Bestiary Manuscript
BEASTS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
Between the 12th-13th centuries, theologians and scholars wrote books called bestiaries all about real and imaginary animals.
Bestiaries were texts with illuminated, or hand painted and drawn, pictures. These bestiaries were similar to today’s fairy tales with a Christian spin. Authors used animals in an allegorical way to convey meaning
LOOK HOW WE WORK
OUR BESTIARY MANUSCRIPT
We are currently undertaking a very special and unique passion project: the making of an original illuminated “BESTIARY” manuscript.
In an attempt to emulate the exceptional quality and significance of such enterprise, this Bestiary will be entirely hand-crafted on genuine scribal sheepskin vellum and decorated with flat and raised-gold gilding using medieval methods and techniques, honoring the process and traditions of ancient manuscript making. The Calligraphy will be a great task as the hand-written word is at the heart and soul of any original manuscript project such as this one.
The images are based on iconic vivid paintings of mythological animals, legendary creatures, and drawings that populated earlier bestiaries from Medieval times.
OUR ORIGINAL PAINTS
ABOUT US
The Vellum Page is a unique calligraphy/illuminated manuscript studio based in Manhattan, New York. We are at the leading edge of art, innovation and the science of rare manuscript, codex, facsimile and custom project production and reproduction. Some of our customers include the Morgan Library, the Museum of the Bible and numerous private collections and collectors.
OVERVIEW
It was around 1,450 when the Gutenberg printing press (the divine- or- the infernal machine) put the art of making amusing manuscripts to rest. Reviving the art of such illuminated manuscripts means using a wide range of ancient materials and techniques.
Front cover Bestiary
Base 500 years walnut wood, carved bone, silver and precious and semiprecious stones
MATERIALS & TECHNIQUES
MATERIALS
Written support:
– Natural lamb
& goatskin vellum
– Papyrus (for display)
Vellum reparation
– Pumice powder
– Resin sandarac
Inks:
– Iron gall
– Brazil-wood
– Buckhorn
– Vine black
– Charcoal
– Walnut
Written instruments:
– Quail
– Reed
– Calligraphy nib pen
– Lead stylus of plummet
Gold Gilding
23 K gold and Silver leaf
– Flat Gilding size:
Gum ammoniac & Glair
– Raised Gilding size:
(Cennini’s formula):
While lead
Sleek gesso sottile
Hide glue
Armenian Bole
Sugar
Paint
– Egg Tempera:
Pigments:
– Ivory black
– Cinnabar
-Red ochre
– Ultramarine blue
– Yellow ochre
– Burnt umber
– Burnt sienna
– Verdigris
Book Cover
– Base: 2 pieces of 400
years-old certified
fallen walnut tree.
– Bone carved
– Semiprecious stones:
Sapphire
Amethyst
Topaz
Aquamarine
Zircon
Garnet
Citrine
Turquoise
Zirconium
– Hand-blown glass beads
– Mother of pearl
TECHNIQUES
Bookbinding:
– By hand
Calligraphy
– Hand-written
Parchment
– Elaborated by hand
Painting
Original paintings
using a combination
of ready-made egg
tempera & egg-tempera
done on our studio
by grinding historical pigments
and egg yolk
Inks
Ancient inks are handmade by chemist Lucas Tucker
Gold Gilding
– Flat Gilding
Size: Gum ammoniac & Glair
– Raised Gilding
Size: Cennini’s formula
Glass beads
Hand-blown by the Royal Glass Factory of La Granja Granja (Spain), one of the oldest glass factory in Europe.
THE PAINTING
THE INKS/PIGMENTS
THE BOOK COVERS
THE WOOD & BONE
AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL
The main goal for this project is to offer an “educational kit” to scholars, providing a tool that may help to teach about the history and the beauty of illuminated manuscripts, the materials being used and complex techniques. For this purpose, the manuscript is accompanied by:
1. A Study Guide: (writings and essays done by experts on the field dealing with a number of topics: bestiaries and its meaning, medieval pigments and inks, gold gilding, calligraphy, bookbinding, etc.).
2. Samples of materials: such as pigments, inks, vellum (sheep and goat), papyrus, and other writing tools and instruments.
KIT COMPONENTS
1. The Bestiary Manuscript
2. Natural Pigments & Inks Kit
3. Study Guide
4. Writing Tools
5. Vellum & Papyrus pieces
6. Multimedia
THE STORY OF OUR PARCHMENT
Following the ancient handmade tanning process that has remained very much unchanged over past 13 centuries, skins are scraped, clean and soaked in water, lime, and other natural acids to clean and remove all of the hair, fat and other tissue from each hide.
After that, they are dried and stretched on wooden frames. They are hand-polished and honed on both sides and finally cut and sorted based on quality and intended use.
Only the best skins are hand-picked, one by one (see Ramón at the tannery). Stretching and framing them on a wooden frame using ancient tools is a delicate and gentle craft. Any crack or tear turns the skin unusable.
Click right/left to show more
THE INKS AND PIGMENTS
Most of the ancient inks and quills we are using for this manuscript are hand- made by chemist Lucas Tucker, from Scribal Workshop following medieval and renaissance period recipes and techniques. We are using iron gall, brazilwood, buckthorn, vine black, charcoal and walnut inks. Gum sandarac and pumice powder are used to prepare the surface. Ancient inks, including lump-black charcoal, walnut and/or iron gall medieval inks are used. More info about inks in scribalworkshop.com
THE ALCHEMY OF OUR ARTISANS
A number of skillful craftsmen and specialist are engaged on this project: a parchment maker, calligraphers, ink and pigment makers, silversmith, a wood and bone carver, gemologist, a glass-blown expert, illustrator, bookbinder, and a painter for the manuscript production. A number of curators and specialist from different institutions (The Morgan Library, The New York Public Library, The Metropolitan Museum and several universities are a big part of this project with their and support.
Before commencing on the calligraphy of this project, our scribes had to ready the parchment by preparing the surface with a combination of an ancient mix of gum sandarac and fine pumice.
Afterward, the calligraphy work is done using only ancient inks including iron gall, walnut and lamp black mixed with Arabic gum.
Other archival inks and treatments have been used to preserve the quality and durability of this manuscript.
A FEW OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS
José Manuel
Artist/Gold gilding
Todd Blackmoore
Director Business Development
María Soto
Silversmith
Esteban
Bone & Wood carving
Jesús Esteban
Carpenter
Ander Gómez-Miranda
Painter
Nacho Ponce
Parchment
Julio Vega (center)
Calligrapher
Ramón Abajo (left)
President
Ramón and Todd at the Museum of the Bible
OTHER AMUSING PROJECTS
The Siddur Prayer Book
Our siddur facsimil production of one of the oldest manuscripts of the Jewish Prayer books for the Museum of the Bible.
This tiny manuscript, roughly the size of a modern smart-phone is estimated to be over 1,300 years old and is only about 50 leaves/pages long, with Hebrew script covering each thick, rough-edged gorgeous page. It is one of the oldest Siddur manuscripts known to exist. We reproduced four identical facsimiles. In an attempt to emulate the exceptional quality and significance of the manuscript, this unique Siddur facsimile was hand-crafted on genuine scribal sheepskin parchment.
The Digital Haggadah
A monumental multimedia retelling of the ancient text fusing calligraphy, computer design, digital animation, gold gilt painting, and narration, lavishly illustrated with over 100 images from the Old Testament and prominent synagogues. <<The Haggadah of the Future>>, <<So beautifully crafted that it complements the elegance of the iPad>>.
