ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2756 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2756 ************************************ 28 Aug 2003 From: Josh Mittleman Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! In our previous report [1], we researched your armory incorrectly: We should have checked whether the arms "Per chevron throughout sable and vert, two crosses formy fitchy and an eagle Or" are consistent with the heraldic style used in 15th century Germany. Here is what we have found. Most of the comments about the design we reviewed in our previous report [1] apply equally well here: we found no evidence of a field divided black and green in medieval Germany heraldry; and we found no German example of a design with a group of three charges of equal visual weight which were not all the same. Thus, even with the "per chevron" division, your design is not a good fit for your culture. There are two examples of fields divided "per chevron" in the 14th century Zurich Roll of Arms: Per chevron sable and or, a chevron throughout counterchanged [3]. Per chevron argent and sable. In the first case, the field division falls well short of the upper edge of the field. In the second, it almost reaches the top. The same roll has a couple examples of chevrons throughout [2]. A later German roll contains the arms "Per chevron indented argent and gules, a demi-lion issuant from line of division sable", dated 1499 [4]. We don't have a drawing of these arms, so we can't say exactly how they were drawn. The 15th century armorial of the Order of the Golden Fleece contains one German coat with a "per chevron" division: Ortenburg: Per chevron argent and gules, three eagle's wings counterchanged. The division does not reach the top of the field. There are two German examples of "Argent, a chevron throughout gules" as well as one example of a chevron that isn't "throughout" [5]. A 16th century German book of arms contains about 17 examples of "per chevron" among several thousand arms. In most of them, the line of division is "per chevron ploye' throughout", i.e. the lines of the division arch downward a bit and the point touches the top edge of the field. In several other cases, the field is "per chevron ploye'" and is charged with "a chevron ploye' throughout". Most of these example have fields divided of a metal and a color. The ones with two colors are red and blue or red and black with a white or yellow chevron separating the two colors [6]. All told, our evidence of German heraldry from your period isn't enormous, but it indicates that "per chevron" divisions were rather uncommon -- "per fess" and "per pale" were rather more common. When "per chevron" was used, it was sometimes drawn "ploye' throughout", at least by the 16th century. We recommend strongly against a green and black field. Red and black is a better choice, but a color and a metal is overwhelming more common in the armory of your culture. 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 Ursula Georges, Adelaide de Beaumont, Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Eirik Halfdanarson, Talan Gwynek, and Teceangl Bach. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 28 Aug 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Academy of Saint Gabriel report 2753 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2753 [2] Bigalski, Gerrit, ed., "The Zurich Roll of Arms" (WWW: C. Boselli, 1996), strip II front and back. http://ladyivanor.knownworldweb.com/zroaen0.htm [3] These arms might also be blazoned "Chevronny of four traits sable and or". [4] A Collection of Period German Heraldry (1400-1600) for SCA Heralds. Based on Wappenbucher des Mittlealters Vol. 1, Das Wappenbuch des Reichsherolds Caspar Sturm by Jurgen Arndt. Published by Verlag, Bauer, and Raspe, Neustadt. http://www.s-gabriel.org/docs/sturm.html [5] Pinches, Rosemary and Anthony Wood, _A European Armorial: An Armorial of Knights of the Golden Fleece and 15th Century Europe_ (London: Heraldry Today, 1971), pp.37, 45. [6] Siebmacher, Johann, _Johann Siebmachers Wappenbuch von 1605_, 2 vols., ed. Horst Appuhn (Dortmund: Harenberg, 1988, 1989). We found these examples: Per chevron ploye' throughout argent and gules LANGENMANTEL VOM SPARREN; also RAITENBUCH Per chevron ploye' throughout sable and argent counterchanged per pale. TALHEIM Per chevron ploye' throughout gules and argent, in chief two crescents or. BU"CHSNER Per chevron ploye' argent and azure, a chevron ploye' throughout or. BEEST Per chevron ploye' throughout argent and gules counterchanged per pale. NEYDBERG (NEUBERG); also RAITENBACH; also MASBACH Per chevron ploye' throughout gules and or, in chief two mullets of 6 points or. HORNAU Per chevron azure and gules, issuing from a chevron a demi-fdl or. (The chevron is quite flat.) FRYBURG Per chevron gules and argent, a chevron counterchanged. (Very wide chevron almost throughout; this could almost be chev'y of 4.) WEIDENSTEIN Per chevron ploye' throughout gules and argent. PLASSENBERG Per chevron ploye' throughout azure and argent. KU"NSBERG Per chevron ploye' throughout per pale gules and azure and argent. PALMBERGER (In other words, the part chiefwards of the line of division is parted per pale gules and azure; since the per chevron line of division is throughout, this really has three compartments, each a curvilinear triangle.) Per chevron ploye' gules and sable, a chevron ploye' throughout argent. BREITENBUCH; also STINGELHEIM Per chevron ploye' sable and gules, a chevron ploye' throughout argent. HOCHOLTING Per chevron ploye' throughout sable and argent, in base a fleur-de-lys sable. SIGMERSHAUSEN Per chevron ploye' throughout argent and sable. WEICHS VON GLAN Per chevron gules and sable, a chevron argent. PEFFENHAUSEN (The chevron is straight-sided and not throughout) Per chevron ploye' gules and argent, three fleurs-de-lys counterchanged. LINCK (The dexter half of impaled arms; the line of division is almost throughout)