The DECLARATION OF ARBROATH - GOLD metallic print editions - Black Onyx
A historic framed fine-art edition of the Declaration of Arbroath — the original Gold Metallic C-Type Black Onyx series, retained online as a collector archive.
ORIGINAL GOLD METALLIC C-TYPE EDITION — PRODUCTION CONCLUDED
HISTORIC FUJI PEARL PREMIER METALLIC / CHROMOGENIC PROCESS
FRAMED COLLECTOR SERIES — 700 COPIES PER EDITION SIZE
CURRENT SUCCESSOR — BURNISHED GOLD FINE ART EDITION
This page is retained as the historical archive of the original Declaration of Arbroath Gold Metallic C-Type Black Onyx Edition. Production of this physical specification has concluded and no new copies are being produced through this series.
The specialist metallic C-Type production route on which the original publication depended became unavailable. Rather than substitute a different paper or print technology inside an established numbered edition, Steven Patrick Sim chose to close the original series and preserve its identity for existing collectors.
The current successor is a separate publication: Declaration of Arbroath — Burnished Gold Fine Art Edition — Black Onyx, printed by Steven in Arbroath on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic 340 gsm and supplied unframed for easier UK and international delivery.
The original Black Onyx edition — at a glance
- Historic publication: the original framed Declaration Gold Metallic C-Type series published around the 700th anniversary period
- Black Onyx character: Black Onyx places the Declaration in its most formal and high-contrast setting. It is deliberately dark, allowing the manuscript, lettering and seals to appear almost illuminated against the surrounding field.
- Original print process: digital chromogenic / C-Type photographic print on Fuji Pearl Premier Metallic paper
- Original presentation: dry mounted to a rigid panel and professionally framed with a dark complementary mount and satin black wooden frame
- Specialist glazing: premium reflection-control glass
- Three historical size editions: Small / 75%, Medium / 85% and Large / life-size; each size formed its own edition of 700 certified copies
- Authentication: numbered certificate and serialised hologram system
- Supporting material: twenty-page booklet with English and Latin text, seal information and historical notes, supplied with the certificate in a black string-and-washer envelope
Original Black Onyx Quick View:
View the historic Black Onyx Quick View Gallery
Other original colourways:
View Pewter | View Pearl
Why the original publication was concluded
The physical identity of this edition depended on a specific combination of metallic photographic paper, C-Type exposure and chemical processing, dry mounting, specialist framing and glass. Once the metallic C-Type production route used for the publication was no longer available, changing to a different paper and pigment-print process would have changed the nature of the numbered edition itself.
For that reason the original series was not quietly altered. It was concluded as a historic publication, protecting the provenance of copies already issued and allowing the successor to begin honestly under a new title and specification.
The original Gold Metallic C-Type Edition remains what it was. Burnished Gold is its successor — not a substituted continuation.
The Declaration of Arbroath — in gold metallic light
The Declaration of Arbroath was sent to Pope John XXII in 1320 and remains one of Scotland’s most powerful historical documents. The original Gold Metallic edition was developed to present the manuscript with an illuminated, almost gold-leaf character while retaining the surviving seals and the visual authority of the historic document.
The famous passage represented in the artwork includes the words:
“...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.”
For existing collectors, the original Black Onyx edition now forms part of the provenance of the wider Declaration project. The photographs, specifications and galleries on this page remain online so that the historic publication can continue to be identified and understood accurately.
Why Black Onyx?
Black Onyx places the Declaration in its most formal and high-contrast setting. It is deliberately dark, allowing the manuscript, lettering and seals to appear almost illuminated against the surrounding field.
- Deepest contrast: the strongest separation between the dark field and the burnished manuscript light
- Ceremonial character: a bold, formal presentation with considerable visual presence
- Responsive to light: the metallic surface changes subtly as the viewing angle and illumination change
The Black Onyx edition is the one to choose if you want the Declaration to feel dramatic, formal and unmistakably ceremonial.
Historic Black Onyx galleries
The dedicated galleries below are preserved as an archive of the original physical series. They show the historical size options, unframed reveal, framed presentation, original certificate, metallic detail and supporting booklet.
Please note: these photographs show the original Fuji Pearl C-Type edition and its framing. They do not depict the current Hahnemühle Burnished Gold print.
- Size comparison
- Revealing Black Onyx — unframed
- The framed art piece
- The holographic certificate
- Simply Gold Gallery
- English and Latin translations / 20-page booklet
Historic print process & framing specification
The original edition was produced as a digital chromogenic / C-Type metallic photographic print. The image was exposed onto Fuji Pearl Premier Metallic paper using a professional light-jet workflow and chemically developed as a continuous-tone photographic print.
- Metallic photographic surface: supplied the smooth reflective character associated with the original Gold Metallic series
- Silver-halide photographic process: the physical print was a true chromogenic photographic print
- Rigid mounted finish: the print was dry mounted to a flat panel before framing
- Framed presentation: a dark complementary mount and satin black wooden frame, under specialist reflection-control glass
This specification is recorded here for historical accuracy. It is not the specification of the current Burnished Gold successor.
Historic size & edition structure
| Historic size | Scale | Approx. framed dimensions | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 75% | 730 mm W x 815 mm H 29 in W x 32 in H |
700 certified copies |
| Medium | 85% | 800 mm W x 900 mm H 31.5 in W x 35.4 in H |
700 certified copies |
| Large / life-size | 1:1 | 900 mm W x 1010 mm H 35.5 in W x 40 in H |
700 certified copies |
These are historical production specifications, retained for collector reference. The original series is no longer offered for new production.
Certificate, hologram & supporting booklet — historic series
The original framed edition was issued with a numbered certificate, serialised hologram authentication and a twenty-page English and Latin booklet. The archival galleries remain valuable as a record of that presentation system.
Copies already issued remain part of their original numbered editions. The conclusion of production does not alter the identity or provenance of those collector pieces.
The current successor — Burnished Gold Black Onyx
The current Black Onyx publication retains the central visual idea of the Declaration illuminated through metallic light, but rebuilds the physical product from the ground up:
- Hahnemühle Photo Rag Metallic 340 gsm rather than the historic C-Type photographic paper
- Epson UltraChrome Pro12 pigment printing on an Epson SureColor SC-P7500
- Printed, numbered and certified in Arbroath by Steven Patrick Sim
- Collector Edition and Life-Size Edition, each separately limited to 1,320 copies
- Supplied unframed and conservation-protected in a wide-diameter shipping tube
- New Certificate of Authenticity and matched hologram system developed specifically for the Burnished Gold publication
This archive is retained with thanks to the collectors who supported the original Gold Metallic publication and helped make it part of the wider Declaration of Arbroath fine-art story.
Copyright, permission & provenance
The manuscript reproduced within the original edition is the Declaration of Arbroath, dated 6 April 1320, held by National Records of Scotland under reference SP13/7. The manuscript image was reproduced in accordance with written permission confirmed by National Records of Scotland.
Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland, SP13/7
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