Medieval Selfies, from Gulf Wars

Taking selfies at a medieval event is hilarious to me for some reason, but I often feel at my prettiest when I don all of my garb, my veils,  hair pieces, my beautiful gowns and get to be a 13th century baroness for a week. This past Gulf Wars was a lovely time.

Master of Mary of Burgundy Border

A leaf inspired by several pages from the Master of Mary of Burgundy. I was experimenting with changing background colors and botanical components to play with color and composition.

After calligraphy, it went out to Hon Lady Vivienne le Corbeau as a Triskele Trimaris.

Here's after calligraphy, added by Mistress Finnguala, I think.

Korean inspired tourney shield.

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Tourney shield for Duke Yoan Moon Yang. Acrylic on aluminum, with many, many layers of clear coat on top.

Beaded Veils and Things We Put on Our Heads

Pink and green totally matches.

13th century clothing isn't always super exciting. Personally, I prefer to use nice solid blocks of color for my under gown and cyclas so that I can mix and match my wardrobe to suit my mood, the event, the weather or whatever the daily augury suggests. I have a few gowns that are patterned or made with flashy fabrics, but for the most part, you'll find me in Manesse codex match-ups. 

The one place I can have a bit of fun is in the stuff that goes on my head. Veils, wimples, coronet, crispinettes, filets and more, but my favorite accessory is a silk veil with beads. Lots of beads. Perhaps, a shameful number of beads.

There is nothing quite like a long sweep of silk and a clatter of tiny pearls. The wearing of the wimple, veil, crispinette and coronet is simply the part of my dress that feels the most medieval since these items are so limited in modern appearance. Nuns, holy people, a few pagans and Muslim women  are really the only modern survivors of the middle age aesthetic of women wearing head coverings as a sign of modesty or devotion.

Last Judgement Triptych
by Hans Memling, c. 1469.
Veil w/pearled edge

Of course, in the middles ages, lots of crazy veil and hat styles knocked the modesty out of the equation, but still kept a woman covered... even if she had to duck through doorways because of the height of a hennin. Ladies also jazzed up the veil by adding ruffled edges and sometimes even heavily beaded edges. There are lots of paintings of beaded veils that come from the medieval and renaissance period sometimes showing heavy beading, intricate works and veils so gossamer you can read a newspaper right through them. 

I look terrible in pretty much any hat produced after 1915, so I'm glad I get to have a bit of fun with head coverings in my SCA experience. 

I hand bead and hem all of my silk veils. I do this because silk is way easier to get a rolled and lovely edge when hemmed by hand, I can't afford buying this work from someone else and because it helps me to reach back into the past and make a little connection. I sew veils mostly in the evenings. In my rocking chair as I watch television, talk on the phone or listen to audio books, my hands are busy rolling the fine edge of silk, working with thread and beads to create something beautiful.

The best part is when someone asks me where I got my veil and I can answer with a smile and a blush of pride that I made it myself. I'm not fantastic at sewing handwork, so making more veils and delicate pieces that add to my kit is forcing me to become better at sewing as I decorate myself.

Currently, I am adding to my collection by working on a pale blush silk veil with pale rose glass pearls. Also, new crispinettes are coming soon...

Michelino da Besozzo

A quick border inspired by a page from the Hours of Michelino da Besozzo.

I worked on this at a demo at Hoggetowne Medieval Faire and had to stop regularly to talk to Faire patrons or to eat proffered "Faire food". I did not attempt the deep friend butter, but I did watch a man go slowly green as he ate it. I think I'll just stick with painting and tiny hot
donuts.

It did take about a solid 5 minutes of eraser use to remove all of the Faire grime.

Turned in to the Chart Signet for general use.

Stefan Lochner Gebetbuch

Border inspired by the Stefan Lochner Gebetbuch

Illumination my Baroness Maol Mide ingen Medra OL, OP

Turned in to the Trimaris Chart Signet for general Kingdom use.

The Dragon Ship

Inspired by: Viking Ship / Anglo-Saxon Illumin./ C11 Anglo-Saxon manuscript illumination, c. 1025–1050. Viking ship of war.

Turned into the Trimaris Chart Signet for Kingdom use at Hoggetowne 2016

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

The Butterfly Women

The caterpillars
just know the act of eating.
They offer no thanks

When the rain is full
of ghosts. Cold gems come falling,
tapping foliage.

A butterfly girl
knows no rest, no warmth, no thanks...
still the insects chew

Upon shining leaves
gathered in the blowing rain,
by hands, pale and cold.

Still, the keeper knows
her charges, someday, will show
appreciation.

When wings are unfurled
and a riot of color
lifts into the sky.

-Kristen Gilpin, 2016

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

Tiny Terrarium

The wistful historical-loving scientist part of me has always wanted a terrarium for my home. I had dreams of Victorian miniature hothouses and collections of odd fungus and mosses.

Now, my scientific little heart is pleased. A friend gave me a small patina colored miniature greenhouse and a walk in the woods and division of a few tillandsias ended me up with enough species to fill my new terrarium.

Here's a nice close look inside:

Included species:

• Fan-shaped jelly fungus (Dacryopinax spathularia)
• Snow Fungus (Tremella fuciformis)
• Common Haircap Moss (Polytrichum commune)
• Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum albidum)
• Perforated Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema perforatum)
• Resurrection Fern (Polypodium polypodioides)
• Sphagnum Moss (Sphagnum)
• Bartram's Airplant (Tillandsia bartramii)
• Southern Needleleaf (Tillandsia setacea)
• Air Plant (Tillandsia funckiana)
• Wax Begonia (Begonia x semperflorens)
• Violet Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis violacea)
• Unknown bracket fungus (Polyphore)

I'll see how these species do in the terrarium and transfer anything out that seems to be flagging. I'll add more small species over time. Also, I need to figure out a lighting solution. Something like an LED lightbar that I can mount inside the cover would work nicely. We'll see what happens.