I’m pretty new to heraldry, but I’m interested in using gyronny fields and wanted to understand the use of gyronny more clearly. I apologize if any of my questions are ridiculous. (This might belong in a better forum, I figured ‘Queries’ meant this)
- I understand the most common number of gyrons is 8, however 6, 10, 12 and 16 can also be found. Can you assign any even number of gyrons more than 4? (such as the 32 seen on the War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Naval Ensign)
- Gyronny seem to mostly stay to 2 colors, is this a rule, a strong suggestion or just a tendency? If you can use a third color, could you have an odd numbered gyronny (over 3, as I think that’s per pall)?
-Is the term Mal-gironné not used outside French heraldry? What is the difference between a Gyronny of six verses a Mal-gironné of six? Can you use Mal-gironné on any other number other than six? Is there another way to emblazon a canted gyronned field by 45 degrees?
- Is there any limitations to the use of lines of partition such as Rayonny, Embattled, Wavy, Nebuly, etc. on the gyronny partitions?
- Does a charge on a gyronny field need a countercharged fimbriation to maintain the rule of tincture? (Does that even achieve the satisfaction of maintaining that rule?) I saw the arms of the Clackson family and it was a Gyronny of sixteen Argent and Or to surround an azure lozenge; is this a better treatment of attempting to maintain the rule of tincture, or a rare exception similar to the Kingdom of Jerusalem?
- How would one emlazon a partial gyronny field? Can one use a per fessed gyronny in a style similar to the Arizona state flag, or perhaps a Quartered field with the 1+4 or the 2+3 quarters using gyrons? Is this creating extra work or would be more easily expressed in another way?
Most of these questions stem directly from the primer and The wikipedia article ‘Divisions of the Field’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_of_the_field) as well as looking at the pictures of 2 french volumes on heraldry
Le blason héraldique: Manuel nouveau de l’art héraldique de la science du blason et de la polychromie féodale d’après les règles du moyen age avec 1300 gravures et un armorial (http://books.google.com/books?id=fApBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA94&lpg=PA94&dq=Mal-gironné&source=bl&ots=qVYWIXPXxV&sig=81v7YaCYhrHPIpIJUbOL2Fb72Hw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=aT05VJj8IanksASsu4C4CA&ved=0CFcQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=Mal-gironné&f=false)p.94-95
and Le blason: dictionnaire et remarques (http://books.google.com/books?id=3sALRgFPo6QC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=Mal-gironné&source=bl&ots=K6ccoRTRtj&sig=5xMlVScls5V3XaTBqeKt8eHY83U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=aT05VJj8IanksASsu4C4CA&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=Mal-gironné&f=false) p.231-233
Walkerius;102930 wrote:
I’m pretty new to heraldry, but I’m interested in using gyronny fields and wanted to understand the use of gyronny more clearly. I apologize if any of my questions are ridiculous. (This might belong in a better forum, I figured ‘Queries’ meant this)
- I understand the most common number of gyrons is 8, however 6, 10, 12 and 16 can also be found. Can you assign any even number of gyrons more than 4? (such as the 32 seen on the War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Naval Ensign)
You could, but at some point things become indistinguishable, which defeats the purpose of armory. By the way, the Japanese naval ensign would not be considered gyronny, because gyronny (at least in English blazonry) implies that one of the partition lines is fesswise.
Quote:
- Gyronny seem to mostly stay to 2 colors, is this a rule, a strong suggestion or just a tendency? If you can use a third color, could you have an odd numbered gyronny (over 3, as I think that’s per pall)?
You can use a third color if the number of gyrons is divisible by three.
Quote:
-Is the term Mal-gironné not used outside French heraldry? What is the difference between a Gyronny of six verses a Mal-gironné of six? Can you use Mal-gironné on any other number other than six? Is there another way to emblazon a canted gyronned field by 45 degrees?
I’ve never found it outside French heraldry, and I’m not sure, based on the French source you quoted, Le blason héraldique, that it’s really found in French heraldry. The example of a blazon with the term mal-gironné is to make a pun on the name Maugiron. The way the author blazons this and a similar coat of six gyrons in which there are two diagonals and one vertical partition is parti gironné, i.e. "per pale gyronny."
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Is there any limitations to the use of lines of partition such as Rayonny, Embattled, Wavy, Nebuly, etc. on the gyronny partitions?
Only artistic taste.
Quote:
- Does a charge on a gyronny field need a countercharged fimbriation to maintain the rule of tincture?
Not in English and English-influenced heraldry, although the fact that it’s not required doesn’t excuse a design on which the charge is hard to distinguish against the field.
Quote:
- How would one emlazon a partial gyronny field? Can one use a per fessed gyronny in a style similar to the Arizona state flag, or perhaps a Quartered field with the 1+4 or the 2+3 quarters using gyrons? Is this creating extra work or would be more easily expressed in another way?
I think you mean blazon (describe) rather than emblazon (draw). It’s hard to give a general answer without seeing the design. But I wouldn’t use the term gyronny to describe Arizona’s flag. I’d say "Per fess Gules and Azure six piles pilewise converging at fess point Or, overall a star Copper."
Walkerius;102930 wrote:
- I understand the most common number of gyrons is 8, however 6, 10, 12 and 16 can also be found. Can you assign any even number of gyrons more than 4? (such as the 32 seen on the War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Naval Ensign)
BTW, I’ve seen "gyronny of four" used in heraldry, although I think it’s rather rare. I think it allows one to have a "quartered" looking design, but specifically let’s people know through the blazon that it is not a quartered arms
In my opinion, a better way to blazon a field that looks quarterly but you don’t want to be quarterly is "per cross."