An Ottonian letter inspired by a manuscript from the Abbery of Echternach, founded in the 7th century in what is modern-day Luxembourg.
For the second letter in my Illuminated Letters Alphabet Project I chose as my model a letter from the British Library (Egerton MS 608). The manuscript was produced in the 11th century in the scriptorium of the Abbey of Echternach, a Benedictine monastery that rose to prominence first under the Frankish kings (think Charlemagne) and was then revitalized later under the Ottonians. Several important illuminated manuscripts were produced there during both periods.
Richly illuminated Ottonian manuscripts are characterized by gilded vine letters, outlining in orange, and--in some--the heavy use of imperial purple. Purple dyes and paints were very expensive so they are only seen in any large amount in manuscripts made in richly-endowed monasteries or for wealthy patrons. Unfortunately, the colors don't really show well in that photo so I felt free to brighten them up in my own version. I also chose a different border because I don't particularly like the one pictured here. I went with something a good deal more Romanesque in style. It's my letter; I get to pick! I also added some tooling to the gold in a few places to liven up the monotony of the many gold vines.
For the flat gilding (which is period appropriate for an Ottonian letter), I chose to use gum ammoniac. Gum ammoniac is a historical gilding size that you can make yourself or buy from a limited number of sellers. I try not to make my life more difficult than it has to be, so I buy mine. It's a very thin size and requires multiple layers. I applied three. To gild with it, you have to breathe on it (heat + moisture) to reactivate its stickiness and then apply several layers of gold. Historical gilding methods in general require a lot more gold than the modern ones.
A few process photos for your delectation.
For those of you familiar with manuscript illumination, you might notice that there is a distinct resemblance to White Vine decoration from the Italian Renaissance (the vines, the color palette of the areas between the vines, the triple dots). That's not accidental. Italian Renaissance artists looked back to older--and ostensibly better--styles for inspiration. They particularly took their cues from Classical art and many manuscript makers mistook Carolingian and Ottonian books as Classical. This is true of Renaissance calligraphy hands as well.
If I make more of these style letters, I would do one particular thing differently. The orange paint really gave me trouble. It wasn't opaque enough and needed to be "glopped" on, which messed with the delicacy of my lines. I'd either use a different paint or change the order in which I added the paint. Live and learn.
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