Richard of Salesberie, Scribe and Illuminator

  Knighting “Scroll” for Richard Rampant   Richard asked me to do a scroll to mark his knighting. His persona is pre-Christian Norse, and this always causes a problem, because prior to the conversion, there really is little in the way of Nordic written material.   Although runic lettering from the period exists, it is carved rather than written, on materials such as stone, wood or bone.   The use of parchment or other paper equivalents belongs to a later date, or to other cultures. Richard is head of household for Brighthelm, and this gave me inspiration for how to tackle the problem.   The “Bright Helm” that gives the household its name is based on the Sutton Hoo helmet.   I decided to create a scroll based on designs used on the helmet.   The helmet was, of course, found in an Anglo-Saxon context, but is either a Scandinavian import or evidence of a trans-boundary cultural style which is usually called the Vendel culture in Scandinavia, but wh...

  Because of changes in my personal life, involving a much higher workload in my job, 2024 has not been an especially productive year in terms of SCA scrolls.  In fact, I have only produced three award scrolls, though I have tried to ensure quality compensates for a lack of quantity. Pelican Scroll for Gele Pechplumen. Shortly before I was invited to do this scroll, the recipient had posted the image shown to the left, from a famous calligraphy exemplar book called "Mira Calligraphiae".  The creature is believed to be a sloth, though it looks nothing like one!  Knowing she liked the image, I decided to base my scroll for her on it.  Clearly, the sloth would not do... the award was for the Order of the Pelican, so I attempted to paint the order's symbol, the pelican feeding its chicks from its own blood, in a similar style. The original would have been painted on dyed black parchment.  I was unable to find or create a suitable equivalent, and so the painting...

Laurel for Marlein Eberlein.  This was a scroll I had promised to do for the recipient as and when she became a Laurel (recognised master in the field of Arts and Sciences in the SCA). That finally happened this year. It was inspired by 16th century "Citizen Portraits"... that is, portraits commissioned by well-to-do bourgeois, something that really only began to happen in this period.  Previously portraiture had mostly been the monopoly of royalty or nobility.  Such portraits often (though far from universally) feature the sitter's accomplishments or source of their wealth, and because the sitter will not be armigerous, any heraldry will be typically that of their trade guild.  In this case I featured the clothes Marlein has made (being worn by her), a sprang hairnet and some pottery, three arts in which she has distinguished herself.  As she often sells her produce, I have put her at a trade counter, implying a successful merchant. I used the symbol of the Lau...

  Langland's "Piers Ploughman" mentions in passing that Robin Hood and Ranulf, Earl of Chester were both popular characters in the everyday tales of late 14th Century England.  Robin Hood, of course, has survived,  Ranulf has not.  So I thought it was time to revive him.  Unfortunately, by Langland's time, three Earls of Chester had been called Ranulf/Randolph.  I just picked the one whom I thought would give me the best story (Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, 1099–1153). As the plan for these illuminated poems, when finished, is to present them as "The Canterbury Out-takes" (Poems by Chaucer that never made the final cut!) they had to be illustrated in a style between the writing of the Canterbury Tales and the "Final Cut"... Caxton's printed edition.  The borders are inspired by "The Carpentin Hours" and the first illustration by a manuscript of Josephus' "Histories of the Jews" commissioned by Edward IV, so from...

  The recipients knew in advance that they would be getting these awards (which are given at the end of their time of service as Prince and Princess) and so requested that they be done in a Byzantine style, which I have not tried before. The idea of painting them on board to resemble icons was my own, and posed some practical problems, since I normally transfer the design using a light-box, which works fine on translucent pergamenata, but not on MDF fibre-board! I'm not sure that Byzantine is "my" style, but the recipients seemed happy with them. I used modern materials as I did not have time to master the techniques of traditional icon painting.  They were painted with acrylic on MDF board, with  gold leaf background. The blank spaces are because at the time I was painting them, it was not known who the new Prince and Princess would be.  Happily, the right couple won the throne... that is, the couple with names which well fitted the spaces available!  As I was ...

  This scroll was produced at relatively short notice for an SCA member who has been living in Britain, but is shortly to return to her original home of Kansas.  She tends to dress as a witch at SCA events, so the combination of "witch", "Kansas" and travel strongly pointed to a "Wizard of Oz"-themed scroll.  The scroll is entirely original, not based on any specific exemplar, though the grisaille style in which it is done was popular in late 15th century Flemish illumination. The buildings below are all venues used for our SCA events. Gouache, ink and gold leaf on Pergamenata.