This was my contribution to The Masked One’s Kingdom discord server Memoriae Regis fanzine this July!
My interpretation of Baldwin IV’s coronation on July 15, 1174 (one of my interpretations, in any case. I have many visions in my mind always xD).
[disclaimer: I am not in the server but was invited to participate :)🩷]
Thank you so much @aurianavaloria and everyone else involved for thinking of me and inviting me! 😭🩵 At first I thought I would not be able to make it in time because you all know I’m very slow and suffer art blocks continuously, but in the end this came out and I hope it looks nice enough 😭
Artwork breakdown and context:
I partially based it on his lead seal. My interpretation of his attire includes an eastern stole/loros/tablion, bracelets, the regalia; a fleur crown with pendilia, the cross pattée scepter, and the orb, which I adorned with pearls and enamel.
The cross necklace is based on a cross seen in the KoH concept art, and it reminds me of an Armenian design I’ve seen sometimes. I also added rings to him, including those smaller worn toward the tips, based on Medieval rings that were worn this way. He wears a short royal coronation cape; in the 12th century they were not quite as long and fur-lined as we see later on.
I also did not portray his leprosy because it was still in the borderline stage, although definitely turning lepromatous with puberty. However, it had not been officially confirmed nor diagnosed to avoid repudiation. So it would not have been very visible, on exposed areas at least. Hence why I make him tan <3 I preferred to portray him “confident and unafraid” (in Saladin’s words in the letter to him) and not center this around the leprosy everyone knows and talks about. He is more than a leper. But we certainly admire him for his strength in the face of it. I just didn’t want to be morbid—I have many other arts showing it.
Finally, the “full-sized” silver statue of Christ above the Edicule is based on a couple of accounts/sources; Conder’s The Latin Kingdom only says the Sepulcher had it “above the Holy Sepulcher itself” (vaguely meaning the tomb itself, so the edicule). The other source does specifically spell out “above the Edicule” (which is what I guessed/assumed back in high school. It would not be on top of the actual church bc of exposure to the elements and I believe the truncated conical dome above the rotunda had an opening for the heavenly natural light above the edicule (where it would shine down on the silver statue and look ethereal, like I describe on the wedding chapt✨))
It also features romanesque arches, but the shape of it and the dome style (kinda Byzantine) were just my imagination, I believe the shape of the edicule was different. I would have added three arches so that there would be one in the middle and make more sense, but it was a compromise for the composition. The colorful background is a nod to the artful additions made by both Crusaders and Easterners 💛 if possible I would have added mosaics, but it was just too much in the end and there was a deadline. So there are def things to improve on.
The throne is also a touch of eastern throne with a roman—bench-like—vibe as well. Also a little based on the one in the seal, which is low like eastern ones.
I would make an oil painting of it, a more realistic version one day. He looks a little derpy here😭 feels nice to have something complete to post and not just WIPs tho 🙌🏽
