Irene Base - The Society of Scribes and Illuminators

Alma Swan has kindly put together this presentation about Irene Base, FSSI. We hope you enjoy learning about Irene and looking at some of her work.

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A brief account of her life and description of a collection of her work

donated to the Society of Scribes & Illuminators.

Irene Base, FSSI
Irene was born and educated in Norfolk, but lived

for most of her life in Shirehampton near Bristol.

She was elected to Craft Membership (Fellowship)
of the SSI in 1922, the first year of the Society’s
operations.

Her skills were such that she carried out several
commissions while still at college

She studied calligraphy as part of an illustration
course at Chelsea School of Art under
Mervyn C. Oliver
Through research and experimentation, Irene became
the world authority on gilding and contributed the
chapter on that topic in The Calligrapher’s Handbook.

Books by Irene on display in St Mary's church,
Shirehampton, include the beautiful Altar Book
and the magnificent Memorial Book.

Her strongest interest lay in the production of
manuscript books. She worked on the RAF
Memorial Books but considered her finest
work was for St Mary's in Shirehampton, Bristol
(an area to which she moved in 1945).
In 1959, Irene founded the Bristol Manuscript Club,
a society of ex-students at the college.

She taught at the West of England School of Art
from 1945 until her retirement in 1971.

At least three of her students, Gordon Niblett,
Peter Feltham and Wendy Parnell, went on to
become Fellows of the SSI.

Irene died in February 1982.
Early in 2020, the son and daughter of the late
Gordon Niblett FSSI, who had been taught by Irene,
donated the collection of work that their father had
been left by Irene.

The collection consists of over 50 pieces of original
work by Irene, mostly drafts or practice pieces, plus
a selection of photos of Irene, a certificate of merit
awarded to her and a book signed by her students
to mark her retirement in 1971.
There follows a selection of pieces

from the collection.
Pages from a draft for a memorial book
for Holy Trinity Church, Shaftesbury
on Green & Son handmade paper
with marbled paper covers
Small hand-bound book with paper cover
Handmade book: Old China by Charles Lamb
two line drawings, hard cover with silk end papers
Two painted and gilded lozenge escutcheons
vellum glued to board
Practice pieces of gilded text in Greek and Latin
(on gesso?)
Pages from a small manuscript book
Detail of a page from a memorial book
Poem by Robert Bridges
Christmas design
Vellum glued to board
The following seven pictures show
a hard-bound book with silk endpapers.
Two painted and gilded arms
Vellum glued to board
Handmade book: The Little Fir Tree
Folio with paper cover
Painted illuminations, including shell gold
Scroll for Princess Alexandra from Clifton College
Page from illuminated RAF document
Handwritten book on the history of alphabets and
writing styles from Phoenician to Greek and Roman
Holy Communion Book
for St. Mary's Church, Shirehampton
Page from a memorial book
The Lord's Prayer
from a handwritten service book
Page from a peal book
Page from a memorial book
Title page from peal book
for St Mary’s Church, Redcliffe, Bristol
Title page for gift book
for St Mary’s Church, Shirehampton, Bristol
Pages from handwritten book,
The Shepherd As Naturalist
Arms of King's College, Cambridge
vellum glued to board
Poem: I Have A Gentil Cok
Loyal address from City of Norwich to King George VI
Book presented to Irene from her students on her retirement
from the West of England College of Art in 1971
(among the signatures were those of Wendy Parnell and Peter Feltham, both SSI Fellows)
Irene Base FSSI
With thanks to Stan Knight FSSI
for researching and providing
information about Irene’s life
that was included in
and enhanced this presentation

Alma Swan, Hon Secretary, SSI
honsec@calligraphyonline.org

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