Pelican Scroll

This scroll was a commission for the elevation of Viscount Axel of Taavistia to the Order of the Pelican. It is based on the Gospels of Otto III, a late 10th-century German manuscript. Most of the colors are handmade tempera paints (dry pigment bound with glair), with the exception of the bright orange, which is acrylic. The black background is ink, applied with a brush, and the lettering is shell gold, applied with a dip pen. Gold leaf was used for the large areas of gold and shell gold for the highlights. Finished August 2008.