Empress Middleton/The Mossy Log
On Jan. 12, Lewis & Clark began hosting the exhibit “Shaping the Soul: The Book in Medieval Life.” The exhibit displays Medieval texts from Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Manuscripts in McMinnville, Oregon and was facilitated as a part of the “Manuscripts in the Curriculum” initiative by international art dealer Les Enluminures.
On Feb. 11, as a component of the exhibition in Watzek Library, LC hosted a whimsical and educational calligraphy workshop open to both students and the wider Portland community. Artist Gregory MacNaughton, outreach coordinator of the Cooley Art Gallery at Reed College, administered the workshop. MacNaughton described writing as the “magical activity of transferring speech onto a surface,” a sentiment that was certainly reflected in his precise, considerate instruction. He gave us many tips for how to sit and the amount of pressure to exert on the pen, like a form of meditation that was required to perform calligraphy for long periods of time.
Walking in to the classroom, the required materials were arranged in a neat assembly for the workshop: an inkwell, a pen, sheets of thick lined paper, unlined paper and a template sheet containing variations of Gothic letter script. As we got accustomed to the activity, we were informed about the unique characteristics the materials required to imitate accurate medieval handwriting. While introducing each material, MacNaughton gave short explanations of key terms and historical context, providing each participant with a wealth of knowledge with which to better appreciate the processes ahead.
The pen was a delicate piece of wood affixed with a plastic grip, with its key feature being its broad-edged nib. The tip was silver with a brass piece securing it, but we were informed that here the shape is more important than the material. Unlike standard modern pens that come to a round point, this nib has a wide, flat surface that creates natural line variation— thick vertical lines and thin horizontal lines based on the angle at which it is held. With this edge, the scriber can create thin upward strokes, then delicately pull down on the pen to engage the flat edge. In practice, the edge of the pen is held at a 45-degree angle to the writing line of the paper, with the brass piece on top and the silver beneath.
We then considered a different, yet highly influential, calligraphy tool which originated in Greece. The calamus was a reed pen made from bamboo that was sharpened to a point with a penknife that was commonly carried by Greek calligraphers. Another common calligraphy pen was the quill — one of the outer five flight feathers from a goose, swan or turkey that has been sharpened to create a broad edge which is essential for calligraphy.
The ink we used had a carbon base. Historically it was widely used for handwriting but it is no longer commonly used today. When writers dip the pen into the inkwell, the ink travels into a small reservoir at the top of the nib. This is useful for both writing several letters before dipping again and to avoid using too much. The paper provided was 25% cotton fiber, considerably thicker than a standard printer or notebook paper.
As a remarkable addition to our calligraphy tools, each of us were given a square of vellum. Vellum is a writing surface made from animal skin that has been stretched thin and was used in place of paper before the implementation of pulp-based paper. Most medieval manuscripts, including those on display in the exhibit, were written on vellum, which contributes to both their rarity and longevity. Using the metal tip felt much smoother on the thick scratchy vellum than on the thick fiber paper.
MacNaughton’s workshop included more than just a tutorial for traditional calligraphy. He was especially interested in the history of scribing. The history of scribing has a varied cultural history depending on the global region. As we became increasingly engrossed in our task, MacNaughton shared interesting tidbits to immerse our experience. Medieval scribes, who were often well-paid, would spend full work days sitting meditatively over each carefully drawn letter. These publications would go on to make up some of the rarest and most expensive manifestations of written language. Exemplary relics of these kinds of publications are on display in the library until March 8.
Along with a brief history of written word, we also learned about key aspects of the printing industry. Although the style we practiced is commonly known as the Gothic script font, the term “font” is used in printing for a set of repeated letters. Scribing however, is the act of handwriting and not conforming to the repeated accuracy of a font used in printing. Another printing term developed during the mid-15th century was “uppercase” and “lowercase,” created to refer to the upper and lower cases containing small and large letter blocks in printing houses. Calligraphy in its medieval context instead referred to the two sizes as miniscule and majuscule to differentiate.
This is just a glimpse into the affluence of the insightful guidance MacNaughton brought to LC. In closing, he encouraged any students interested in learning about or developing these skills to look into more opportunities. His suggestions include the events held by the Portland Society of Calligraphy and his own calligraphy practice held on Thursday evenings at Reed College from 6-8 p.m. and Friday afternoons from 3-4 p.m.
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