This is the first award of this level I've ever had the honor of painting, and I confess the words put me in a bit of a stressful position! I managed a draft, but the wonderful final draft is the work of master wordsmith Alys Mackyntoich. I am very, very grateful to her for her help.
The imagery is a woman standing in a field, and in the original she holds an open book in her hand. As Ruth is known for her embroidery, I replaced the book with an embroidery hoop with a few black stitches on it, and a length of thread. I added also a coronet with 6 pearls, evidence of her new rank.
The source for the scroll is Add MS 54782, housed at the British Library, f.66v for the imagery and various pages for the text. I had to modify the text layout significantly to accommodate the expanded text necessary for a Court Barony scroll, but was able to keep the feel of the scroll in tact. I am quite pleased with how it came together.
gouache and shell gold on pergamenata, Pelikan ink
8 1/4" x 10 1/4" finished size
3 3/4" x 5 1/2" image size
3 3/4" x 5" text size
