From: owner-scribes@castle.org (scribes digest) To: scribes-digest@castle.org Subject: scribes digest V4 #10 Reply-To: Sender: owner-scribes@castle.org Errors-To: owner-scribes@castle.org Precedence: bulk scribes digest Monday, October 16 2000 Volume 04 : Number 010 ======================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with unsubscribe scribes-digets in the body of the message. Leave the subject line blank. Do not include any additional text. [scribes]: Re: Portraiture RE: [scribes]: Reed Pens RE: [scribes]: Re: Grisaille + Question [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V4 #9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 21:40:56 +1000 From: Mark Calderwood Subject: [scribes]: Re: Portraiture >There is a reason why portrait painting did not take off until >the tail-end of "our period", especially in the French & Italian >Renaissance era. I am currently researching this niche and would >appreciate any information that the scribal community can share. >Especially scribes who paint photo-realistic portraits, not >miniatures, but portraits in award scrolls. Very interesting question, Antionette. I've been doing some reading on this over the past couple of days, and it seems to me it was a combination of factors which gave rise to portraiture as we know it in the Renaissance. Now I'm by no means an expert in this area, these are just a few thoughts in no logical order... Actually this is a much more complex question than it looks. Portraiture has been around as long as there has been art. Portraits of patrons, donors and important people in religious and secular art in a variety of media, and with varying degrees of realism, throughout the period. However, I assume you're talking about the kind of formal portrait that became popular in the Renaissance, by artists like van Eyck, Titian, Holbein and Rembrandt. If you look at medieval art, there is a trend toward naturalism which became more pronounced toward the end of the period, especially as the renaissance kicked in. Artists began to more carefully observe and record the natural world, and experimented with ways to capture those observations more and more accurately. Oil was the perfect medium for this. Oil paints had several advantages that excited Italian artists at the beginning of the 15th century. Tempera produced bright and stable paints that were admirably suited to the medieval artistic, but had several limitations: the fast drying time, the lack of flexibility and the stiffness of modelling technique (hatching strokes). Oils dry more slowly and allow more versatile modelling techniques which enable an almost imperceptable colour gradation. The Italian artists marvelled at the range of colour and tone, and the smooth glass-like finish that could be produced with oils. Oils were also more suitable for use on the canvas substrates which were gradually replacing wood panels in the 15th century, for both secular subjects at first and then both secular and religious subjects. Improvements in the refining process of linseed oil also took place introducing lead and zinc oxides which sped up the drying time, making it a feasible medium to paint with. A manuscript from 14th century Strasbourg describes it as :"very quick drying and not all painters know about it, and on account of its excellence is called oleum preciosem (precious oil) and half an ounce costs at least one shilling". Only the wealthiest of patrons could afford this oil, and it became a mark of wealth and taste to commission works in the "new style". The Italian artist Vasari credits Jan van Eyck with the discovery of oil painting (Lives of the Artists, 1568). In fact van Eyck was one of the first to explore and develop the flexibilty and precision of this revolutionary technique of painting, which then spread to Italy. The northern Italian artists, especially Titian, brought the new medium to astonishing heights with the introduction of such techniques as glazing, optical illusions and layers of colour washes-all of which are derived from earlier illumination techniques.* Later still Rembrandt used oil paints as a textural substance in its own right, his cleary visible brushstrokes adding depth and a three dimensional quality. (*especially glazing thin washes of colour over gold or silver leaf (Limbourgs) and shading ultramarine with alizarin crimson (Gottingen). Try it, it's amazing!) Other social factors contributed to the rise in portraiture: the rise of humanism, and its attendant emphasis on observation and learning, encouraged the movement toward naturalism (and beyond to mannerism), as exemplified in the works of Holbein and Bronzino. This suited the tastes of the wealthy and powerful rulers of Europe whose education had been based on Classical and Humanist learning, and they had the means to patronise the artists versed in this technique. This in turn meant the further development of artistic schools and workshops, and the elevation of the artist to a certain level of sought-after celebrity (da Vinci, Caravaggio, etc). Naturally enough, along with the religious works commissioned by Cardinals and princes, the painters were engaged to paint portraits of their benefactors and their families and courts; Bronzino for the Medici, Holbein for the Tudors, Titian for the Holy Roman Emperor, etc. Often such portraits were used to celebrate the glory and taste of the patrons, and were also as an effective publicity & propoganda tool, to convey the image such patrons wished to cultivate. Other portraits were intended to reveal something more personal about the sitter, the painter or the veiwer- or all three. This style of portrait has become the "standard" formal format used ever since, with some variation on account of changing tastes. Well, I didn't mean for that to turn into long winded ramble, I hope it didn't suck anyone's will to live. I hope this was of some use, Antionette. As I said, I'm not an expert, if anyone has any further or clearer information please share it! Giles Ubergeek =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 07:50:51 -0600 From: "Edgar, Terry" Subject: RE: [scribes]: Reed Pens I would be interested in knowing more abour reed pens. What kind of material are they made of? Can I go out and find this myself? I know how to cut a feather quill but have no experience with a reed pen. This sounds most interesting to me and I would like to try it. Rivka de Rojo Middle Kingdom Scribe - -----Original Message----- From: David & Corinne Kohrn [mailto:dragonfly@w-link.net] Sent: Sunday, October 15, 2000 12:00 PM To: Scribes Subject: Re: [scribes]: Reed Pens The other difference between reeds and metal nibs or brushes is their effect. With a metal nib you can twist the pen to get a wider line (either deliberately with your fingers, or by the natural curve of the letter). With a brush you can sometimes get this effect by twisting, but also by applying more pressure. I read a treatise once that held that the Book of Kells was writen with a reed. (Based on the slight thickening of the line at the bottom of the downstrokes (look at the bottoms of an n for example)). I've only played with Celtic half-Uncial with a reed a few times, and I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has. It is possible to get the same effect with other tools, but often they require extra stokes. Extra strokes at the end of a letter tend to be unlikely (the whole purpose after all was to get alot of text on parchment ; extra strokes at the beginning of a letter (serifs etc) usually derived from a need to get the ink flowing). Calote dragonfly@w-link.net =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 07:59:12 -0600 From: "Edgar, Terry" Subject: RE: [scribes]: Re: Grisaille + Question could someone post an example of grisaille? I think I know what it is but am not sure. Rivka - -----Original Message----- From: RenScribe@aol.com [mailto:RenScribe@aol.com] Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 2:33 PM To: scribes@castle.org Subject: Re: [scribes]: Re: Grisaille + Question In a message dated 10/13/00 8:49:34 AM, delacroi29@yahoo.com writes: > >I was given an excellent article from TI from THL Eibhlin which >outlined one technique using period pigments in portrait work. > Clarification: I gave Antoinette a copy of the TI article "A Short Treatise on the Art of Limning and Other Diverse Related Arts" by Mark Yungblut in issue #127, Summer 1998. I don't want anyone to think I wrote the article. Geez, I only wish I could paint that well.... let alone write and teach other folks how to do it. :-) Eibhlin =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 10:18:40 EDT From: "adrienne seel" Subject: [scribes]: Re: scribes digest V4 #9 >From: "Sally Burnell" >inside a square-ish shape, then the text starts "n this 21st day of >October, >AS XXXV.............." so that the "O" is the first letter in the word >"On". >(I do hope this does not confuse the heralds too much!!!) The best way to avoid confusing the hearalds is to make sure that they never have to read your scroll at all - give them a nice typed version. I find that they tend to like at least 13 point type because it is easier to read at a distance and be sure to double space it. In service, Cerridwen of Seashire _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. =================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list, send email to with a blank Subject: line and unsubscribe scribes in the body of the message. Do not include any additional text in the body. ------------------------------ End of scribes digest V4 #10 ****************************