ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3131 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3131 ************************************ 13 Aug 2006 From: Aryanhwy merch Catmael Greetings from the Academy of S. Gabriel! You wanted to know if adding a label would be an appropriate way to difference the arms "Or, two wings displayed sable" in the Low Countries in the late 11th/early 12th century. Here is what we have found. Labels in heraldry can be found as early as the 12th century. [1,2] However, they seem to be less common in the Netherlands as a method of differencing arms. Instead, more common methods of differencing Dutch armory are adding a bordure, an ewer, a spur rowel, or a tertiary estoile (one lying wholly on another charge). [3] We haven't been able to find any examples of wings in Dutch heraldry. [3] While wings are a typically German charge, early heraldry in the Low Countries tended to resemble early English and French heraldry more than early German heraldry. We therefore cannot recommend the base design as the best of re-creation. If you can read blazon, you might take a look through [3] as inspiration for typical Dutch heraldic designs. While this armorial was created in the 16th century, it focuses on the arms of nobles, which will be among the oldest arms, and so reflect older style. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you won't hesitate to write us again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Ines Alfon, Sabine Berard, Blaise de Cormeilles, Arval Benicoeur, Talan Gwynek, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Eleyne de Comnocke. For the Academy, -Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 13 August 2006 -- References: [1] Brault, Gerard J., _Early Blazon: Heraldic Terminology in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries with Special Reference to Arthurian Heraldry_, 2nd ed. (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1997), s.v. label (1) [2] We've researched the use of the label in medieval heraldry in a previous report. You can read the results of what we found here: Academy of S. Gabriel Report #2851 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2851 [3] Speer, Brian R., "Analysis, Armorial, and Ordinary of Armory Recorded in Paul Bergman's _Armorial De Flandre du XVIme Sie/cle_" (WWW: Self-published, 1997) http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1336/bergmans.html