ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2338 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2338 ************************************ 22 Jul 2001 From: (Josh Mittleman) Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether or is an appropriate name for a man living in Mantua in the second half of the 15th century. You also asked whether it would be appropriate to add as a middle name, and you asked us to evaluate your design for your arms. Here is what we have found. is a fine name: It was the eighth most common masculine given name recorded in a census of Florence in 1427 [1], and appears in 14th century Venetian records [6]. Another spelling, , was recorded in Ferrara in 1473 [2]. We haven't found evidence of in period Italian. The Italian form of that name is and was , and that form is recorded in Venice a bit before your period [6] and in Florence during your period [1]. There is a modern surname , but it is rare and we found no evidence that it was used in our period. However, we suspect you intended , the surname of a sculptor born in Lombardy in 1599. He was originally named , but changed his name c.1627 [3]. We weren't able to determine whether he invented his new surname or adopted it from some existing family, so we can't recommend it as the best re-creation. Your alternative is a better choice. It derives from a word for "barber". One form of this surname, , is recorded in Florence in 1427 [1] and various forms, including , are found today throughout northern Italy [4]. We are quite comfortable recommending as a good re-creation of your period. It is pronounced \bar-BYAIR-ay\, where the last syllable rhymes with . Your locative, , is also a fine choice. The general form was common in late-period Italian names [2]. is the modern Italian name for the city also called , and we've found an example from 1581 [8]. We're confident it was standard throughout your period. ( was probably also used in at least some times and places, but seems to have been the more common form.) Overall, the form of your name is perfect for your period. We believe most people had only a single given name, though some people had two [2]. We therefore recommend as the best re-creation among your choices. Your heraldic design can be described "Gyronny argent and purpure, a unicorn rampant within a bordure sable charged with three plates." Unfortunately, this design is unlikely to have existed in our period. We know no period example of gyronny in Italian heraldry. Where it was used, a gyronny field was rarely charged at all and even more rarely charged with complex charges that covered the center point. Purple was a very rare color in period heraldry [5]. We have seen examples of unicorns in period Italian arms [7], so that charge is a good starting point; but beyond that, we have to advise you to start from scratch. If you can tell us which elements of your design are most important to you, we may be able to suggest some alternatives that are more typical of renaissance Italian heraldry. We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Juliana de Luna, Maridonna Benvenuti, Zenobia Naphtali, Walraven van Nijmegen, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Talan Gwynek, Adelaide de Beaumont, Blaise de Cormeilles, and Walraven van Nijmegen. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 22 Jul 2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Ferrante laVolpe, _Men's names from Florence, 1427_ (WWW: Self-published, 1996; J. Mittleman, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/ferrante/catasto [2] Talan Gwynek, "15th Century Italian Men's Names" (WWW: Academy of Saint Gabriel, 1998). http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/italian15m.html [3] "Borromini, Francesco", Britannica Online (Britannica.com, 2001). http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=82953&tocid=0 [4] De Felice, Emidio, _Dizionario dei cognomi italiani_ (Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1978), s.n. Barbiere. [5] Pastoureau, Michel, _Traite/ d'He/raldique_, 2nd ed. (Paris: grands manuels Picard, 1993). The author presents statistical analyses of the use of various tinctures in the armory of different countries. Purpure was so rare that he doesn't even include it. [6] Arval Benicoeur and Talan Gwynek, "Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names" (WWW: J. Mittleman, 1999). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/arval/venice14/ [7] Fumi Cambi Gado, Francesca, _Stemmi nel museo nazionale del Bargello_ (Firenze: Associazione Amici del Bargello, 1993). Examples with unicorns include: #20: Jacopo di Paolodei conti Boscoli da Foligno, 1392. "Or, a unicorn rampant overall a bend sable charged with three roses gules". #121: Francesco di Geronimo Fillippi da Montefalco, 1485. "Or, a unicorn's head and neck couped proper drinking from a cup azure". #141 Bartolomeo Pilingotto da Cagli, 1508. His crest was a demi-unicorn rampant. [8] Gregory Blount of Isenfir, "Fabrito Caroso's Il Ballarino (1581)" (WWW: Gregory Lindahl). Page 72 of the facsimile mentions the . http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/caroso/