- Name and Title – Lady Sabine di Sandra
- Project Title – Chaucer Meets Black Lance
- Location – House Carpathia, and the Barony of Carillion
- East Kingdom Wiki Link – https://wiki.eastkingdom.org/wiki/Sabine_di_Sandra
- Website/Blog Link – https://sabinedisandra.wixsite.com/art-with-sabine
- Category – Calligraphy and Illumination
This piece is four fully illuminated and calligraphed 11”x14” scrolls. It was created in the style of an early 15th century English manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales known as the Ellesmere Chaucer. I created a specialized ductus from the calligraphy in the manuscript for this project. I also researched the pigments and materials used for the artwork, and emulated them with safer and more practical materials. This work was not intended to be a facsimile, but I was meticulous about the details when possible.
The words used for this project are “Black Lance, the Blue Tyger Legion of Pennsic XLIX” – a collaborative tale by Lord Brogain O’Riain, Sir Klaus Winterhalter, Imperator Allaricus Xirinius Dominus, Lady Caitlin FitzGerald, and Sir Donnan FtizGerald recounting a fateful Pennsic War where the East Kingdom’s Black Lance heavy fighting unit found glory. This project is dedicated to them and to all members of Black Lance.
The guiding star of my SCA journey has always been my communities and their stories. I love hearing epic tales woven from our events and gatherings, and I think they are what gives the SCA a large part of its magic. My ultimate goal for this piece was not only to help this particular story live on, but also to encourage these stories to be written, told, and embellished forevermore.
Chaucer Meets Black Lance was first displayed at St. Eligius, where it won overall. It now lives in the Rag and Bone Meadery near Mullica Hill, NJ. You can read the full St. Eligius write-up on Sabine’s SCA art blog.
Additional Links:
The full St. Eligius write-up and pictures of each page can be found on my blog: https://sabinedisandra.wixsite.com/art-with-sabine/post/st-eligius-2025-chaucer-meets-black-lance