll was done on a blank by Agatha of Norwich. I composed the text on May 12, and calligraphed it on the next day.

The text is based on pages 97, 107, and 112 of Hubert Hall, Formula Book of English Historical Documents, Volume 1: Diplomatic documents selected and transcribed by a seminar of the London School of Economics, available on archive.org at http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924092515711. It reads:

By the King and Queen forasmuch as we, of our special grace, in consideration of the trew and faithful service whiche our welbeloved servant Anya Mstyslavyaya hath done unto us, in certain and diverse matters of cloth and accoutrement, have given and granted unto her the right to bear our sigils as a token of our gratitude. Wherefore we wol and charge her that she do bear hereafter our sigils in due form, and these our letters shall be her warrant. Given under our hands, in our court at Turmstadt, the iind day of April, the ivth month of our reign, in the xlvth year.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Sigillum Regis for Whilja af Gothia

Scroll	Exemplar

The scroll was completed over two weekends; on May 1, I picked out design and wrote the text. On May 2, I sketched the layout, painted the blue of initial, and calligraphed first sentence. On May 5, I painted the green, finished calligraphy, did all rubrication outside main initial, and half of main initial rubrication; May 6 I finished.

The exemplar is Codex Claustroneoburgensis 389, fol. 99v (with extra inspiration from fol. 25v), a 15th C German MS.

The text reads:

We, Vitus, by right of arms King of Drachenwald, Sovereign of Nordmark and Insula Draconis, Lord of the far Reaches of Africa, Knight of the Order of the Chivalry, to our trusty and well-* servant Viscountess Whilja af Gothia, Companion of the Orders of the Panache and the Lindquistringes, fond greetings.

*beloved

Know that for the love we bear you and in gratitude for all that you have rendered unto us and ours we are minded to favor you above others of the land by granting unto you the right to bear a black dragon's head ensigned with our sigil, so that all may know the high esteem and respect that we hold for you.

In witness of this act we have caused these present letters to be drawn up, which we have signed below with our own hand on the ____ day of ____, a.s. xlvi.

Yeah, big skipped-word error in there. Had to put it in as a footnote.