Search Results for: board

Gameboard

Chessboard (Period)

Chessboard (Period)

Backgammon board (Period)

Backgammon board (Period)

A gameboard is a square or rectangular piece of wood, with a regular pattern inscribed on its surface, used for playing certain board games.  In heraldry, they are usually drawn as delfs or billets fesswise with details in contrasting tinctures.

The type of game must be specified in the blazon, since each game uses a different board.  For instance, the “chessboard” is found in the arms of von Pirdenhofen, c.1560 [BSB Cod.Icon 390:793]; it might be drawn with fewer than the regulation eight ranks and files.  The “backgammon board”, with its pattern of triangles, is found in the arms of Pegies or Pegez, 1435 [DBA2 193].  (The game was played much as it is today, though it was called “tables” or “nardshir” in medieval times.)

Byzantine chessboard (Accepted)

Byzantine chessboard (Accepted)

Nine-man morris board (Accepted)

Twelve-man morris board (Accepted)

Any period gameboard may be used in Society armory:  examples include the “nine-man (or twelve-man) morris board”, with a pattern of squares, and the “Byzantine chess-board”, with a radial checkered pattern.

 

 

 

 

Marguerite de Villars bears:  Argent, a Maltese cross between four fleurs-de-lys in saltire gules, overall a nine-man morris board saltirewise Or, marked sable.

Ryan of Rickford bears:  Or, a nine-man morris board chased within an orle azure.

Coilean mac Caiside bears as a badge:  A Byzantine chess-board checkered sable and argent.

This entry was posted on January 29, 2014, in .

Portative organ

Portative organ (Accepted)

Portative organ (Accepted)

A portative organ is a musical instrument, a small pipe organ used in processionals; it was carried at the waist on a strap, with one hand working the bellows and the other hand playing the keyboard.  It was a period instrument, dating from the 13th C. [Baines 269], but does not appear to have been used in period armory.  The portative organ is affronty by Society default, with the keyboard to the viewer.  See also organ pipe.

Cecily of Elfhollow bears:  Per fess azure and vert, a fess wavy Or between a portative organ and a New World dogwood blossom argent seeded vert.

Arend Adler bears:  Per bend azure and gules, a portative organ argent.

This entry was posted on May 27, 2014, in .

Palette, artist’s

Artist's palette (Accepted)

Artist’s palette (Accepted)

An artist’s palette is a mixing surface for pigment and other media.  As an heraldic charge, it is unique to the Society, and is rendered as a conventionalized drawing of a roughly rectangular board with a thumb-hole in it.

David de Kunstenaar bears:  Vert, on an artist’s palette Or a lion’s head erased to sinister vert.

Godwig Eadfrithing bears:  Argent, on an artist’s palette azure an inkpot argent.

This entry was posted on May 23, 2014, in .

Delf

Delf (Period)

Delf (Period)

A delf is a shovelful of sod or dirt.  It is found in the canting arms of Delves, c.1460 [DBA2 298]; it was considered equivalent to a billet, in both blazon and emblazon.

The delf is always drawn in a highly stylized manner, as a square; and it’s treated more as a polygon than as an actual object.  For related charges, see die, gameboard, tablet (weaver’s).

Vittorio Maria del Fabbro bears:  Lozengy azure and argent, a delf sable.

Tibor of Rock Valley bears:  Vert, a delf Or.

Angelique Thibodeau bears:  Per chevron azure and argent, three delfs voided counterchanged.

This entry was posted on January 12, 2014, in .

Bridge

Bridge throughout of three spans (Period)

Bridge throughout of three spans (Period)

Twin-towered bridge of a single arch (Accepted)

Twin-towered bridge of a single arch (Accepted)

A bridge is an edifice, built to carry traffic over a river, gorge, or the like.  The most common depiction in medieval armory showed a stonework bridge, drawn throughout, with three or more arches or spans; it was usually drawn with water flowing beneath it as well.  The illustration is taken from the canting arms of Trowbridge, mid-16th C. [Bedingfeld 58].

In Society armory, the default bridge is not throughout, but terminates with a tower at either end (and frequently with towers between arches); moreover, the number of arches must be explicitly blazoned.  A common Society form has but a single arch, as in the illustration; this depiction is considered negligibly different from a castle.  Difference is granted between a castle and a bridge drawn in the period style (i.e., throughout, with multiple arches).

Wooden boardwalk (Period)

Wooden boardwalk (Period)

Footbridge (Period)

Footbridge (Period)

Period armory also has some examples of smaller bridges, intended to be footbridges:  e.g., the wooden boardwalk, drawn throughout and supported by scaffolding, in the canting arms (German Steg) of Steger zu Ladendorff, 1605 [Siebmacher 39]; or the stepped stone footbridge, complete with handrails, in the canting arms (Italian ponte) of Ponte, c.1550 [BSB Cod.Icon 273:165].

See also drawbridge, wall.

 

 

 

The Baron of the Bridge bears:  Azure, a twin-towered three-arched bridge and on a chief Or a laurel wreath vert.

Grímr Víthfari bears:  Or, atop a bridge of three arches throughout a tower, the streams transfluent gules.

Jessa of Avondale bears:  Argent, three pallets wavy azure, overall a bridge of two spans throughout sable masoned argent.

Sarah Minet bears:  Azure, a footbridge Or.

This entry was posted on December 4, 2013, in .

Billet

Billet (Period)

Billet (Period)

A billet is a brief letter or document.  In period armory, it is most often found strewn in a semy field; this is its earliest usage, dating from c.1255 in the arms of Gascelyn [ANA2 191].  However, billets are also found as distinct charges; such usage can be dated to 1445, in the arms of Livingstone [DBA2 127].

The billet is drawn as a rectangle, with no detail or shading, much like a polygon; it is upright by default.  Period armory seems to have considered the billet and the delf to be equivalent, and no difference is granted between them in Society heraldry.  At one point, billets with complex lines (e.g., a “billet embattled”) were permitted in Society heraldry, but pending evidence, these are no longer allowed.

See also book, gameboard.

The Registrar of the Society bears:  Vert, in pale three billets argent winged Or.

Raymond Norgate bears:  Argent billety sable.

Aeddan ap Trahaearn bears:  Per fess argent and vert, three billets fesswise counterchanged.

This entry was posted on December 2, 2013, in .