Search Results for: pot

Ypotryll

Ypotryll passant (Period)

Ypotryll passant (Period)

The ypotryll, or hippotryll, is an heraldic monster of awesome ugliness, with a camel’s humps, a boar’s face, and cloven hooves.  It was used as a badge by Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester c.1460 [Dennys 166].  The ypotryll does not seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows an ypotryll passant.

The Canton of Attilium bears as a badge:  An ypotryll passant Or.

Edelgard Erzsébet von Württemberg bears:  Purpure, an ypotryll dormant Or.

Nina of Bright Hills bears:  Or, a pale azure and overall an ypotryll rampant gules.

This entry was posted on June 8, 2014, in .

Pot; Cauldron

Fleshpot, or posnet (Period)

Fleshpot, or posnet (Period)

Cauldron (Period)

Cauldron (Period)

A pot is a round vessel, usually of metal, intended to hold food.  In medieval armory, the default form of pot is two-handled and three-legged; it is more fully called a “fleshpot” or (in the Randall Holme roll, c.1460) a “posnet”.  This form is found as early as c.1370, in the arms of von Spanheim [Gelre 44].

Another common form of pot was the “cauldron”:  more spherical in shape, with a bail handle, which may be called its defining trait.  The cauldron is hung over the fire by its handle to cook food; it’s sometimes called a “cooking pot” for that reason.  The cauldron is a period charge, found as early as c.1340 in the arms of Diessenhofen [Zurich 153].  In Society armory, it is sometimes drawn with a fire beneath it, or hanging from a tripod:  the arms of Larrea, mid-16th C., show a cauldron so suspended [Armeria 358].

Spouted pot (Period)

Spouted pot (Period)

Three-footed pot (Accepted)

Three-footed pot (Accepted)

There is also the “spouted pot”, called a pot à verser in French, used for storing and pouring liquid.  It’s found in the canting arms (German Weinkanne) of Schilling von Cannstatt, c.1450 [Scheibler 131; also Siebmacher 112].  The default form is with a single spout, facing dexter; two-spouted pots are also found, in the arms of von Stedenberg or Stettenberger, c.1450 [Ingeram 158, 269; also Siebmacher 104].  (The same French term, pot à verser, is also used for a slightly different pouring vessel, made of earthenware rather than metal.  This variant, blazoned in German as a Weinkrug, is found in the arms of von Prackbach, 1605 [Siebmacher 93].)

Pipkin (Accepted)

Pipkin (Accepted)

Kettle (Accepted)

Kettle (Accepted)

Of the various pots unique to Society armory, we find the “three-legged pot”, like the cauldron but three-footed and without a handle; the “pipkin”, a ceramic cooking vessel with three feet and a long handle, dating to the 15th Century; and the “kettle”, a metal cookery pot, not spherical like the cauldron, but wider than it is deep, with a lifting handle on both sides.  No difference is granted the various types of cookery pots.

There is also the “clay pot”, not metal but pottery:  a flat-bottomed, wide-mouthed crock (much like a modern flower-pot).

Clay pot (Accepted)

Clay pot (Accepted)

For related charges, see amphora, caldera gringolada, frying pan, ink bottle (ink pot), pitcher, vase (urn).  See also cat (in its curiosity).

Aubrey Ericsdatter bears:  Sable, three cauldrons Or.

Agnes Berengarii de Gerona bears:  Vert, five cauldrons in saltire Or.

Brekke Franksdottir bears:  Sable, a cooking pot hanging from a tripod above a base in flame argent.

Roberto Valason bears:  Argent, a peacock in its pride azure gorged of a pearled coronet argent between two barrulets between two spouted pots reversed vert.

William Taylor the Pure bears:  Per pale purpure and vert, a bear’s leg palewise issuant from base Or, maintaining a clay pot argent.

Claire le Potter bears:  Per bend sinister gules and azure, a kettle argent and a bordure Or.

Dametta of Arundel bears:  Per pale purpure and sable, a gryphon segreant maintaining a chalice, on a chief argent three posnets per pale purpure and sable.

Parlane of Glenord bears:  Pean, on a three-legged pot argent two dolphins haurient respectant sable.

Mons von Goarshausen bears as a badge:  Issuant from a pipkin sable a flame gules.

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

Ermine spot

Five ermine spots (Period)

Five ermine spots (Period)

An ermine spot, or ermine tail, is a highly stylized charge, meant to represent the tail of the ermine beast; it is also sometimes blazoned a “muskatour”.  Ermine spots were sometimes charges in their own right, as in the arms of Liesvelt, c.1460 [GATD 34v; also Gelre 83v]; but they are far more often found strewn across a field to form the heraldic ermine-style furs.

Of these furs, by far the most common was simply blazoned “ermine”:  a white field with black ermine spots, most famous as the arms of the Dukes of Brittany, 1318 [Asp2 172].  For most of the Society’s period, this was the only ermine-style fur in use.  In the 15th Century, a variant was introduced, a black field with white ermine spots [Hope 8]:  it was called “ermines” in English and “contre-hermine” in French.  To avert typos, Society blazons use the translation of the latter, “counter-ermine”.

Towards the end of period, two other ermine-style furs appeared in heraldic tracts [e.g., Legh 76]:  “erminois”, a gold field with black ermine spots, and “pean”, a black field with gold ermine spots.  Your Author has found a single period example of erminois, in the arms of Meery, c.1510 [DBA3 489; also Gwynn-Jones 98]; we’ve yet to find a period example of pean.  However, on the basis of Legh if nothing else, all four of these furs are available for Society use.

Post-period examples exist of fields strewn with ermine spots, in other tinctures, e.g., “Gules semy of ermine spots Or” [Woodward 68].  Society practice would blazon this “Gules ermined Or”, and treat it as an ermine-style fur.  Any metal field may be ermined in a color, and vice versa, in Society heraldry.  We have a single example in an heraldic tract, the Traité de blason, late-15th C., of “Or ermined vert” (le champ dor armine de sinople), but no actual examples of its use in arms; nonetheless, this provides support for the practice in the Society.

The illustration shows several stylizations of ermine spot, which were taken from medieval emblazons.  The one in dexter chief, from Legh, is the form most often found in Society emblazons.  Naturally, an emblazon shouldn’t mix styles, but should use one stylization throughout.  See also tail.

Adeliza de Clermont bears:  Or, an ermine spot purpure.

Wilhelm Leopard der Schwarze bears:  Sable, in chief five ermine spots in fess Or.

Alisaundre Caledon bears:  Per chevron Or and sable, three ermine spots counterchanged.

This entry was posted on January 26, 2014, in .

Cross: Potent

Cross potent (Period)

Cross potent (Period)

The “cross potent” is so called because each of its ends resembles a crude crutch (called a “potent”).  (It should not be confused with a “cross potenty”, which is an ordinary with a complex line of partition.)  The cross potent is also sometimes called a “cross billety” in early blazons.  The cross potent is found in one of the early versions of the arms of Jerusalem, temp. Edward I [ANA2 313], and as a charge in its own right in the arms of Fox, 1413 [DBA3 153].

Konrad of Calanais Nuadh bears:  Checky vert and argent, a cross potent sable.

Lukas Weber bears:  Quarterly sable and purpure, in sinister chief a cross potent argent.

Ghislaine d’Auxerre bears as a badge:  A cross potent Or.

This entry was posted on January 10, 2014, in .

Cross: Ermine spots

Cross of four ermine spots (Period)

Cross of four ermine spots (Period)

The “cross of four ermine spots” is found as a charge c.1460, in the arms of Hurston or Hurleston [RH; also Legh 36v].  It is sometimes blazoned a “cross erminée” in mundane heraldry; the former blazon should be used, however, to avoid confusion with a “cross ermine” (i.e., an ordinary tinctured of a fur).

Maurya Etain Sableswan bears:  Argent, a cross of four ermine spots within a bordure sable.

Mariana Francisco bears:  Per bend sinister azure and gules, in canton a cross of four ermine spots argent, a bordure Or.

This entry was posted on January 9, 2014, in .

Apothecary jar

Apothecary jar (Period)

Apothecary jar (Period)

An apothecary jar is a broad-mouthed vessel with a flat or conical lid, used to hold unguents; it was also called an “ointment jar”.  Though the sides were usually straight, as shown here, jars used by apothecaries might have slightly bulging sides; this is left to the artist’s license.

As an heraldic charge, the apothecary jar is found in the attributed arms of Christ, in the Hyghalmen Roll, c.1450 [Dennys 98], and possibly as the crest of Roder [Siebmacher 165].  In medieval art, it was one of the attributes of St. Mary Magdalen.  A similarly shaped vessel, blazoned as a buserra or bussolotto in Italian, is found in the canting arms of de Bussero, mid-15th C. [Triv 60].

Martha the Healer bears:  Argent, on a bend sinister azure between a mandolin bendwise sinister, peghead in chief gules, and an apothecary jar vert voided argent, a pair of fetterlocks joined by a chain argent.

Isabel de Estella bears:  Or, an apothecary jar sable lidded within a bordure indented gules.

Amye Elizabeth Barrington bears:  Purpure, on an apothecary jar argent a frog vert.

This entry was posted on November 19, 2013, in .

Wolf

Wolf rampant (Period)

Wolf rampant (Period)

The wolf is a predatory canine beast, whose medieval reputation was one of rapacity and strength.  It was a common charge in medieval armory, called a “leu” or “loup” in early blazons, and found as early as c.1275 in the canting arms of Lou [ANA2 109].  The wolf does not seem to have a default posture; the illustration shows a wolf rampant.

A “wolf ululant” has its head raised, howling or baying.  The term is unique to Society heraldry, and as a purely artistic detail worth no difference, is no longer used in blazon.  For related charges, see dog, fox, hyena, werewolf.

The Prince of Oertha bears:  Azure, a wolf sejant, head erect, in chief two compass stars and on a base argent a laurel wreath azure.

Conall Mac Earnáin bears:  Argent, three wolves rampant sable.

Philip Dyemoke bears:  Potent, a wolf rampant sable.

This entry was posted on June 8, 2014, in .

Vessels

Vessels are hollow containers for holding easily spilled contents.  They come in a wide variety of shapes, depending on their intended purpose; they may be made of metal, wood, horn, ceramic or glass.  If glass is intended, the charge should not be drawn as though transparent, through the use of voiding or chasing, but should be solidly tinctured.

For specific entries, see:  amphora, apothecary jar, barrel, bottell, bottle, churn, cup, flask, horn (drinking), ink bottle, pitcher, pot, saltcellar, tankard, tub, urinal, vase.  For related charges, see bowl, bucket, caldera gringolada, cupping-glass, frying pan, hourglass, mortar and pestle, water-bouget.

This entry was posted on June 8, 2014, in .

Vair

Vair, ancient (Period)

Vair, ancient (Period)

Vair, later period (Period)

Vair, later period (Period)

Vair is one of the principal furs in heraldry, consisting of a series of panes, alternately white and blue, completely tiling the field.  It was originally meant to represent squirrel-skins, sewn together with the back-fur and belly-fur alternating.  There are several varieties of vair, all of which are considered mere artistic variations of one another.

The earliest depiction of vair, dating from the Matthew Paris shields c.1244, had rounded edges.  Originally, the peaks didn’t touch the straight edges of the rows; by c.1400, the peaks might extend to the rows’ edges.  These depictions are sometimes termed “vair ancient” in modern heraldry texts; the stylization is not blazoned in Society armory, being left to the artist.  By the end of period, a more angular form of vair was used, tessellated with vair-bells; this form is the modern standard depiction.  Period heraldic tracts also gave names to different patterns of arranging the panes:  e.g., “counter-vair”, with the panes set base-to-base, and not alternating colors; and “vair en pointe”, with the panes staggered.  There are other forms as well, some of which came to be used in post-period armory.

Potent (Period)

Potent (Period)

One style of depicting vair came to be called “potent”, because the panes resembled potents or crutches.  Again, no difference is counted between vair and potent.

Vair furs may use other tinctures besides white and blue.  Such cases must be explicitly blazoned:  e.g., “Vairy Or and gules”, the canting arms of Ferrers, c.1244 [Asp2 222].  See also papellony, plumetty.

Kat’ryna Neblaga Volchkova bears:  Vair, flaunches gules.

Gauvain Eisenbein bears:  Vairy en point erminois and azure, a bordure gules.

Steven MacEanruig bears:  Potent, on a pile sable a cross crosslet argent.

This entry was posted on June 8, 2014, in .

Trivet

Trivet (Period)

Trivet (Period)

Triangular trivet (Period)

Triangular trivet (Period)

A trivet is a three-legged stand for holding cooking pots, &c.  Trivets are often ornamental, and may be round or triangular; the round form is older in period armory, found in the canting arms of Tryvette as early as 1295 [ANA2 552].  The triangular form is specified in Society blazon.

 

The trivet is normally drawn in an early attempt at perspective, showing the top to the viewer, with all three legs visible.

 

Tripod (Period)

Tripod (Period)

Society armory also has the “tripod”, similar to the trivet, but larger and tetrahedral in outline; it encloses its load, instead of resting underneath it.  The tripod is never used alone, but only in conjunction with another charge (typically a cooking pot), which it supports.  The arms of Larrea, mid-16th C., show a cauldron so suspended [Armeria 358].

Alastar Scott MacCrummin bears:  Or, three triangular trivets azure.

Gwenhwyvar ferch Owen ap Morgan bears:  Per chevron argent and azure, a triangular trivet argent.

Brekke Franksdottir bears:  Sable, a cooking pot hanging from a tripod above a flame in base argent.

This entry was posted on June 5, 2014, in .