The Candle in the Window


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The author of this poem, Sir Brand deux Leons, is an astoundingly talented and prolific artist, with literally hundreds of sonnets and songs to his credit. This poem was written by him more than 14 years ago, on the occasion of a birthday of a friend. I chose it in particular because it is such an emblem of hope, of friendship, and of caring; it shows the writer's spirit as well as his talent. Of all his works, from the humorous to the adoring to the profane, this poem stood out for me as a memento of happy times and happy friendships, and also as a tribute to the author's own soul, which is an inspiration both of chivalry and of leadership to his friends and to the SCA as a whole. It is my sincere hope that he knows the great respect in which he is held by myself and others, and that this small gift serves as token of the many candles, other people's minds and attitudes, that his spark ignites.

Paper: Pergamentata vellum (vellum made in traditional means, but from vegetable, rather than animal, materials).

Gilding: Aurum Gold Leaf (23.5 kt) (23.75 kt)

Gilding Size: Rabbit skin glue (hide chunks imported from Italy; crushed and boiled by hand) for distemper paint; mixed with alum (aluminum sulfate) in gilding size.

Gilding Tools: Gilding cushion, gilding knife and tweezers, paper straws, gilding brush, agate burnisher, and silk.

Calligraphic Ink: Oak gall ink made with period recipes and materials including oak galls, iron salts, logwood dyes and acacia gum (Gum Arabic).

Brushes: Sable-hair ranging from 001 to 2.0

Pen: Handcrafted oak-handle, metal nib.

		The primary capital, a 'T', in a Cadel style and entirely gold-leafed. The background paper seems much darker here due to the flash used to highlight the shine of the gold; the paper is actually much closer in color to the shade shown below, in the photograph of the entire piece.

The primary text is executed in an intricate secretarial batarde. I chose this text style for its fanciful, elegant qualities as well as its trailing spires and lows, to mesh with the intricate spirals of the overall work. The capital T is a gold-leafed Cadel; the knotwork words of the poem precisely follow a Celtic pattern of interlacing. The knot itself is a 'celtic four,' most commonly used by the celtic illuminators to show the unity of friendship, to offer good fortune and blessings on a home, and to invoke the the four seasons of the year and the four phases of a person's life. In the 1500s, as printing became the most common method of producing books, intellectuals increasingly valued the aesthetic qualities of writing. In 1561-62, Georg Bocskay, imperial secretary to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, inscribed the Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta as a testament to his preeminence among scribes; to demonstrate his technical mastery of the immense range of writing styles. He assembled a vast selection of contemporary and historical scripts and created this work. Thirty years later, the pages were further embellished by Joris Hoefnagel, Europe's last great manuscript illuminator. One of the book's primary topics is calligraphy and its place in the art and culture of the sixteenth century (folio 118, in particular inspired this work). The manuscript's remarkable calligraphy is astounding in its simplicity and elegance, ornamented by its shape rather than complex illumination, revealing the beauty of word - both poetry and calligraphy - as art.



"The Candle in the Window" Done for Cassia's Birthday, Dec. 1995 The candle in the window bears tidings for us all It yet reflects with great respect the tale of home and hall. This light of thine will always shine across the night-dark sea. To welcome, guide, deliver us and bring us home to thee. The candle in the window, with all reflected flame Gives welcome to the wanderer, and those who know thy name. The light of hope burns brightest, yea, to those whose paths are poor. That darkness that surrounds us all is pierced by its bright sword. The candle in the window does cast its light without. 'twill always send a glimmer to some lonely soul, ne'er doubt. And tho' the flame may seem quite small, its brilliance ever dim, Forget ye not that every heart needs but a spark within. Thy candle in the window, a word, a deed, a smile Does give a saving beam of faith out to this lonely isle. Forget thee not thy radiance, thy light of giving grace. And know there is a candle here, to shine upon thy face.