| From Stonyhurst College Website General News
The Calligraphy Club meets twice a week and has about fifteen members- all in Lower Line (Years 9, 10 and 11).
They are learning the Uncial script, which is based on the 7th century Stonyhurst Gospel of St John, at present on loan to the British Library. The script is very clear and simple, although it takes a great deal of practice to perfect!
The pupils are using dip pens and a variety of inks, from the medieval Irongall ink made from iron filings and the oak apples produced by Gall wasps, to an exotic range of coloured and perfumed inks. They rule each sheet by hand, as the medieval scribes did, and are beginning to work on texts they have chosen themselves- either poems or quotes from literature.
They have discovered how hard it is to concentrate simultaneously on letter formation and accurate copying, and suffer from the same frustration felt by the ancient monks when they make a mistake and have to rule up another sheet.
Future projects planned include working with vellum, the application of gold leaf and illumination with medieval pigments.
© Copyright 2005 by Stonyhurst College |
