Scroll-Care-art - 10/24/19
"The Care and Maintenance of Your New Scroll" by THLord Sasson de Sancta Victoria.
NOTE: See also the files: mailng-scrols-msg, calligraphy-msg, Beg-C-Pntng-art, gold-leaf-msg, quills-msg, Wr-Med-Leters-art, writing-inst-msg.
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NOTICE -
This article was added to this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium, with the permission of the author.
These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author or translator.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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First published in the Sept. 2019 issue of The Æthelmearc Gazette.
The Care and Maintenance of Your New Scroll
by THLord Sasson de Sancta Victoria
If you or a loved one were inducted into a Kingdom or Baronial order recently, congratulations!!! As you return home with a lovely scroll in tow you may be wondering, "What do I do with it now?"
Scrolls are unique in that, unlike most of the photos or awards in our homes, they are hand-made works of art.
The first thing you should do with your scroll after receiving one at an event is to get it inside a dry vehicle as soon as court is over. In most cases your scroll will be handed to you with a case made from cardboard and fabric, and while these help immensely in protecting your scroll from any immediate bending or moisture, they are not impervious to damage. Please return these cases when you attend your next event so they can be used for the next scroll recipient.
When the event is over consider packing your scroll away securely or politely ask your passenger-seat rider to carry it in their lap on your return journey.
Once home, you'll want to display it as soon as possible. I say this because often items that get put away for an extended period of time tend to be forgotten. Even if it's not in a premium frame go ahead and hang it up anyway temporarily so that it will stay in the forefront of your mind. You worked hard for this accolade after all!
When framing your scroll consider opting for acid-free matting and UV resistant glass. Having a mat(s) in front of your scroll helps prevent the scroll from adhering to the glass if it gets exposed to humidity or condensation, and the UV glass helps ensure the color fastness of your scroll. Your scroll should be made from archival materials, but in some cases your scribes may opt to use historically-used materials that may be more susceptible to degradation over time. The addition of dust-paper on the back of your frame can help prevent dust and some moisture from entering the inside of your frame. If your scroll is made from animal vellum consider having spacers installed in the rabbet depth of your frame to help prevent your scroll from touching the glass if it should buckle later down the road.
It is important that you hang your scroll in a temperature-controlled place that won't receive direct contact with outside light to ensure that the colors of your scroll last as long as possible. Because most scrolls do not exceed 16×20 and contain small lettering and fine details you should hang your scroll at or just slightly above your eye level for best viewing.
Should your scroll receive any aesthetic damage before or after you have gotten it home, don't hesitate to reach out to a scribe so that we can gladly help you fix it. In most cases you should reach out to the original scribes first to see if they are available before sourcing the work to another, as a courtesy.
If you have registered heraldry, and a shield that was left blank on one of your scrolls either before or after your heraldry was approved I recommend the same, please reach out to a fellow scribe and we would be more than glad to fill in the blank for you.
Should you ever completely lose your scroll due to an accident or act-of-god… you guessed it, reach out to a scribe, or your kingdom's signet. Depending on the circumstances and the current state of their workload / the backlog its likely that someone may be able to help either recreate your scroll to the best of their ability or make a completely new one.
The most important thing to remember is that, in Æthelmearc at least, our scribes volunteer their time to make your scrolls for the sheer love of art & populace. Your new scroll was made with a tremendous amount of time, skill, and love; so treat it as such and you will be able to admire it for many, many years to come!
Photos by THL Sasson de Sancta Victoria
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Copyright <year> by Deven Dirkes Harvell. <DevenDirkesHarvell at facebook.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
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