Portia s Keystone Scroll Submitted by Una de Saint Luc*

Transcription

1 Portia s Keystone Scroll Submitted by Una de Saint Luc* INTRODUCTION *(Note: due to copyright issues, the exemplar is not included here, but was in the hard copy submitted for Ice Dragon.) This is a Keystone scroll (AoA level service award) for Lady Portia de Sancto Lucianno that was given at Æthelmearc Kingdom 12th night on January 13, 2007, AS 41. It is based on SOZOMENUS DE PISTOIA: CHRONICA done in Pistoia, Italy by Filippo de Nanni de'batini (please see sample image on page 2). This scroll was done in an Italian White Vine style (also called bianchi girari), which is a Humanistic style that originated in Italian manuscripts during the 12th century and became more popular in the 15th century (Brown, 1994). ABOUT THE PAGE/CARRIER The size of the original manuscript was 390 x 267 mm. which is about 15 x inches. I use a millimeter to inches conversion calculator to help me determine the size. I find doing illuminations to the original size meaningful as it gives you a greater appreciation for the skill and work of the medieval artists. Someone asked me if the thickness of this page period. Books talking about period illuminations often focus on the width and length of a manuscript page and not the thickness, however I have held actual medieval manuscript pages and I find this piece to be comparable in thickness. Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 1

2 The page for the original manuscript was listed as being done on vellum. Vellum is described as It is a carrier strictly made from the skin of cows (DeHamel, 1992). For my piece I used parchment which is often used generically to denote animal skin prepared to receive writing, although it is more correctly applied only to sheep and goat skin, with the term vellum reserved for calf skin (Brown, 1994). Often people interchange the words parchment and vellum. We know they used vellum/parchment in period from a number of resources, including The Mappae Clavicula section 243-A says Parchment from ox-hide. If you want to make parchment from oxhide, put the hide in lime and let it lie there for three days. Then stretch it on a rack and scrape it on both sides with a razor. After it has been scraped, let it dry. Make whatever you want by cutting with a little carving tool, and afterward paint it with pigments (Smith, 1974). I purchased calligraphers goat skin parchment from Talas ( which is a store that sells professional quality products used for restorations, conservation and preservation. I used parchment rather than vellum due to cost (for the size sheet that I purchased, the parchment was about $150 where as the vellum was about $230). It is period for an illuminator to purchase the vellum/parchment from a Parcheminier (someone who makes parchment/vellum for a living) (Alexander, 1992). The preparation of the skins can be considered the first step n miniature production, even though it was not usually the illuminator s responsibility. The accounts of the royal Aragonese household in Naples contained numerous bills and receipts for the purchase of prepared parchments, which were first delivered to the scribes, and then when the texts were completed, were passed onto the miniaturists (Viñas, 1999). DRAWING AND LAYOUT A mechanical pencil was used to do initial layout. In period, they may have used a stylus which was any small, pencil-shaped instrument with a hard point, usually metal, used by artists for incising lines on a soft surface or for transferring a drawing. The stylus is the oldest of artists implements (Mayer, 1969). Cennini talks about making the stylus in period in chapter XI How you may draw with a leaden style You may also draw, without any bone, on this parchment with a style of lead; that is, a style made of two parts lead and one part tine, well beaten with a hammer (Thompson, 1954). In Mappa Clavicula, section 92 they talk about various ways of metal writing including a lead writing melt together two parts of tin and three parts of lead. When you have done this, polish it, file it and grind it. Then add water-glue and polish (Thompson, 1933). While the styluses were most likely made from lead, it is possible they could have used graphite. In England during the mid 16th century, a large amount of graphite was found. Believing this was a type of lead, it was called the Latin word plumbago which means acts like lead. This is why we often say the lead pencils even through it is really graphite. The early pencils were wrapped with string and sheep skin. (information from In the book The Technical Analysis of Renaissance Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 2

3 Illuminated Manuscripts by Salvado Muñoz Viñas and Eugene F. Farrell they talk about an Italian White Vine scroll and say and imprecise preparatory sketches, employing graphite or metal point (Viñas, 1999). The technical pencil I used is a thin piece of graphite help within a plastic/metal container. While I have used metal stylus before, the benefit to using a technical pencil is that they do not require sharpening, and they maintain a consistent thin line. THE PENS AND INK After I finished the initial sketch, I inked out the design. For this piece I used KOH-I- NOR brand technical pens, or more formally called Stylograph. They are a fountain pen used for drawing that has a tubular, needle like point, rather than a nib. The ink supply is controlled by a check valve and released only when pressure is placed on the point. The flow of ink is measured and regular, allowing precise, neat lines to be drawn. The stylography is available in a variety of point sizes, all relatively fine. It is also called a needle-point pen and a stylographic pen, but it is best known by the trade name Rapidograph (Mayer, 1969). In period, they would have either used a quill or a reed pen. In the book Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts by Michelle Brown describes the pen in history as A split reed, termed calamus in Latin (qalam in Arabic), was used to write on papyrus during Antiquity; a frayed reed was used as a brush. These were replaced in the 6th century by the quill pen and animal-hair brushes, which were more flexible and thus better suited for working on parchment, a tougher material than papyrus. A quill is formed of the flight feather (one of the first five feathers) of the wing of a bird, often a goose - the word pen derives from the Latin for feather, penna. The feather was first hardened by heating or by soaking it in water and then immersing it in sand. Dutching is a form of curing in which a spatulate tool (dutching hook) is used to manipulate the cooling quill to produce a larger, flatter pen. Nibs were then cut with a knife, the angle of the cut affecting the appearance of the script produced. The metal pen is also a very old instrument, dating from ancient Roman times if not earlier, but it was never widely used until practical methods for mass production of steel nibs were developed in England in the 19th century, after which metal pens soon supplanted quill and reed pens (Brown, 1994). I have used metal dip pens and reed pens to do drawings before, for this piece I used technical pens because they provide a nice consistent line without requiring frequent stops to re-ink. For this piece I used Rapidograph ultradraw black India ink (waterproof). So far, I have found this to be the best ink to use with the rapidograph pens. India ink is a period ink that is made with lamp soot and a little gum Arabic (Thompson, 1956). Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 3

4 THE ERASER To remove my pencil lines, I used a Staedtler Mars plastic eraser, which dickblick.com sells and describes as a superior quality soft white eraser removes graphite marks cleanly and completely from paper, vellum, and drafting film. The rubber eraser did not come around until the 18th century ( in the medieval ages they most likely removed the lines with white bread. Cennini s Chapter XII, entitled How if you have made a slip in drawing with the leaden style, you may erase it, and by what means. He continues to say On paper you may draw with the aforesaid lead without bone, and likewise with bone. And if you ever make a slip, so that you want to remove some stroke made by this little lead, take a bit of the crumb of some bread, and rub it over the paper, and you will remove whatever you wish (Thompson, 1954). I have made beer bread and tried it as an eraser for other pieces and it does work (especially well for charcoal). THE PAINT BRUSH I primarily used a size 2 round Princeton brand Kolinsky sable hair brush. The number indicates the size of the brush, which is the diameter or width in millimeters or inches, so a no. 2 is a finer tipped brush than a no. 20. Round is the style of brush. The Round this is one of the more popular looking brush styles. The belly (center part of the bristles) and ferrule (the metal that holds the bristles to the handle) form a round shape and the bristles come to a point. This can be an extremely versatile paintbrush and is very similar to the type of brush used in period. The bristles come from the Kolinsky sable (aka Siberian mink aka red Tartar marten). A sable or marten is a little mammal from the marten family that comes from northern Europe and Asia. The Kolinsky sable comes from a region of northern Siberia. In order to survive this harsh clement, the sables there produce a hair that is quiet strong yet supple and springy (Gair, 1995). The hair comes from the tail of the male sable s winter coat (Lovett, 2000). The Kolinsky sable hair is considered to be the cream of the crop when it comes to watercolor brushes. In chapter LXIIII of The Craftsman s Handbook Il Libro dell Arte, Cennini gives instructions on how to make a period paint brush by using minever (or Miniver) hair for the bristles. Minivers are in the same family as martens, sables and minks; hence the brush used for this painting is very similar to what they would have used in period. ABOUT THE GILDING I used Schwabacher Premium 22 carat patent gold leaf with some shell gold (period gold paint) & Sumi gold for touch-ups. I used some Sumi gold mainly to test it out and see how well it could blend in with real gold. De Arte Illuminandi describes other the binders for gilding are as follows: stag s horn glue, parchment or fish glue, and things like these (Thompson, 1954). I will confess that I used a non-period synthetic white glue because I ve had very good results with it for gilding. I have worked with period glues for gilding and have found them to be temperamental, and very sensitive to the humidity levels in the air. I had the gold Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 4

5 rehydrate on a similar manuscript and smear all over the artwork. It took me hours to fix the piece. While the glue I used is not period, it is much easier to use and I m not worried about it rehydrating and damaging my work. It is likely in period the original artists would have used gesso tinted with red ochre (Viña, 1999). I used an agate burnisher to polish the gold. A burnisher is an implement with a hard smooth rounded end or surface, used for smoothing and polishing. In gilding, burnishers are usually small forms of polished agate mounted in wooden handles. They are available in a number of sizes and shapes and are quite expensive (Mayer, 1969). In The Craftsman s Handbook Il Libro dell Arte, Cennini recommended burnishing with a dog's tooth or with hematite, though it is possible that agate was also used in period. ABOUT THE PAINT I used both store bought watercolor paint that had similar chemical properties as period pigments in addition to using some home made paints that I mixed by hand. For the home made paint, I mixed my pigments with Gum Arabic, which is a gum obtained from various trees of the genus Acacia, grown in Africa, Asia and Australia. The best varieties have always come from North Africa. Gum Arabic is soluble in water. It is used as the binding agent for watercolor paint. The best grade gum Arabic comes from the Acacia Senegal; they are sometimes identified as Senegal gum or Kordofan gum. Gum Arabic may be obtained in lump or powder form (Mayer, 1969). Modern day watercolors and gouaches are made with gum Arabic, however in period it is possible that they were using other gums such as Gum Tragacanth or the gum from the cherry tree, plum tree or almond tree (Thompson, 1956). They had a similar look to gum Arabic and could have easily been sold as gum Arabic when in reality they were possibly from a different plant. We know Gum Arabic was period by the recipe given in An Anonymous Fourteenth-Century Treatise De Arte Illuminandi: The Technique of Manuscript Illumination Translated from the Latin of Naples MS XII.E.27 section 18: Take white and clear gum Arabic, and break it into small scraps, or grind it; and put it into a glazed dish. And pour over it enough plain water to cover it two fingers deep; and let it stand for a day and a night; and then put it over hot ashes for a while, to dissolve; and test this just the way you tested the size solution. And if it is really tempered right, so as not to be too strong or too mild, strain it through a cloth; and keep it in a bottle, and use it. To make the paint I mixed the pigments with gum Arabic and water with a glass muller on a granite slab. A muller is an implement used for grinding paints by hand; it has a flat bottom and glides across a hard slab or tabletop. As far back as ancient Egypt and until 18th century, both the muller and the slab were made of porphyry or another hard stone, and the muller was an irregular cone large enough to be held with two hands (Mayer, 1969). White Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 5

6 For the white, I used both lead white and titanium white (titanium dioxide). Titanium white is a non-toxic, inert opaque white pigment that was invented in the early 20th century (Mayer, 1969). Lead white was actually more commonly used in period. Lead white was the only white pigment found in the manuscripts. Occasionally it was mixed with other pigments, such as lead tin yellow, red lake, ultramarine, malachite, green verditer, or red lead (Viñas, 1999). I used the titanium white because I ran out of white lead and it makes for a good substitute. Red For the red, the paint I used was the synthetic substitution for red madder called Alizarine Lake synthetic non-reactive paint made from dihydroxy anthraquinone. It was the first natural dyestuffs to be synthesized made in It replaced Madder Lake (rose madder). Red Madder has been found dating back to the Egyptians (FitzHugh, 1997). A.P. Laurie mentions in his book The Painter s Methods and Materials the use of madder as a paint (or lake) in the Medieval ages. Viñas adds to this with his scientific analysis of 14th century manuscripts painters were aware of numerous materials that could be used to produce red lake pigments. Common sources included grain or carmine, the latter extracted from certain insects; folium, an extract of the plant Chrozophora tinctoria; madder derived from the root of the plant Rubia tinctorum; and brazilwood, extracted from the tree Caesalpina sappan and other of the same genus (Viñas, 1999). I also used some Vermilion (cinnabar) which is a toxic paint made from Mercuric sulfide and it dates back to ancient times (Gottsegen, 1993). One of the orangey colors I used is Red Lead, which is a period toxic paint. Ceninni mentions in his book Il Libro dell Arte Chapter XLI A color known as red lead is red, and it is manufactured by alchemy (Thompson, 1954). He goes on to mention how red lead should not be used for wall paintings as it will soon turn black, on exposure to the air, and loses its color. Blue I used Ultramarine Blue which is the synthetic version of what they would have used in period - lapis lazuli. In Middle Ages and Renaissance, lapis lazuli was used to make intense and highly prized blue pigment; because it had to be imported from Afghanistan, it was called ultramarine (that is, beyond the sea ). Ultramarine blue was a most valued material in Rabicano s time, second in price only to gold (Viñas, 1999). Using Ultramarine Blue is much easier to mix and use from lapis. Painting with lapis is like painting with rocks (which it is) and you have to be careful to not grind it to much or else you loose the color. Green I used Chrome green which is toxic. In talking about period paints, A. P. Laurie mentions there is apt to be some confusion owing to the name given to a group of greens, some of Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 6

7 which are permanent and some of which are fugitive. Chrome green is a mixture of Prussian blue and chrome yellow, and it is not reliable. Oxide of chromium green, on the other hand, is one of the most permanent pigments on the artist s palette (Laurie 1935). On the original manuscript, I could see yellow dots were put over the green areas instead of white dots like on the red and white areas. This is possible due to the lead white having a chemical reaction with the chrome green mixed with Prussian blue and chrome yellow. There is also a little bit of Verdigris, which is toxic period pigment. Ceninni discuss Verdigris in Il Libro dell Arte Chapter LVI A color known as verdigris is green. It is very green by itself. And it is manufactured by alchemy, from copper and vinegar. He continues on to say take care never to get near any white lead, for they are mortal enemies in every respect. (Thompson, 1954). Yellow I used Italian Gold Ochre dates back to prehistoric times. It is non-toxic, made from iron oxide (Gottsegen, 1993). It is processed natural mineral or less formally called yellow dirt. Gamboge yellow which is a yellow vegetable pigment produced in south and south east Asia from various trees of the genus Garcinia. It is a bum resin formed from a latex that exudes from incisions made in the tree bark that is collected and allowed to harden (FitzHugh, 1997). Gamboge has been used in China and Japan going back to the 8th century (FitzHugh, 1997). There is some evidence of its use in Europe through the Strasburg Manuscript (15th century Germany) and in 15th & 16th century manuscripts (Laurie, 1914). While there is evidence of its use, it is probably more likely that the European illuminators would have used another yellow pigment called Orpiment. This is a yellow paint made from arsenic sulfide (toxic) and its use has been sited in medieval manuscripts through out Europe and the Middle East and even going back to ancient Egyptian times (FitzHugh, 1997). Black I used Ivory Black, also called bone black, which is made from the left over ashes of burned bones. It dates back to prehistoric times (Gottsegen, 1993). This is nontoxic. PERSONALIZING THE SCROLL Typically, Italian White Vine scrolls did not have the vines painted white and they were left blank. I have done scrolls where I ve left the vines unpainted and personally I like the look with the white paint, so I choose to fill them in. I decided to personalize the scroll by replacing the putti (or cupid like babies) with animals and objects that are meaningful to the recipient. Some of the items include paintings of her cats, previous awards of a golden alce and sycamore, fish, sea turtle, Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 7

8 chick-a-dee, a bowl of soup, a gryphon holding a post card, rabbit, labyrinth, coffee mug, dragon flies, a balance, gold shell, snail, squirrel, child holding a paint brush, a sheep, an elephant, a marmoset and more. I took out the putti that surrounded the heraldry on the original manuscript and put in a heraldic bull and unicorn, which is also meaningful to the recipient. CORRECTING MISTAKES I did accidentally ink some incorrect lines while working on the layout. I was able to correct the mistake by taking a blade to the parchment and carefully scraping the incorrect lines off. I then took my burnisher and smoothed the surface before painting over it. CALLIGRAPHY This was my first serous attempt at calligraphy. I have done text for scrolls before, but it was done in the form of kanji or a deliberate raw hand. I have always struggled with calligraphy due to being left handed and not being able to hold a calligraphy pen correctly. I was able to do this calligraphy via writing backwards with a rapidography tech pen and drawing the letters. I used a light table to help me with basic alignment and kept the original manuscript handy to reference how the letters were supposed to look. My goal was not to create the best and most authentic calligraphy, but to just be able to finally do the text myself. The wording was done by Mistress Daedra McBeth a Gryphon. CONCLUSION If I were to do this scroll again, I might choose different colors. In retrospect, I think the dominant green for the Italian white vines in period was more likely Verdigris and not Chrome green as you frequently see the greens dotted with yellow and not white. This is probably due to a chemical reaction. Before working on this scroll, I did do a test sample using Verdigris and Vermillion. I found the contrast between the two to be blinding, and that is why I went with a softer green (Chrome green) and a cooler shade of red (Alizarine Lake). I think it is more likely they used Verdigris and something like Brazil wood or a rich Cochineal. Even though they did not typically paint the vines white in period, I probably would still paint them white as I prefer the look. I know that this is a very elaborate scroll for a Keystone, however, Portia is the reason why I got into doing the SCA and illuminations. This scroll is a thank you gift to her for introducing me to an art that I have grown to love. Thank you, Portia. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Smith, C.S, and J. G. Hawthorne (1974). Mappae Clavicula: a little key to the world of medieval techniques. American Philosophical Society. ISBN this is a translation of a medieval recipe book that was compiled around 800 AD with additions in the 11th and 12th centuries. The recipes include dyes, inks, pigments, gilding, alchemy, soap making and more. PRIMARY SOURCE Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 8

9 2. Thompson, D. V. Jr. & G. H. Hamilton (1933). An Anonymous Fourteenth-Century Treatise De Arte Illuminandi: The Technique of Manuscript Illumination Translated from the Latin of Naples MS XII.E.27 New Haven: Yale University. ASIN: B000J2O5SW this is a translation of a 14th century Italian treaties translated from Latin. The original writer is unknown. It contains period recipes for the scribes of the medieval times. PRIMARY SOURCE 3. Thompson, D.V. Jr. (1954). The Craftsman s Handbook Il Libro dell Arte. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN: X This book was originally written by the artist Cennino d Andrea Cennini and later translated by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr. Cennini was an early 15th century Florentine artist who was influenced by the famous historical painter Giotto. In his book he gives instruction for making a wide array of tools and materials used by the historical artist, including making paints, vellum, tools, ink, glue and more. I highly recommend this book to any scribe. PRIMARY SOURCE 4. Harthan, J. (1966). The Strasburg Manuscript: A medieval painters handbook. New York: Transatlantic Arts. This is a 15th century German manuscript that talks about materials and techniques for painters in the medieval ages. PRIMARY SOURCE 5. Thompson, D. V. Jr. (1956). The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting. New York: Dover Press. ISBN: Professor Daniel Varney Thompson is frequently referenced in the medieval art community. This book was published after he did the translation of Il Libro dell Arte. I believe this book is a must have for any scribe who wishes to learn more about the period art of illumination. 6. Laurie, A.P (1988). The Painter s Methods and Materials. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN Professor A. P. Laurie is frequently mentioned in art history books. He did a lot of research and experiments on the historical art materials and techniques. 7. Viñas, S. and E. Farrell. (1999). The Technical Analysis of Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts. Cambridge: The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard University Art Museums. This book talks about the scientific findings done on some 15th century manuscripts, including some with Italian White Vine paintings. 8. DeHamel, C. (1992). Medieval Craftsmen: Scribes and Illuminators. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Christopher DeHamel is a popular resource on medieval illuminations and head of Sotheby s Department of Manuscripts in London. I find the books to be very useful and a great read. This book in particular I find to be an excellent book for anyone who is just starting to learn more about the history of the scribal arts. Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 9

10 9. Alexander, J.G. (1992). Medieval Illuminators and their Methods of Work. New Haven: Yale University Press.. ISBN This is an excellent book that goes more in-depth about the scribes in history. 10. FitzHugh, E. W. et al. (1997) Artists Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Volume 3. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN This book series is excellent if you want to know everything about a particular pigment. 11. Brown, M. (1994). Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum in association with the British Library. This book is like a dictionary of medieval scribal terms. A very useful book for any scribe. 12. Lovett, P. (2000). Calligraphy & Illumination: A History & Practical Guide. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Lovett is a professional scribe and chair of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society of England. This book has nice step-by-step instructions and photographs. I good resource book for scribes. 13. Gair, A. (1995). Artist's Manual: A Complete Guide to Painting and Drawing Materials and Techniques. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. While this book focuses on more modern art, it is a very useful tool for any artist. It explains a number of tools, materials and techniques with good examples. I highly recommend it for any artist. 14. Mayer, R. (1969) A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company. ASIN: B0000EG6LU This book truly is a dictionary of art terms and I have found it very useful. 15. Gottsegen, M. D. (1993). The Painter s Handbook. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN Mark Gotsegen is an associate professor of art at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Chairman of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), on the subcommittee on Artists Paint and Related Materials, and helped to develop ASTM standards for performance, quality and health labels. Portia s Keystone Scroll Page 10