Aryanhwy's Calligraphy and Illumination

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Court Barony of Rainer Wulfgar

The calligraphy was done Oct. 1, the design drawn and the base colors painted Oct. 2, and the shading and whitework done Oct. 3.

The text based on the summons to parliament used by Queen Elizabeth II (though I believe it's essentially unchanged from earlier summonses); such a summons would make someone a baron if they weren't already one. It reads:

Ulfr by favor of arms of Drachenwald including all of the southern reaches King and Caoimhe by favor of beauty and inspiration of the same realm Queen to our right trusty and well beloved honorable lord Rainer Wulfgar. Whereas by the advice and assent of our peers for certain arduous and urgent and serious affairs concerning Us and the defence of our kingdom we are minded to surround ourselves with such barons as shall give us council in these affairs we strictly enjoining command you upon the allegiance by which you are bound to Us that the weightness of the said affairs and imminent perils considered (waiving all excuses) you place personally yourself before us so that we may make you a baron of our court so that with the said prelates, great men and peers you treat and give Myour counsel upon the affairs aforesaid. And this as you regard Us and Our honour and the safety and defence of the said Kingdom and dispatch of the said affairs in nowise do you omit yourself from our counsel.

Witness Ourselves at Griffinstor the 30th day of October in the 45th year of the society.

The design is based on Hs. II 119 f. 238v, from the 13th century.

I took photos as I went:


Calligraphy 1	Calligraphy 2	Border	Base colors	Pre-whitework	Finished	Close-up

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Sigillum reginae for Guntram von Wolkenstein

Sigillum Reginae for Guntram von Wolkenstein

The text is based on the first 13 pages of The Paston Letters and reads:

To our right trusty and heartily well-beloved Guntram von Wolkenstein, Master of the Laurel, we greet you well, thanking you as heartily as we can for ourself and especially for that ye do so much for our house and court, which I trust verily ye do rather for the great love that ye deem I have thereto. And forasmuch as we purpose to thank you for your rightful favour showed to us in all matters that toucheth us, we pray that you proudly and humbly bear our sigil, and that in so doing you be long preserved in honour and prosperity. Written at Adamestor, on the 6th day of November, a.s. 45, by your queen

The design was drawn out on Sep. 17 and everything else done on Sep. 18. The design is taken from the Hours of Mary of Guelders, fol. 19v, reproduced on p.78 of John Harthan, Books of Hours and Their Owners. The MS is dated to 1415.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Lindquistringes for Torrkil Mor

The calligraphy was done July 28 and everything else Aug. 1.

The text reads in Latin:

Ulfr et Keva, rex et regina Drachenwaldenses, Torkilo Moro, salutationem, gratiam, et benedictionem. Agnitionis muni quod prebuisti nobis, offerimus ideo tibi admissionem in nostris ordonis anuli lindquiste, qui conferte jus ostendere insigne ordonis, anulus factus draconi aurei sine pennis habentis ornamentum rubrum.

Datum apud Mynydd Gwyn, vii kal. Augusti, anno societatis xlv.

Which reads in translation:

Ulfr and Caoimhe, King and Queen of Drachenwald, to Torrkil Mor, salutations, goodwill, and blessing. In recognition of the service that you have rendered to us, we hereby offer to you admission in our order of the ring of Lindquist, which confers the right to display the insignia of the order, a ring made of a golden dragon without wings having a red jewel. Dated by Mynydd Gwyn, 8 of the calendar of August, in the year of the society 45.

The design is based on plate II 13, p. 46, of The Golden Age of Dutch Manuscript Painting, from a book of hours by the Master of the Morgan Infancy cycle (ca 1415), Ms Wittert 35 in Liège, Bibliothèque de l'Université.

Augmentation of arms for Matthew Blackleaf

The illumination was done by Agatha of Norwich.

The text reads:

To all those who shall see or hear these present letters Ulfr and Caoimhe King and Queen of the Drachenwaldish greeting and all recommendation. Equity requires and reason ordains that men virtuous and of noble courage be rewarded for their merits by renown and that they may be in all places of great honour perpetually shining before others by certain signs and shows of honour and gentility in order that by their example others may the more endeavour perseveringly to spend their days in feats of arms and other virtuous works to attain renown of ancient gentility in their line and posterity. And therefore We abovesaid King and Queen who not only by common renown but also by the report and testimony of other noble men worthy of credence am truly advertised and informed that Matthew Blackleaf, Baron, Knight, Duke, has long persued feats of arms and as well in this as in other his affairs has borne himself valiantly and conducted himself honourably so that he has deserved well and is well worthy that henceforth perpetually and for ever he may be in all places honourably admitted renowned counted numbered and received among the number and in the company of other ancient gentle and noble men. And for the remembrance of this his gentility we have ordained and assigned to the said Matthew Blackleaf for him the right to augment the blazon which follows. That is to say a shield divided per pale sable and azure, a phoenix displayed and sinister facing argent enflamed and on a chief triangular Or an oak leaf sable. We charge him to consult with the College of Arms and to design a suitable mark of honor to have and to hold for him for evermore. In witness whereof We King and Queen of Drachenwald above named have signed with our hand these presents. Made and given the XXXXXXX day of August in the year of grace two thousand and ten, which is the year of the society forty-five.

The lines are 1/4".

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

AoA for Cribhna na Tallaimh

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.