Bataan Death March down memory lane
In the last installment, we explored my dabblings in Celtic-style charter and scroll design. Today, it's all about designs from pre-literate cultures, specifically Viking-age Norse and Scythian.
While I would definitely call them "art," they bear no resemblance to scribal reality, which...eh. But they made the Crowns happy, and hopefully the recipients as well.
If Vikings made manuscripts...
So, I'm not going to lie. Some of these are so old that I don't remember which reign they were for. I think this might have been an AoA for Ivar I and Asney I of Avacal. It painted up nicely, though. I do remember that.
Thorin IX million and Dagmaer II, maybe? Jambe, obviously. I don't remember if I did the text, too, or just the designs...
Also Thorin and Dagmaer, I think, as are the two that follow.
I'm pretty sure this was for Ulf I(?) and Celdae I.
And a Goutte from, I think, Gunnar and Gabriell's last reign.
This is the sketch for a Chivalry scroll for...I don't even remember. Frederick? I don't have a photo of it finished, which makes me sad.
And then there were the Scythian years.
I was the actual real Royal Scribe to Skeggi I and Tasiia I, a job I would not do again for many years because reasons. But, for what it's worth, I also developed the Greek-style alphabet used on this collection. We affectionately called this one "Disco Kitty."
I really wanted this to look like a carpet. Typically, that worked out.
This is another one that painted up surprisingly well. Also texterrific.
I think the art on this was actually done by Robin of Thornwood (now Laurel, and living in the West. She was my secret weapon, and I miss her very much.) I could never look at it without saying "Oh, fishy, fishy, fishy, fish" from Monty Python's Flying Circus."
Still to come: Japanese, Persian, and some actual designs based on actual manuscripts! Watch this space.
While I would definitely call them "art," they bear no resemblance to scribal reality, which...eh. But they made the Crowns happy, and hopefully the recipients as well.
If Vikings made manuscripts...
So, I'm not going to lie. Some of these are so old that I don't remember which reign they were for. I think this might have been an AoA for Ivar I and Asney I of Avacal. It painted up nicely, though. I do remember that.
Thorin IX million and Dagmaer II, maybe? Jambe, obviously. I don't remember if I did the text, too, or just the designs...
Also Thorin and Dagmaer, I think, as are the two that follow.
I'm pretty sure this was for Ulf I(?) and Celdae I.
And a Goutte from, I think, Gunnar and Gabriell's last reign.
This is the sketch for a Chivalry scroll for...I don't even remember. Frederick? I don't have a photo of it finished, which makes me sad.
And, finally, a "Norse" charter actually based on an actual manuscript. The text is in Icelandic, and the original is an early Icelandic astrology treatise. It looked pretty impressive with the 3"seal on it. It's all about visual balance, yo.
And then there were the Scythian years.
I was the actual real Royal Scribe to Skeggi I and Tasiia I, a job I would not do again for many years because reasons. But, for what it's worth, I also developed the Greek-style alphabet used on this collection. We affectionately called this one "Disco Kitty."
I really wanted this to look like a carpet. Typically, that worked out.
This is another one that painted up surprisingly well. Also texterrific.
I think the art on this was actually done by Robin of Thornwood (now Laurel, and living in the West. She was my secret weapon, and I miss her very much.) I could never look at it without saying "Oh, fishy, fishy, fishy, fish" from Monty Python's Flying Circus."
These last two painted up exceptionally well, I thought. They also painted up exceptionally quickly, which we needed for this reign.
Still to come: Japanese, Persian, and some actual designs based on actual manuscripts! Watch this space.
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