Wednesday 27 July 2011

Camelot wedding

If there is one story that has fascinated us and inspired many movies and books it's the legend of Arthur and his knights. We tend to think of it as a perfect example of a medieval romantic, religious and dramatic knight’s tale. Quite a few weddings have a Camelot theme.

"An Arthurian Legend" (1800s)
 Contrary to common believe Arthur was not a medieval king, but probably a leader of the British Island in the 5th and 6th century. The Arthur most people know is mainly a product of the medieval fancy with his legend. In the 12th century a Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote a somewhat imaginative text called the History of the Kings of Britain in which he told of Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere, Excalibur and Arthurs birth and death. That book seemed to have inspired several writers through the middle ages to build on the Arthurian legends.. Arthur was first mentioned in the 9th century where he was portrayed as an actual historical leader who defeated the Saxons.

The marriage of Arthur and Guinevere, late 1400s
 
But the fact is that a lot of what we consider to be the Arthurian legend which is Merlin, Arthur, Uther Pendragon and Guinevere are added to the legend in medieval times. So the Arthurian legend is therefore a very medieval phenomenon in the sense that a lot literature with medieval themes, principles and ideas were written about him and his court during the Middle Ages. The hunt for the Holy Grail was also added to the story later along with Lancelot.
The legend of Arthur is a mix of Iron Age history and medieval romantic tales. If you are considering having a medieval themed wedding with a twist of Camelot, just remember Arthur’s legend is the medieval times' version of a fantasy novel.


From the movie: King Arthur (2004)


Friday 15 July 2011

Medieval restroom signs

I had nothing to do last night so I decided to draw 2 pictures of a man and a woman to use for restroom signs. I am not sure I am going to use them, but I thought I would show you none the less, (since I am slightly proud of them).

They were made with pencil and ink:


and


Wednesday 13 July 2011

A medieval church

In medieval times the marriage ceremony didn't actually take place inside the church. The bride and groom were wed outside and then they all walked in for mass in the church afterwards. Me and my fiancée are having our ceremony outside, but I thought you might like to see a beautiful medieval church. This one is from Ringsted where I live: Sct Bendt's church.
In 1080 AD a prior church was build in the same spot. The Danish king Valdemar the Victorious chose to build a new and more modern church in 1160-80 where he was later buried and it still stands today. It was amongst the first to be built in bricks. Once every year a medieval fair is held in the park around this beautiful specimen of architecture.
  Couldn't you just imagine walking down that stone floor towards your knight in shining armor? The church is particularly impressive because of the frescos that have been restored in the last couple of years. Just look at those colors and details!
Another little nifty detail is the many shields of arms painted on the walls and ceiling. It adds to the medieval atmosphere and if one needs some inspiration for their own shield of arms it's a good place to go.
Very few churches are pure medieval in their architecture and inventory. Most of them have been rebuild several times and new alter and pulpit added, in Denmark mostly from the renaissance. But there are a few original churches left. :-)
Good luck finding the ceremony location. 

Monday 11 July 2011

My medieval drawstring pouch

I want you all to see this beautiful pouch that I have bought. It's print on silk by http://baba-store.com/. They are very kind and provide good service. It is inspired by a medieval tapestry "the lady and the unicorn" from the 15th century.

There are six tapestries in the series and they are very beautiful. Here is the one that inspired the pouch:

The Baba shop I bought it from is not specialist in the medieval times but they do have other pouches from painters who, although they are not contemporary, have severel medieval motives with knights and maidens, like this one: 
It is Art Nouveau, which is obviously a much later art style, but you can't deny that it's pretty, and can you blame someone for finding their inspiration in the medieval times? ;-)

Sunday 3 July 2011

Dress of the Month - July

Here comes the next entry about possible wedding gowns that I think is beautiful and worth the modest title - dress of the month. This creation is from the verymerryseamstress who amongst other things makes amazing dresses inspired by paintings.
I love the richness of color and fabric in dress, and the royal look. Besides, look at the stunning contrast between the red inner sleeves and the blue!

To give you an idea of the thoughts behind it, here is the picture who inspiried it.
J.W. Waterhouse, 1910
This is the perfect example of a wedding gown that is colorful like they were in medieval times.