Aesthetic/Franchise

Heraldic Wardrobe

These are the garb pieces this SCAdian has purchased because she is too afraid to make them on her own, primarily because she is afraid of ruining fancy brocade as she learns how to sew. It is a collection of Byzantine Hypokhamison/Rus Svita and Slavic/Byzantine/Viking/Kievan Rus dresses, plus cloaks and other accessories from various online shops. While there are many historical patterns of brocade available to purchase from various sources, the Saint Julian/Julien (of Rimini) lion pattern of the 9th/10th century is this SCAdian's favourite, seconded by the Esztergom lion pattern dated 10th-11th century. More recently, these patterns have been available in red with a golden lion (and better yet, these lions stand statant/passant facing sinister), representing this SCAdian's heraldry very well. The stylistic pattern of the Saint Julian lion also allows the imagery to represent the East Kingdom Tiger in a Byzantine style with its unique striped appearance.

Many Many Lions, Especially on Brocade

This SCAdian likes to wear lion-brocaded patterns (primarily Byzantine) in her garb to reflect her heraldry with a preference for red and gold colours. This SCAdian's minor obsession with this pretty textile inspired her interest in reading about the Byzantine silk trade and creating a backstory that allowed the persona of Nicasia to be a part of that history.

Above are various patterns of brocaded lions either currently or formerly available on Living History Market (the source of the cover image for each page of this site), Northern Traders, Sartor's Bohemia, Kazar Bazar, and True History Shop. Most of the above patterns are of the St. Julian Rimini lion from 9th/10th centuries and the Esztergom Lion from 10th/11th centuries. Others include the silk samite paired lions, the Anatolian imperial lions in medallions, and lions from the dalmatica of Saint Ulrich. While some versions of these brocades may not be available for purchase by the fabric stores any longer, there are many garb-makers who have these silks in stock and are willing to make an article of clothing using the material they have left. There are also many patterns from brocades or printed patterns that can be found on Spoonflower. Other shops like WakingTheLion list Byzantine-inspired patterns. 

The Consort & I

Looking for imagery that reflected a mix of our heraldry, the Lion of Saint Mark came to light. A Venetian winged lion holding an open bible opened to PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVS ('Peace unto you Mark, my Evangelist'). It is the symbol of the city of Venice, and formerly the Venetian Republic. It is also the symbol of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. There are two versions of the lion, the first being the lion holding an open bible (as described above with the Latin text) which is the version of peacetime in the city of Venice. The second version, with one paw on a closed bible and the other holding a sword, symbolizes that the city was in a time of war. The symbol of the Saint Mark lion expressed "power and majesty, the symbol of strength of the word of the Saint, spiritual elevation thanks to the wings, wisdom thanks to the book under the paw, and justice for the presence of the sword." The relics of Saint Mark had arrived in Venice in the early 9th century, but the symbolism of a lion for Saint Mark did not come about until the 12th century. In 1260, the lion of Saint Mark was chosen to represent the city of Venice by its Most Serene Republic by putting it on their flag. When the consort was asked what he thought about borrowing the imagery of the lion of Saint Mark and possibly usin/modifying it for future needs in garb or any possible Heraldic submissions, the consort stated, "I do like bibles. And it's cool that we have something to look at in reference for either a war or a peace reign." 

Historical Jewelry

The image carousel above includes replications that this SCAdian possesses as well as their source. For information regarding historical Byzantine practices with jewelry, please view the Byzantine Jewelry page. 

Self-Created Replications

Byzantine replicas this SCAdian has made (click the links to see the original pieces) are in the image carousel above. They are organized in the order that they were completed.

To see the process of these pieces being made, please look at the _____ page. 

First Image: My first completed replication ever, a replication of the 4th century Byzantine Necklace said to be from Alexandria, Egypt, the original being made with an Emerald-paste amphora (vase) pendant, "viking knitted" chain, and rams' head clasp worked in repoussé.

Second Image: My first replication of the 6th century Byzantine Necklace with Cross, created using a Byzantine technique called opus interrasile, piercing designs into sheets of gold. 

Third & Fourth Image (third with flash, fourth without): Estimated to be made between 500-700 AD, this Coptic (Christian-Egyptian, Copts being an ethnoreligious group from North Africa primarily inhabiting the areas of modern-day Egypt and Sudan) necklace was made from rock crystal, a luxury import as it was a rare transparent crystal. 

Fifth Image: the second replication of the same necklace that inspired the creation of the second image. See details within "Second Image" regarding the original piece. 

Lions & Tigers & Heraldry - Heraldic Jewelry & Kingdom Representation

This SCAdian wanted to get some accessories that represent her heraldry and some pieces that represent the kingdom. Blue (and the more common yellow) Tiger's Eye jewelry allowed for some minor representation of the East Kingdom, but would otherwise look like minor blue and yellow stone details. The above jewelry was selected based on popular 6th century Byzantine jewelry practices in addition to SCA imagery uses. 

Other Accessories

This SCAdian has several chalices emulating Orthodoxy and replicating Byzantine treasures like the chalice of Emperor Romanos. The Veronese chalices from the images above are quite similar to real Byzantine/Orthodox chalices (both colourful and silver/gold patterned options from Veronese). When requesting a pottery commission for the chalice of Emperor Romanos, this SCAdian used the Meraviglie di Venezia, a project that creates virtual reconstructions of locations and objects throughout Venice, to send to the artist for as accurate a depiction as possible. The site allows for a great look at objects via 360 degree rotation on 3 axes. The Greek inscription on the base of the chalice reads, "Lord help Romanos, the Orthodox ruler." The chalice looks pretty good (certainly far better than this SCAdian could have done herself), but when consort Michał asks why the saints have googly eyes, this  SCAdian responds with, "Because it's period," as demonstrated by Diane Morgan's character on Cunk on Earth.   

In the sense of modern day definitions of 'parasol' and 'umbrella,' Nicasia prefers umbrellas to parasols due to better UV protection as well as a preference for waterproof materials. Il Marchesato made lovely Byzantine Umrellas using mosaic patterns of an (unnamed?) Byzantine emperor. This scadian plans on creating similarly designed undersides to some other umbrellas  stylized after the ceilings of churches, temples, and mausoleums from the empire, including the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, Italy. 

Venetian masks certainly aren't Byzantine, but there are enough masquerade events in the SCA that warranted getting one, such as Les Beltaines. "Venetian masks date back to the Middle Ages when people started to reunite and celebrate together dressing up with masks and flashy clothes. Gradually it became even more popular and institutionalized by the Republic of Venice, reaching its peak during the Carnival of Venice."