Declaration of Arbroath — Burnished Gold Fine Art Edition — Pewter

A fine-art, unframed edition of the Declaration of Arbroath, rendered with a burnished-gold manuscript effect against a cool Pewter field.

Individually numbered, authenticated and printed in Arbroath.

LIMITED EDITION · UNFRAMED BURNISHED GOLD FINE-ART PRINT

COLLECTOR & LIFE-SIZE · 1,320 NUMBERED WORKS OF EACH

PUBLISHED AND PRINTED IN ARBROATH, SCOTLAND

 

Pewter — a cooler, silvery setting

Pewter balances the warmth of the burnished-gold manuscript with a silvery-grey field. Softer in contrast than Black Onyx and cooler than Pearl, it gives the Declaration a calm, open setting.

I’m Steven Patrick Sim, The Tartan Artisan®. I publish and print these editions here in Arbroath, the town where I was born and raised.

Supplied unframed. Your individually numbered fine-art print comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, paired security holograms and protective packaging.

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Collector or Life-Size?

Choose Pewter in Collector or Life-Size, each with its own edition-number sequence. Both formats use the same paper, pigment-print process and authentication system.

UK prices include VAT. Dimensions are approximate finished sheet sizes. Both formats are supplied unframed.

Across Black Onyx, Pewter and Pearl there are six independent editions of 1,320 works, each with its own number sequence.

Choose Collector Edition or Life-Size Edition using this page’s format options, then add your chosen edition to your cart.

Other Burnished Gold colourways:
View Black Onyx  |  View Pearl

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Arbroath and the Declaration

Dated 6 April 1320 and sent to Pope John XXII, the Declaration of Arbroath appealed for recognition of Scottish independence. Its words about freedom remain a powerful part of Scotland’s story.

The artwork brings the surviving manuscript, seals and parchment tags into a contemporary fine-art interpretation. The composition retains the title, date, freedom quotation and MEMORY OF THE WORLD reference.

The following passage belongs to that appeal of 1320:

“...for, as long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.”

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The burnished-gold surface

I print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic 340 gsm: a heavyweight, 100% cotton fine-art paper with a warm natural-white base and a finely textured metallic surface.

There is no gold ink and no applied gold leaf. Pigment colour interacts with the metallic paper: as the light and viewing angle change, the surface moves between a quieter cotton-paper character and a reflective, burnished glow.

Against Pewter’s cooler field, the red and green seals provide small, vivid accents. As they catch the light, their colour can suggest rubies and emeralds alongside the softly burnished manuscript.

Image note: this page combines production and reference photography with illustrative visual presentation images used to help show scale, setting and design. Room-setting and other illustrative images are visual guides rather than photographs of the metallic surface itself. For a more immersive photographic study of the physical Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic surface under changing light, explore the Black Onyx edition, where a dedicated close-up series shows the actual Burnished Gold print. Pewter has its own tonal character, so those photographs demonstrate the reflective behaviour of the shared paper and print process rather than the exact appearance of this colourway.

Printing and production

Using an Epson SureColor SC-P7500 and Epson UltraChrome Pro12 pigment inks, I produce the editions in Arbroath from controlled production masters. The following gallery looks behind the finished surface at the printing and production process, including the paper, printer and preparation of the artwork.

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Your numbered edition

The limit of 1,320 recalls the year of the Declaration. The number is incorporated into the finished artwork in a four-digit format, for example No. 0001 of 1320.

• Certificate of Authenticity: records the colourway, format, finished size, paper, print process, printer, production date and matched hologram number.
• Paired serialised holograms: one is fixed to the certificate. Its matching hologram is supplied separately for the reverse of the finished frame, if you choose to frame the print.
• Burnished Gold companion booklet: an A5 glossy booklet accompanies the edition, bringing together supporting historical information, a summary of the surviving seals, the Latin text, the English translation, and publication and provenance information.
• Publisher’s edition register: I record issued and reserved numbers against the corresponding certificate record for each colourway and format.

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Choose an edition number that means something to you

A limited-edition number can be more than a place in the sequence. If there is a number between 0001 and 1320 that has personal meaning for you, you are welcome to request it for your Pewter print, provided it is still available in the format you choose.

That might be a favourite or lucky number, an anniversary, a meaningful date that fits within the edition range, a family number, or simply a number chosen especially for a gift. For a birthday, wedding, anniversary or other important occasion, a personally chosen edition number can make the print feel even more individual to its recipient.

• Request any number from 0001 to 1320: availability is checked against the edition register for the exact colourway and format you order.
• Each format has its own edition: Pewter Collector and Pewter Life-Size are independently numbered, as are the Black Onyx and Pearl editions.
• How to request your number: contact me before ordering, or add your preferred number in the order notes when you purchase.
• Subject to availability: a requested number is not guaranteed until it has been checked and confirmed. If it has already been allocated, I can suggest nearby available alternatives.
• Recorded with your edition: once confirmed, the number is incorporated into the finished artwork and recorded against its Certificate of Authenticity and the publisher’s edition register.

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Handling and protective packaging

Each print is carefully rolled between two sheets of unbuffered, acid-free glassine, supported by a smooth 300 gsm protective card sleeve and packed in a heavy-duty transit tube. Its wide internal diameter—approximately 102 mm / 4 in—reduces the tight curl associated with narrower tubes.

The certificate is protected separately in an unbuffered glassine envelope. A separate Fine Art Handling Guide and two sealed pairs of black nitrile gloves are included: one pair for you and one for your framer.

The artwork is printed edge to edge, without an unprinted handling border. Handle the sheet with care: the image extends to the very edges of the paper.

Do not pinch or grip the print by its edges, and never touch the printed face, even while wearing gloves. Use clean, uncontaminated nitrile gloves and support the sheet from underneath with open hands, allowing the paper to follow its natural curvature.

The outer cardboard tube is transit packaging, not permanent archival storage. For long-term ownership, choose professional framing or suitable flat conservation storage.

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Framing and display

Your print is supplied unframed, so you can choose a frame and glazing to suit your home or collection. Its balanced, neutral field works with both traditional and contemporary framing, leaving room for the manuscript and seals to hold your attention.

Room-setting images on this page are illustrative and are not an exact guide to scale. For long-term display, professional conservation framing is recommended, ideally with non-reflective, UV-filtering conservation glazing and archival-quality materials.

The historic framed photographs show the original Gold Metallic C-Type edition, rather than the physical Hahnemühle Burnished Gold print. If you like that framing style, you can contact Aizle Framing, Balfron independently. Framing is not included; specification, payment, collection and delivery are arranged directly with the framer.

If you would like the artwork sent directly to your chosen framer, contact me before ordering so we can coordinate the delivery details.

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A new publication, with its history preserved

The original framed Gold Metallic Editions were chromogenic / C-Type photographic artworks on Fuji Pearl Premier Metallic paper. When that specialist production route became unavailable, I concluded the series and retained its pages as a historical archive.

Burnished Gold is a separate successor publication. It has its own Hahnemühle cotton paper, Epson pigment-print process, unframed presentation, edition numbering and Certificate of Authenticity. The change in material is deliberate: the more tactile cotton surface gives this publication its own character.

Explore the original Gold Metallic C-Type Pewter archive →

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The wider Arbroath story

My work with the Declaration has taken many forms over the years: tartan, three-dimensional facsimiles, the original Gold Metallic series and now Burnished Gold. Each offers a different way to live with this history.

These editions are made here in Arbroath, home of Arbroath Abbey. They connect the surviving manuscript and its language of freedom with a work you can own and display, whether your connection is to Scotland, to its history or to the Declaration itself.

Learn more about my Declaration of Arbroath fine-art 3D facsimile →

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Ordering and delivery

Use the format options on this page to select your edition. Each print is produced, numbered, certified and protected before dispatch.

• UK orders: supplied rolled in the protective, wide-diameter transit tube.
• International orders: availability and delivery cost depend on your destination and the service offered at checkout.
• Preferred edition number: request your chosen number before ordering or add it in the order notes. I will check it against the relevant edition register and confirm availability.
• Glove size: Small, Medium or Large may be requested before dispatch, subject to availability. Large is supplied if no preference is given.
• Price and delivery: the price for your selected format and any applicable delivery charge are shown during purchase. Framing is not included.

International charges: Any import duties, taxes, customs fees, or other charges applied by the destination country are not included in the product or delivery price. These, where applicable, are payable by the customer.

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Copyright, permission & provenance

The manuscript reproduced within this edition is the Declaration of Arbroath, dated 6 April 1320, held by National Records of Scotland under reference SP13/7. The manuscript image is reproduced in accordance with written permission confirmed by National Records of Scotland.

Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland, SP13/7

Ownership of the physical print does not transfer copyright in the underlying manuscript image or confer any right to reproduce or publish that image.