Ander Gómez painting over parchment

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.

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Esteban bone carving

Ander Gómez painting over parchment

María Gold Smith Working book corners

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.

José Manuel decorating capital letters

Basiliscus

Amphisabaena

Cat

Dog

Hiena

Bull

Hedgehog

Calligraphy over natural parchment

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.