Aryanhwy's Calligraphy and Illumination: September 2013

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

AoA for Beroharti der Rinderschink

I got my choice of initials down to 2 on Sep. 16: MS Barth. 115 (Ausst. 27) f. 1r and BL MS Harley 3971 f. 1. On Sept. 17, I opted for the latter, and started sketching the outline and the lines. I completed the lining on Sept. 18, and started in on the painting; I did all of the initial, and the first pass of the red border lines around the outside. I rather like the little spindle thingies. On Sept. 19 we had C&I night at our place, and in the first hour or so I finished the illumination, and then wrote the text, which reads:

Universis presentes litteras inspecturis, Sueno et Sivana, reges de Drachenwald, salutem in Domino. Since human memory is short and does not suffice for a crowd of things, the authority of those who preceded our age, the divine emperors and kings, has decreed that those things were to be written down which the progress of fleeting time generally removes from the knowledge of men. Wherefore let the generality of the present as well as the future subjects of our kingdom know, that Beroharti Rinderschink for the reason that he has gravely comported himself in all his doings, as tavern keeper, as archer, as servant to the realm, bringing good hypocras and good cheer wherever he goes, --on account of the urgent recommendations of very many nobles, we, therefore, after deliberating with many and by their common counsel, have hereby confirmed unto the said Beroharti all rights to such arms as he shall register with the College of Arms. And wishing this to remain valid for all posterity, we forbid by royal edict that any one, with rash daring, infringe our will or in any way attempt to violate it; and we further validly corroborate this our decree by the present letter drawn up by one of our loyal clerks, signed by us the abovenamed king and queen below and given on þe xxviii day of September in the year of the society xlviii. Quod fecimus hodie, homo non neget.

It's based very loosely on the Gelnhausen Charter of 1180. I completed about half of calligraphy on that night before needing to head to bed. I completed the second half of the calligraphy, adding a bit more to the text to make it as long as I needed, on 24 Sep.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Dragon's Pride for Kane Ragnarsson

Normally I'm very good about backlog scrolls. But this one seemed ill-fated from the start. I started it, but didn't quite finish it before the event; and the event was three weeks before Gwen was born and I physically couldn't sit hunched over to finish it. And then she was born, and I was dealing with a newborn and no sleep and no desire to do C&I, and then we moved and I lost the nib that I'd done half the calligraphy with, and then we moved again and I found the nib but it seemed to fight me at every step, and as time went on it became less and less a thing of joy and more and more of an anchor. So I did what I've only rarely done before: I scrapped it and started over. I asked the recipient what his preferences were, and the response was "16th C German writ-style", which, thankfully, is something I enjoy doing very much. I found a beautiful 16th C German calligraphy exemplar book, and choose this initial for it. Once I had a letter, I could then write a text, which reads:

We, Lief and Morrigan, King and Queen of Drachenwald, &c., to all people to whom these presents shall come, greetings: know that we have given and granted, for us and our heirs, to our trusty and wellbelo- ved subject Lord Kane Ragnarson, of Vielburgenshire, free licence and full liberty from hereon out to style himself a member of the Order of Dragon's Pride, now and at all times for ever hereafter, with all rights and responsibilities and privileges attendant thereto. Witnesse our selves at Miltenburg Hall the 22, day of October, the forty-sixth year of our Society. Anno Dom 2011. Per ipsos reges, &c.

I don't remember which day during the week I did the planning and wrote the text, but I do know that my plans to work on it Friday evening were snaffled by a wrenched muscle in my right shoulder which thankfully was somewhat better on Saturday. So on the 14th I did the initial, which, alas, didn't turn out as well as I would've liked, because the vermillion ink I have always plays up. And I think I should've had a few different nibs than what I used. Unfortunately, the issues with ink have plagued the calligraphy too, so I quit for the evening after not too long. I returned to the calligraphy on the 16th; luckily, things looked better after a day or so away. I finished the calligraphy that evening, and though I'm not entirely happy with it, adding the flourishes helped (though I'm not entirely happy with the either), and I think I'm sufficiently satisfied with it. It was a bit dull, though, so I added this flourish.