From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V2 #136 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Saturday, July 4 1998 Volume 02 : Number 136 In this issue: [scribes]: Gold Question ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 00:02:18 -0700 From: "Thomas Brownwell" Subject: [scribes]: Gold Question Now for a fun one. I would like to know if anyone has any idea of the relative frequency that shell gold was used *vs* leaf at the time of the Conquest in England. I know that both were readily available, and I know that leaf gives a much more spectacular finish. Unfortunately in all of the photos I have I cannot tell conclusively which form was used. I'm looking at the 1/4 inch wide lines of gold forming the borders in the Harley and Arundel Psalters, for example, as shown in the Decorated Letter, plates 15 & 16, or some of the adjacent plates (6, 8, 9, 18, and 19). Was it *all* leaf? Or was it all painted? Or did each scribe decide for himself what to use? There are some hints of brush stroke details under or in the gold, and a number of the pictures show the gold being very grainy like it was painted on instead of rubbed on. Inquiring minds *need* to know 8^) Just curious. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Douglas Brownell AKA Thomas Brownwell, Calligrapher, brownwell@home.com Dancer,Silversmith,Singer,Cobbler,... San Diego, CA Barony of Calafia, Caid The 4 elements = good physics stuff:: Or,a fountain, a chief rayonny gules. Goutte enough herald:: (Fieldless) A goutte barry wavy azure and argent. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V2 #136 *****************************