If the attractive, hand-painted invitation is anything to go by, the coronation will be a neo-pagan rite in which King Charles III is invested as Archdruid, Master of the Hobby-Horse and Lord of Summer Isle. That’s because the most prominent image in the intricate, joyous floral design – by heraldry artist Andrew Jamieson – is the wryly smiling face of the Green Man. This emerald visage, the standout feature in Jamieson’s elegantly swarming design, belongs to an ancient, pre-Christian divinity who can still be seen in the architecture of British medieval churches, a leafy mug among all the gargoyles.
The face of a fertility cult that existed at the margins of Christianity fits perfectly into Jamieson’s loving recreation of the playful natural imagery that is found in medieval art. In manuscripts from the era, the main text is usually religious and orthodox, while fun and fantasy are given free rein around the margins. Here, the official message of the invitation occupies a central empty square, while the Green Man and his ever-renewing natural kingdom sprawl around the edge in living colour.
