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Irene Base

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.

You can move through the slides by swiping on your tablet or mobile, or by clicking on the navigation arrows which will appear when you hover over the slide.

 

  • 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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The Society of Scribes and Illuminators, based in the UK, is one of the most established and well-respected calligraphy societies in the world.
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