From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #51 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Thursday, June 4 1998 Volume 02 : Number 051 In this issue: [scribes]: Re: Specialize? Re: [scribes]: What are you working on [scribes]: Yolk [scribes]: Multiple things- [scribes]: Temporary Exhibition on line [scribes]: Purple as a main color? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 19:49:59 -0400 From: morgandev@juno.com (Steven J Proctor) Subject: [scribes]: Re: Specialize? Greetings to the list! Morgan here, and yes, I do specialize. What I do mostly is School of Paris/International Gothic style. That's 1380-1450. Gothic Rotunda Calligraphy, and Bars and Vines. I can do other styles, but this one I just love. It's what I do best, what I know best. I did Mistress Olivia's Laurel about a month ago, in a later style ( based on the Charter for Kings College, Cambridge) and by the end of it I was Jonesing for a vine really bad! Morgan _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 20:20:01 -0400 From: morgandev@juno.com (Steven J Proctor) Subject: Re: [scribes]: What are you working on What am I working on, she asks? BACKLOGS! I have a number of scroll backlogs (mostly finished scrolls, that just need "a bit more work") I have also been dealing with some of the administriva of the Tyger Clerks Office of Backlog Management, and have just finished updateing the Backlog list, available at http://pages.cthome.net/Villarquemada/index.htm Speaking of which, for any interested Eastern scribes, I dn't know if this was posted to the list or not... > Hello! > > We all have backlogs that we keep saying that we really have to get > around to finishing. Now's the time! At Great Northeastern War we > will be having a backlog scroll contest. All entries must be > completed Kingdom level scrolls (no baronial or local, please). > Documentation is nice, but not required. Scrolls will be judged on > two levels - Favorite Scroll of the General Public, and Favorite > Scroll of Fellow Scribes. Everyone at the event is invited to judge. > The prizes will be a $50 gift certificate for the Pearl Art Supply > Catalog and a $50 gift certificate to Small Churl Books. > > I gleaned e-mail addresses from all the scribes I could find in the > Pikestaff, but I'd like to spread the word even further. Please pass > it along to all the other scribes you know. I will be doing some > phone calling and letter writing, but this is easy & cheap. > > If you're not going to be present at Great Northeastern War on July > 17-19, we can work out proxy entries if you like. > > I can't wait to see your work! > > Duchess Katherine Stanhope via Morgan de Villarquemada Office of Backlog Management East _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 20:22:13 -0400 From: Elyse Boucher <70521.3645@compuserve.com> Subject: [scribes]: Yolk Greetings from the humble scribe, Merouda Pendray. M. Ranthulfr asked: So here's some questions for you folks who use yolk on scrolls: 1) How do you keep it from flaking and cracking? Do you add something, paint it thinner, or just not seem to see a problem after the first year or two? - ------------------- Of course, I am making the assumption that you are making your tempera paints by wetting a pigment with water enough to make a paste, and adding a solution of 50% egg yolk & 50% water to the pigment paste. The yolk does work well when combined with a gum binder, and you will have good success with this; I have used 50% egg solution with 50% gum solution to my satisfaction; you may prefer something else. I haven't tried any of the other flexability agents (sweeteners), as I have been sufficiently satisfied with gum. When painting with tempera straight, I also find that painting it thinnly helps, as does painting in layers that dry completely between, and mounting the page to foam core. I suspect that a THIN layer of gesso first washed into the painting area may help, but have not yet tried this. I also suspect that a varnish may help, but I am insufficiently interested in this to try it. Instead, I have washed weak gum arabic over such areas, and have had no problems. - -------------------------------------- 2) What period sources do you have for its use on the page as opposed to on the panel? - ----------------------------- Ranthulfr, I have no evidence to suggest that egg yolk alone as a binder was ever used to bind all the pigments in all their uses throughout an entire manuscript. The egg yolk binder is too soft to stand up to the wear and tear of book usage, so I doubt I will EVER find this, but I won't say either that there was NEVER a manuscript made completely with straight-yolk as a binder (after all, they had to figure out that this was not the best of ideas somehow, and it could have been by the making of books that didn't stand the test of time). There is evidence, however, that egg yolk was used in books, either in combination with other binders to bind a particular pigment (red being the most notable example) or as a supplimentary paint. Here are some quotes for you. :) From _De Arte Illuminandi_: page 2, in section 3: "The solutions with which colors are tempered for use on parchment" "The solutions with which colors are laid are as follows: the glair of hens' eggs, and their yolks, gum arabic and gum tragacanth dissolved in pure spring water" Page 15, in section 20, (The Colors: How they should be ground and mixed together and laid on parchment), specifically referring to "some people work {verdigris} up with the juice of rue and a little saffron, and temper it with the yolk of egg". From Cennini's _Craftsman's Handbook_, Thompson's translation. Chapers XXXI and XXXII refer to drawing on tinted paper; I'm not typing in the whole shebang, but the relevant section is: "Take white lead ground with water, and temper it with yolk of egg; and it blends like an ink wash , but it is harder for you to handle, and more experience is needed." (page 19) Chapter LVI, from the section dealing with which temperas to use with which pigments: "And {verdigris} is especially good on paper or parchment, tempered with yolk of egg." (page 33) Again that reference to verdigris with egg yolk! In _Booke of Secrets_; (Another yellow) Take saffron and mix it with the yolk of an eg, and it maketh a faire shining color. (page 27). IN the period references I checked (Cennini, _De Arte Illuminandi_, Theophilous, _Strasburg Manuscript_, _Arte of Limming_, _Staff of the Scribe_ {in _Medieval Arabic Bookmaking_}, _Booke of Secrets_ {In _Manuscript Inks_}, _Gottingen Model Book_) , if egg yolk was mentioned in relation to book making, it was far more typical to describe a binder of egg yolk mixed with another binder, but, as you will note above, there were some exceptions. A couple of the above give some pretty specific recipes for the mixed binders, generally in relation to the various red-orange pigments. And then, there is my theory. I have sometimes run across notations in modern exhibition catalogues that describe the type of paint. In those books that use more specific descriptions (i.e., everything is not the same sort of paint), I have noted that some of the paints are described as "tempera". I know that they could be using this as a generic term that describes any medieval paint that isn't specifically identifiable, but I have also noted that those that are identified as "tempera" are painted with the cross-hatching method of shading--the method by which egg-yolk paintings are shaded. Now, I understand that this could be for a variety of reasons, but I suspect that in at least some of the instances, it is because egg-yolk based paints really are being used. - ---------------------------------- I'm still accumulating knowlege. I plan to do something with it one of these days. This is one of my gaps. Thanks ahead of time to whoever replies! Ranthulfr - ----------------------------------- Laird Almighty, will we EVER know everything we want to? I keep trying; maybe some day we'll get there. :) I hope this will be helpful to you; others will also have information to share, I am sure. :) Your Servant, Merouda Pendray Merouda Pendray: Caer Anterth, Northshield, Middle. (Elyse C. Boucher: West Allis, Wisconsin, USA) Per pale sable and Or, a gryphon segreant countorney within an orle of feathers counterchanged. "Semper ubi sub ubi" http://members.tripod.com/~Pendray/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 21:49:52 -0400 From: Elyse Boucher <70521.3645@compuserve.com> Subject: [scribes]: Multiple things- Greetings, all good gentles, from Merouda. Rather than clutter up the list with 15 letters, thought I'd just write one massive missive regarding a number of topics I'd like to make small comments on. :) 1. What Am I working On? Too many things. :) My scribal website. Some A&S projects--a period grant of arms, a small 15th c. English scroll, a troemp l'oiel scroll, a Flemish "landscape border" scroll. Research. Blanks. 2. Do I specialize? While I definately have some prefered styles, I am a generalist; I want to do some of everything, although I have had a number of requests for particular styles in the past, particularly the Japanese stuff. 3. Lines and Colored Paper. I've never used paper colored by the manufacturer. I have always dyed my own. Here is a period method for doing it: Dilute your color to a heavy wash. Take a big, flat brush. Stroke the color on, each stroke proceeding from the left edge straight across to the right edge of the paper, laying each stroke side by side, until you have complete coverage. Allow this to air dry completely. Turn the paper 90 degrees and repeat the process. Continue stroking on the paint, drying, turning until you have the color depth you want. This will allow you to dye your paper without having the curl problem, and minimal or no buckling around the edge. If you use an acryla-goache, you won't have an eraser problem. If you use a regular gouache, you'll get a slight amount of lifting, which can be minimized by rolling an art gum eraser over the surface of the entire scroll, giving the dyed paper a motled appearance, reminiscient of the uneven dyeing you see on vellum. Another suggestion for no-pencil lining: There is a modern device called "Phantom-Line Lettering Guide"; it is a couple of pieces of plexiglass, a stand, and some lined cards that cast illusionary lines. Works beautifully, once you catch on. Does require strong light. 4. Dragons Blood. JimBear asked about this a long time ago and I never saw anyone give a reply. Jim, Dragon's Blood is a resin, and so you prepare it for use in the same way you would prepare gum arabic, then add gum arabic as a binder--or just disolve the dragonsblood in your gum arabic solution (you will have to strain the result). However, I am wondering what you want to use this for? In period, the only use of this stuff (to the best of my knowledge) was to wash over gold leaf, to give the gold a reddish cast. (The Medieval aesthetic preferred a ruddy gold) If you paint with it, you'll only get the slightest of red tinges. In fact, even in the modern era, this stuff is used pretty much only to give a reddish tinge to metals. Now, those of you who were recently wondering out loud "How DID they paint that reddish cast over the Visconti Hours?" might want to try this stuff, as tinting things red was the primary use for Dragon's blood. 5. Thorfinn's Rotunda. Thorfinn, I really like your ductus page; do you mind if I put a link in from my scribal site? I did want to ask you about your terminology, though, and open up the discussion to everyone, too.... I have always known the "Rotunda" script to be an Italian gothic variation; that is, identifiably a Gothic hand, but less angular, and it dates from the thirteenth century. What you have at your site as "Rotunda" is what I have always known as a "Humanist" hand. Is this a difference in American versus Australian terminology? What other inconsistancies have y'all noticed in your studies? Well, actually, I'm sleepy, so I'll stop at 5 comments and save the rest for another day. :) Take care, friends. Your Servant, Merouda ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998 14:59:38 +1000 From: Steve Roylance Subject: [scribes]: Temporary Exhibition on line There is a temporary exhibition on line, which has been produced by some of the local museums and some extensive web programming The basic site is http://www.useum.org.au/ but beware that this has an amazing array of Java and other bits. A taste of what can be done. Son et Lumiere A Twelfth century Byzantine Gospel is at http://www.useum.org.au/treasures/tre5.htm A Latin Calandar with a Zodiacial man is at http://www.useum.org.au/treasures/tre4.htm As I said temporary today is 4 of 100 as ever Thorfinn, Lochac, West Melbourne, Australia ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998 01:38:09 -0500 From: Lady Mylisant Subject: [scribes]: Purple as a main color? I'm new to illumination and I have a question I haven't been able to resolve yet with my own research... I'm doing my permanent AoA scroll and I'm basing it on 14th and 15th century French manuscripts (bars and vines). My arms colors are purple, black and silver. I'm going to paint the scroll with these colors including green. My question is: Does anyone know of any manuscripts that have purple and/or green in them in large amounts. I have only been able to find touches of purple in all the books I've searched. Either way I'm going to use these colors since it is my own personal scroll, but it would be nice to know if there is any period precedent for these colors being dominant (in contrast to the normal red and blue dominance). - -- Lady Mylisant de la Croix Barony of Grey Niche, Meridies Purpure, two natural seahorses addorsed on a point pointed argent a crescent inverted sable and on a chief triangular argent a crescent sable. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #51 ****************************