Richard of Salesberie, Scribe and Illuminator

 Another piece produced in a hurry, this was the prize for the performance contest at our local event, the Mnydd Gwyn Eisteddfod.  (It was won by Maredydd ap Gwillim).  Part of the hurry was that I didn't start it because I couldn't get any inspiration.  Then, when visiting the Battle of Tewkesbury re-enactment, my wife and I visited Tewkesbury Abbey, and she pointed out, high above us on a ceiling boss, an angel playing a harp.  It seemed appropriate, so I used it as the basis of a scroll, with a suitable border based on a 14th century manuscript page I found on the internet.  The entire piece was done in three days, just in time for the event.

I was asked to produce this scroll with very little notice, so needed to keep it very simple, without any complex borders or decoration.  I decided to go for the something suggesting a Renaissance portrait, and managed to get hold of people who could supply me with suitable photos of the subject.  The final drawing is a composite, based on photos of Morales, his Renaissance doublet and jerkin, and a detail photo of the blackwork collar in construction.  The hat is entirely fictitious, but a bare head would have looked wrong! I was not present when the scroll was presented, but was fortunate that Libby Cripps photographed the moment, and posted it on Facebook.