ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2756
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2756
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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


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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)