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DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY: DIVISION 4, STUDIO ARTS: CALLIGRAPHY Order of the Evergreen In the style of A Fifteenth Century Document
Order of the Evergreen in the style of a Fifteenth Century Document 1-4. The current entry is the calligraphy portion of an award given by Elayna and Dag during their second reign as the monarchs of the Middle Kingdom. The recipient is known to be a bard and Welshman; the document is meant to reflect a style like that seen in a copy of Chaucer presented to Henry V of England. Illuminated documents, although they existed well prior to 1420, begin to appear in England with increasing frequency about this time; heraldic charters begin to appear regularly in the 1430’s. Heraldic charters of the 1430’s are similar in style to the book illumination of the era; thus, this document is an exercise in taking a book style and modifying it to fit the diplomatic style. Like books, illuminated documents were often created by commission, and this document is meant to reflect the level of calligraphy and illumination frequently seen in charters to knights, guilds, and other such moneyed people, without necessarily being the top of the line calligraphy and illumination that might be commissioned or gifted to the upper echelons of nobility. 5. Items used in creating this piece include: Paper: this is an all-cotton rag paper, chosen for its heavier weight and all-natural fibers, similar to period paper. Documents begin appearing on paper well before the 15th century; paper begins to be imported into England as early as the thirteenth century. Ferrogallic Ink: Typical ink made from oak galls and an iron source. A receipt for this ink is attached after the annotated bibliography. Mechanical Pencil: Used in ruling lines for writing, chosen because, when I started the project, I was under deadline and could not invest the time to use a more effort-consuming method. In terms of "periodness," though, all is not lost! Graphite, the marking component in pencils, was in use by the 12th century, according to JJG Alexander; certainly Cennini mentions a black, soft stone that can be sharpened for drawing, and, by 1565, Konrad Gesner has included a woodcut illustration of a sharpened bit of graphite within a wooden holder within his book. Many other methods of lining existed; the more typical method would be to measure across a system of prickings and rule the line with a bone or other type of stylus, metal point, diluted ink, ruling board, or other such items. Straight edge: I used a square for this; there are many period depictions of this tool in illuminations of the era. See attached copy of one such illumination after the annotated bibliography. Pen: The most frequently used writing implement in period was, of course, the ubiquitous quill. Again, because of time constraints, I chose to use a metal nib (Mitchell brand, chosen because this brand is about the most flexible brand of metal nibs) inserted in a penholder. However, again, all is not lost! Quills, while the most ubiquitous of writing implements, were not the only things used! Bone, reed, and, yes, metal pens have been found in 15th century archeological finds; thus, the Mitchell nib serves as a modern equivalent. See the article "On Metal Pens" attached after the annotated bibliography if you would like more information. Eraser: In period, I might have erased the lines for the calligraphy with bread, but to save wear and tear on the paper, I chose to use a vinyl eraser. Some period things are good to know, but not so good to practice, and the bread method, I have found, just isn’t as effective. Besides, why rub bread all over your paper when you can use the tasty stuff to make a sandwich? 6. To create this piece, I used a fairly standard procedure. I blocked out the area for the illumination, measured the spaces for the lines, lined the paper, wrote the text while repeatedly loading the pen, and erased the lines. The interesting aspects of the technique, in my opinion, is the use of a period formulary to write the document, rather than Middle Kingdom formulary (that is, the style of wording), and the use of period abbreviations, to give the piece a more period ambiance without interfering with the goal of the creation of a consistent hand. General comments: The hand began as Marc Drogin’s gothic littera bastarda ductus (see attached). I chose it because it is a gothic bastarda bookhand that I am comfortable with and really enjoy writing. More importantly, it is like the look of the calligraphy in the pieces chosen as the inspiration for this document. Through the years, I have modified this hand both unconsciously, as I chose a more comfortable ductus, and deliberately, as I chose a more appropriate letterform. This is not unusual; no two scribes write exactly the same-manuscripts are often clearly identifiable as written in sections precisely because of the idiosyncratic hands of the various scribes (the Book of Kells is the most well-known example of this coming to my mind as I write). However, Drogin does point out that scribes have been known to deliberately modify hands by choosing particular letter forms: the scribe William Darker made a point of doing so. It is in this way that the hand becomes creative and comfortable rather than a slavish imitation of someone else’s work. As time constraints force me to more frequently choose production pieces for my A&S entries, I am thinking more and more about quick lining solutions: what will be fast and sure and period? In my research, I have sometimes seen a device that looks rather like a music-ruling pen; this would certainly bear further investigation. Also worthy of investigation is a period ink well stuffed with cotton; this is mentioned as a technique in Thomson’s translation of De Arte Illuminandi. In the past, I had the trick recommended to me by a professional calligrapher. She swore it was much faster than the two loading methods I usually use-loading the reservoir with an eyedropper, or, the one I used on this piece, loading the pen by using a brush to put a drop of ink just above the nib split. When I tried making such an inkwell with the materials she suggested (a cosmetic sponge in a small dish), I found that it overloaded the tip of the pen and was a very "blotty" way to write. However, a less springy material, more like what was available in period and requiring less force to activate, might solve some of that problem. It certainly seems like a worthy thing to try.
Annotated References
PRIMARY SOURCES Materials Cennini, C. The Craftsman's Handbook. D. V. Thompson, trans. Dover, New York:1954. Translation of an early fifteenth century manuscript on painting, with much material information. Gesner, Konrad. De Rereum Fossilium…Liber. 1565. Facsimile publication of page featuring the first recognizable lead pencil in Petroski, H. The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance. Alfred A. Knopf. New York:1990. The Gesner drawing is recognizable as a pencil: a wooden holder with a tip of graphite inserted. Although he was writing a book about fossils, Gesner was so enchanted with this newish drawing device that he dedicated a section of the book to it. The entire Petroski book, which contains the facsimile of of Gesner’s work, is a very interesting work with a nice summation of drawing tools of history, but it was clearly written by an engineer rather than an artist. There are a number of references in art manuals (like Ceninni, 15th century, or Vasari, prior to 1550) that refer to drawing with graphite prior to 1565, but Petroski appears unaware of them. Theophilus. On Divers Arts. C. Smith, translator. Dover. New York, 1979. Translation of a manuscript written C. 1122 regarding several crafts, including manuscript illumination. Mentions the use of paper (called "Byzantine Parchment"). Thompson, D. V., Translator. De Arte Illuminandi. Yale UP, New Haven, CT: 1933. Translation of an anonymous fourteenth century manuscript on illumination. Thompson, J., transcriber. A Booke Of Secrets. In J. Thompson, editor. Medieval Inks. Caber Press. Portland, OR:1996. Transcription of a sixteenth century manuscript on the making of inks and paints. Source of ink receipt. Letterform, Layout Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Presentation copy made for Henry V, English, early 15th c. Facsimile publication in Wilson, E. Bibles and Bestiaries: A Guide to Illuminated Manuscripts for Young Readers. Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1994. Written in an English bastarda script that is nicely vertical but messy. De Consulatu Stiliconis. English, 1445. Facsimile publication in Wright, C. E., English Vernacular Hands from the 12th to the 15th Century. Oxford:1960. Another very nice bastarda minus the heavy f/long-s bar; very clear script. Egerton Charter 2180. English, 1st quarter 13th century. Facsimile publication in Brown, M. A Guide to Western Historical Scripts from Antiquity to 1600. U Toronto Press. Toronto:1990. Early example of a bastarda script without the heavy f/long-s bar in use on an English document. Grant of Arms to the Worshipful Company of Drapers. English, 1439. Facsimile Publication in Marks, R & A. Payne, British Heraldry from its Origins to ca. 1800. British Museum Publications, Ltd, London: 1978. Illumination and calligraphy very similar to that seen in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, cited above. Life of St. Edmund. English, 1433. Facsimile publication in Wright, C. E., English Vernacular Hands from the 12th to the 15th Century. Bastarda still in use; this example shows the beginning of the heavy f/long-s stem in English use. Further examples of period illuminated documents are available in the appendix package. SECONDARY SOURCES Alexander, JJG. Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work. Yale UP. New Haven, CT: 1992 Thourogh modern study of methods of scrivners and illuminators; mentions use of graphite for lining as early as the 12th century. Boucher, E. On Metal Pens. http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Library/2036/metalpen.htm. Summary of the use of metal pens in period. Drogin, Marc. Medieval Calligraphy: It’s History and Technique. Dover. New York: 1989. Often considered the "bible" of SCA scrivners, a book that works as well as an introductory work on paleography as a guide to writing in the Medieval styles. Egan, G. and F. Pritchard. Dress Accessories c. 1150-c. 1450. London:HMSO, 1991. Notes the discovery of a metal pen in a 15th c.-era archeological excavation. Hills, R. Papermaking in Britain, 1488-1988. Athlone Press. London:1988. Notes that the oldest known surviving English document on paper dates from about 1220. Preston, J. & L. Yeandle. English Handwriting 1400-1650. Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies. Birmingham, NY: 1992. Paleographic study, provides some alternative letter forms.
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