Manesse Codex Laurel for Countess Grainne

Manesse Codex inspired page for my friend Countess Grainne. Depicted at the top are her friends, the peers who spoke for her at the elevation. (Left to right) Master Davius, Duchess Maisie, me, Mistress Gwenhwfyr and Duke Ardion. Peacock feathers in the corners are at nod to Grainne's heraldry, a peacock.

Below image is the same with a US quarter dollar for scale for reference.

I must have flowers

Finished commission for a friend that will likely end up in the ETSY store at some point. You can visit my other work at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CurrantThoughts

Kale Adriane, Pelican

Inspired by: An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of Jami's Yusuf wa Zulaykha, signed by 'Ali Reza Al-Katib, Herat or Bukhara, Safavid, dated 982 AH/1574 AD

Limning: Baroness Lisabetta da Firenze, OL

Text: Baron Severin Visconti di Milano, KSCA

Calligraphy and Illumination: Baroness Maol Mide ingen Medra, OL, OP

I made her a special Goatse of her own. My gift to her.

Seamus mac Dhughaill, Knight

Inspirations: Gray-Fitzpayn Book of Hours and the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer

Limning: Mistress Lisabetta da Firenze

Text: Master Simon Maurus of the Argent Quill

Calligraphy and Illumination: Mistress Maol Mide ingen Medra

Renown comes to those rare warriors whose
Indomitable spirit presses them ever forward,
Seeking to fully live in Virtue and with Honor.
Each battle, be it for Crown, Kingdom or Cause,
Against all forces is his Prowess and Resolve made evident,
Keeping true to that most ancient, noble Code.
Now, let all men know from the thistle highlands to our triune shores
In our fair Kingdom do We, The Crown Trimaris, elevate our good Seamus mac Dhughaill,
Granting him rank as a Companion of The Order of the Chivalry Trimaris,
Hereafter bearing this Patent of Arms, with all rights and privileges appertaining.
This, done by Our Hands on this 14th day of November, AS 50

Ardion, King

Lisa, Queen

Matthias von Greifsburg, Master of Defence

This piece is a strange amalgam of various German influences and I'm going to take a few moments to explain how I work on commissions and how these illuminations come to fruition. When someone asks me to do a peerage scroll, I very much want to make sure that they are an active part in deciding what art will live on their home wall forever.

Once upon a time, step one was packing a bag of books and meeting with the client. We would flip through pages and use dozens of sticky notes to explain what elements on each page were of interest. The magic of the interwebs has made my life a lot easier with Pinterest. So now, step one is working with the client to start a Pinterest board where we can both upload images that we think might be a good fit.

Sometimes the client picks a single piece they like, and sometimes I have a request to stitch several pieces together into a final illumination. At this point, I gather information like heraldry, favorite colors, and little nuances that the client would like to have included or about which they care deeply. In the case of this illumination the answers were something like: red, blue, gold, yay Teutons, my wife, my daughter, griffin, shiny. Yep, I can work with that. I also find out if the client want to know anything else along the way or just wants to be surprised at the end.

• Layout: Gospel Book of Henry II
• Central illumination: Martin Schongauer's The Eagle of St. John, c. 1450-1491
• Figure design: The Codex Manesse

Then I start sketching, erasing a lot, sketching more, frowning at proportions and final sketching. Usually, this is where the calligraphy comes in if life is optimal. Sometimes the author is still writing it. Sometimes it is still in translation and you have to get started. Next is gold leafing followed by color blocking and detailing. In the case of this piece, the calligraphy was added last at it was painted in gold on top of the white paint. 

Text:

Hier im schoenen Trimaris / erzaehlt man sich solch' Wunder
Von lobenswerten Helden / und deren unzaehlige Taten
Im Dienste des Traums/ mit Leidenschaft und Talent
und vom unangefochtenen Adel von Don Matthias von Greifsburg.

Ein Beispiel zu allen Zeiten / Er fuehrte unsere Klingen in die Schlacht
Hoeflich und voll Gnade ist er / gegenueber dem Volk und denen an der Macht
Von vorneherein ist sein Sieg / im Kamp festgestellt
und seine Grosszuegigkeit gehoert aller Welt.

Wir, die Krone von Trimaris / mit Herz, Hand, und Verstand
an diesem 24. Tag des Mai / AS 50 vereidigen
unseren Don Matthias / als Meister des Ordens der Verteidigung
und uebereichen ein Patent des Wappenrechts mit unserer Hand.

To we in fair Trimaris / is many a marvel told
Of praise-deserving heroes / of valors manifold
Of service to the dream / of passion and skill superb
And the worthiness unquestioned / of Don Matthias Von Griefsburg.

A leader on and off the field / he took our blades to war
He's courteous and gracious / to all he comes before
Of victory in battle / his conclusion is foregone
And his generosity / never is withdrawn.

So do we the crown Trimaris / with heart and hand and mind
On this day the 24th of May / anno societatus 50
Name our don Matthias Master / of the Order of Defense
A Patent of Arms / does with this award dispense.

If you would like to see more about the creation of this piece:

• Pinterest Board
• Picasa Web Album

Personae Dramatis

Figure drawing: Mistress Milesenda de Bourges, OL

Limning, calligraphy and illumination: Mistress Maol Mide ingen Medra OL, OP

Text: Lord Brian Robertson

Translation to German: Mistress Mayken Van der Alst, OL

Bartering and Alms

The barter system is alive and well if you are willing to believe in it. Occasionally I get a request for a commission piece and the request comes from someone who has a skill that I greatly admire and likely do not possess. This holiday season was one of those times.

A friend who is a tremendously talented weaver contacted me about calligraphing a poem for a friend. She sent me the text and some information about the recipient's likes: blue tones and cardinals. In return for this original piece, she offered in trade hand woven trim made especially to match a 13th century outfit I am planning for the SCA. Score!

The calligraphy is executed in opalescent blue ink on bristol board. The hand is inspired by the fonts that Frank Lloyd Wright used on many of his projects. After the calligraphy was completed, I used a wash of blues and pale grey over the whole page. Last, the tromp l'oeil feather and the cardinal tracks were added.

The poem is Alms by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh. Anne was an aviator in her own right, and was an author of some hauntingly beautiful poetry. Not only did this work out as a nice trade between artists, but I was also introduced to the work of an excellent poet. I call this a win.

Gerber Daisies and Black Ribbons

I was recently commissioned to create a piece for a wedding. My friends John and Maurissa were getting married and wanted a piece of art that they hang as a reminder of the joy and friends that shared their special day. At their request I created a set of signature pages where the wedding guests would be invited to add their names and help create a memory.

The wedding colors were black and white and the bride's bouquet was Gerber daisies in pink, orange, yellow and white. They expected to need about 110-115 signature lines and also wanted to include the names of some friends and relatives who had passed on but were in their thoughts on their wedding day.

I should have taken pictures of the pieces after they were matted in black but it was fairly late at night and I was pretty tired.

To the left is a detail from page one. Below you will find all three pages and another detail image at the bottom of this post.

The wedding was lovely: the bride was radiant, the groom beaming, the ceremony was sweet and just the right length and the reception was a great deal of fun with good food and karaoke. I'm glad I got to be there with my friends on their special day.