From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #1049 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Tuesday, September 7 1999 Volume 02 : Number 1049 In this issue: [scribes]: Ivory ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 00:27:28 -0400 From: "Peter B. Steiner" Subject: [scribes]: Ivory As we all know, the artists and patrons of the Middle Ages placed a high value on the use of expensive and rare materials in the creation of art. One of those materials, which we rarely discuss, is elephant ivory. (I suppose one reason we avoid the subject is because it is "politically incorrect" to encourage an interest in ivory these days. I care a great deal for elephants as a species....and I'm very pleased that the African subspecies - which provided much of the ivory used in Period art - is recovering nicely. More than 650,000 individuals now inhabit the African wilderness. They will soon be removed from the "threatened" list.....and have long been removed from the "endangered" list. May they never return to either state.) What's my point? Perhaps those of us who are interested in the beauty of medieval ivory objects might now discuss them without feeling guilt over the plight of the animals which created the raw material. How does this relate to scribal work? Ivory was a preferred material for use in painting miniatures (especially portraits) which were durable enough to be worn as jewelry and carried as keepsakes. Has anyone studied this subject? I would be most interested in learning more about the preparation of ivory as a ground for painting. In the hope of learning, Peter Gwer Rychen von Bern Barony of the Rhyderrich Hael Aethelmearc ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #1049 ******************************