Merlin Ambrosius & The Black Book of Carmarthen is a 2013 watercolor painting done by Ellie Paisley inspired by the tales of Black Book and the legacy of Merlin. This painted was dirived from a photograph taken by the artist at a costume shop in Philadelphia. In her artwork, Ellie often makes a digital rendering (photograph seen below image of painting) of the idea she has envisioned and then translates the image through paint. In this process she has found the most seamless transition from mind to matter.
The Black Book of Carmarthen (Welsh: Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin) is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written solely in Welsh. Written before 1250, it is the work of a single scribe writing at different periods of his life. The book's name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog at Carmarthen, and is referred to as black due to the colour of its binding. The book contains a collection of 9th - 12th century poetry falling into various categories: religious and secular subjects and odes of praise and mourning. Of greater interest are the poems which draw on traditions relating to the Welsh heroes associated with the legend of Arthur and Myrddin, also known as Merlin, thus predating the descriptions of Merlin by Geoffrey of Monmouth. In essence, The Black Book or Carmarthen is the first text that establishes the existence of the world most famous sorcerer.
