Painted Boxes and AEthelmearc Artisan's Exchange

Or "that time you thought you had the documentation done but then remembered that the entries called for 'short form' doc and it was handwritten and is now lost in the piles of paperwork in that cardboard box upstairs."  Gaah!  I have two goals for this year: better displays and better documentation. 
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Last year I participated in the AEthelmearc Artisan's Exchange, which was lovely.  I've done two so far and I think it's a great experience that can open up your range of skills and interests, and it's also like being Santa except you get a gift too.  It's the perfect amount of socialization for introverts.  Odkatla has it set up as a random white elephant exchange, so you may or may not know the person you are making something for.  In this case, I knew Anna Leigh from FB, though I missed all but one of her courts while she was queen.

Here is the finished gift as I gave it to her, below is the original inspiration box which is inlaid wood on the outside and painted on the inside.

Dear Anna Leigh,

There are two confections in this box; one is ‘medieval gingerbread’ which my son affectionately calls ‘ginger meatballs,’ the other is marshmallow fondant roses.  The gingerbread is a honey & bread candy with spices which tastes much better than it looks.  I could not resist making the fondant as they were so pretty.  I will try this with a more period appropriate recipe at a later date, but so far everyone loves it; I can eat about ½ a rose at a time.  Please take the candy out of the box so the paper doesn’t stick. 

The box is based on a 1325-1350 German box housed in the Met #DP273975.  I took some liberties with the outer design, but maintained the inside concept, just replaced the heraldry and details to follow your own arms and awards.  It is egg tempera, and will take 3 months to cure.  Once it is cured, it should be very durable and you can carry it around without smudging, prior to that it should not be handled much.  Set it in a sunny window and rotate the sides for about 2 weeks.  That will help it dry evenly and the yolk will harden nicely.  It will also help clear up any yellowing.

I hope you love everything as much as I loved making it!
YIS,
Abigail Kelhoge

Medieval Gingerbread:
wildflower honey, saffron, cinnamon, white pepper, ginger, bread 1 (enriched wheat flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, water, HFCS, yeast, soybean oil, wheat gluten, salt, monoglycerides, calcium propionate, calcium slufate, datem, grain vinegar, citric acid, potassium iodate, soy lecithin), bread 2 (whole wheat flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar, vegetable shortening).

Fondant roses:
powdered sugar, sugar, corn starch, (marshmallows) corn syrup, sugar, corn starch, gelatin, blue 1, food coloring, water.

From the Met

Coffret (Minnekästchen)

Date: ca. 1325–50

Geography: Made in Upper Rhineland, Germany

Culture: German

Medium: Oak, inlay, and tempera; wrought-iron mounts

Dimensions: Overall: 4 3/4 x 10 3/4 x 6 1/2in. (12.1 x 27.3 x 16.5cm)

Classification: Woodwork-Furniture

Credit Line: Rogers Fund and The Cloisters Collection, by exchange, 1950

Accession Number: 50.141

The inside of this coffret's lid depicts Frau Minne, the German goddess of love, aiming and arrow at a young man. At right, he gives her his heart. The inscriptions have been interpreted as: "Gracious lady, I have surrendered," and "Lady send me solace, my heart has been wounded." The coffret embodies the notions of courtly love, a concept that developed during the feudal period and imagined romance as playful warfare between the suitor and beloved. The arms on the box may be those of the Berstett family of Alsace, Baden, and Austria.