Visual heraldry:
There is ample heraldry and symbolism used in the original piece so it was not hard to substitute the information I had on the recipient into the piece. The large opening miniature is often reserved for the “theme” of a piece. Since the theme of this scroll was Maynard being recognized as having reigned in AEthelmearc, it was a well-suited position for a portrait of Maynard as King. I chose to paint him in the clothing he was wearing at opening ceremonies at Pennsic, with a pole arm (his best weapons form) because I wanted him to be remembered as a “War King” as opposed to one who sits the Throne in a “Peace Reign”

The four beasts of the apocalypse surrounded the original miniature. I opted to replace these with the four Peerages of the SCA (Royalty, Chivalry, Laurel, Pelican). Numerically it worked perfectly. I additionally saw this as an opportunity to show that the Royalty do not maintain the kingdom alone, but are also supported by the Peers.

The shield and helmet as displayed were symbolic of a Knight in the 13th and 14th centuries. As this is what first caught my eye and encouraged me to select the Willehalm Codex as my exemplar, I decided to leave this as it was in the original piece substituting the arms of Maynard for those of Heinrich II and adding an SCA County Coronet. At the time the original piece was painted this placement was abnormal for a heraldic display. More often a shield with the patron’s arms would be placed within the illumination, usually as part of the border. Placing the Arms in the margin brings additional attention to them. Their atypical placement is a high honor … In the original it was a sign of respect for Heinrich II as the patron and supporter of this unusual secular manuscript. For my purpose, it is acknowledgement of Maynard’s accomplishment.

Within the opening letter “T” I placed the Arms of the Kingdom of AEthelmearc. The original “inhabited initial” had a portrait of Heinrich II. I already had a painting of Maynard so I substituted the Kingdom’s heraldry. As initials often contained people, foliage, or heraldry this is a reasonable exchange. By placing the heraldry of the Kingdom so close to Maynard’s Arms I am showing the close connection between the two.

In the bottom left corner is a herald. I liked it in the original so I reproduced it on this piece. Beneath the herald I replaced the hare from the original piece with the winged tiger of Tygersguard, the household Maynard is affiliated with. Since the other members of the Household worked hard in support of his reign I thought it would be appropriate to recognize them on this scroll as well.

In the original piece a scribe is shown on the bottom of the illumination. That he is clearly not writing but reading the text to the other figures may represent both the entertainment value of the manuscript and the scribe’s role in the writing and decoration of it . Since my part in Maynard’s story is small I chose to replace the scribe with mounted combatants also giving dual meaning to the piece. It shows the entertainment value of a tournament in the SCA and is specifically representative of Maynard and his opponent, Sir Michael of Northwood, in the finals of the Crown Tourney Maynard won. The colors of the combatant’s charges are used for their surcotes as well as the barding on their horses. Maynard’s complete registered device is painted on his shield. Much to my dismay I was not able to get the 2 lions rampant painted on Michael’s shield in detail that would allow them to be identified as lions, so his shield is only partially heraldically correct.

The text:
Voice heralds may appreciate that this scroll contains all of the information required under Signet office policy but the actual wording is based on the Act of Parliament settling the crown on Richard III . The text was copied from the Internet and edited for length, content and readability. The most poignant parts of the wording were drawn directly from the 15th century text.

Artistic notes:
The only image of this manuscript page that I could locate was in black and white and not very clear. The color palette I used was chosen from two colored illuminations found in other parts of the manuscript and shades used in similar illuminations from the same time and region. I chose to use a mix of medieval and modern materials for this piece. Since Maynard has a small child I was not comfortable using toxic period pigments, so modern gouaches were substituted. I ran into many of the same problems medieval scribes encountered in dealing with their materials. The finish on the vellum was very slick and acted almost like finger paint or waxed paper. Fine details often chipped off of the page and the gilding had to be replaced 3 times. I am not totally happy with the appearance of the finished scroll, but it is often easier to document the mistakes of medieval scribes than it is the perfection their modern day counterparts hope to achieve.

Conclusion:
I really enjoyed making this piece …. the research, concept and execution. It was a rare opportunity for me as a scribe to personalize an award scroll to the extent of a period piece. Even though it took me over 3 months working daily to complete this page, it was well worth the effort. I would happily undertake another piece in such a heraldically intense style in a heartbeat.

Anderson, Janice. Illuminated Manuscripts. New York. Todtri Productions Limited.1999.

Friar, Stephen & John Ferguson. Basic Heraldry. Hong Kong: Bramley Books.1999.

Holladay, Joan A. Illuminating the Epic. Seattle: University of Washington Press.1996

Richard III Society Inc, Titulus Regius, 1484 INTERNET: http://www.r3.org/bookcase/texts/tit_reg.html Accessed March 16, 2005

SCA College of Arms, Letter of Acceptance & Return (LoAR) February 2000 INTERNET: http://www.sca.org/heraldry/loar/2000/02/00-02lar.html Accessed March 16, 2005