The Gauntlet - August 2008

August 2008 Gauntlet

A Publication of Armorial Gold Heraldry Services

HERALDRY RAMBLINGS

THE HEATER SHIELD

In the eleventh century, and at the beginning of the twelfth, shields were long, narrow and kite-shaped, covering most of the body. They had rounded tops (like those of the Romans), were made of wood, and covered with tough, boiled leather. These Kite-shaped shields were in use at Hastings in 1066 and during the first Crusade (1095-9), where raised edges, studs and bosses were often picked out in colour.

During the twelfth century the tops of the shields became flatter, and decoration more personal. In the Thirteenth century shields were shorter and were shaped like the base of a flat-iron, and were called "Heater Shields".

Next month we are including a collection of bordures for the heater shield.

Heater Shield Bordures

STAFF NOTES

There is a Summer special on Coats of Arms, as a bundle. About 15,000 of them shipped on 2 DVD's. Give the office an email, if you're interested.

The Families of Britain collection is now available. These English garters, feature arms from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Click on the image above to view.

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EMAIL ATTACHMENTS

Those interested in marketing coats of arms by email attachment are to contact the office for the "rules of the game". This marketing approach has proven successful for other AG members but you must follow the rules so as not to jeopardize your license to use AG art.

FOI

When 2 hands are joined or clasping it's called une "foi" typically positioned in fesse. These popular symbols signify union, friendship, and fidelity. They can be plain, habited, cuffed, in armour, gauntleted, or combinations like the sample above.

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cabré

The French term for "rearing" and is used for the Horse and the Pegasus. The hind legs must both be on the ground, and if you get stuck you can use the horse or Pegasus salient, and by tilting the image, create something similar.

They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds, often loudly and in rapid succession This state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, and Tennessee is a symbol of virtue.

A NEW WINGED TORCH

Next Month

CONTEST

This is an ancient 16th century dagger with three blades expanding by means of a spring. Tell us the name of this most unusual weapon, and you could win a Platinum Collection.

This is called a compass rose and was used as a mariner's symbol. In modern heraldry, it is often used to symbolize a wise or proper course of action...see it next month!

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THE FALCON

The word Is derived from the Latin "falx", meaning sickle, a reference to the Falcon's wing shape in flight. Egyptians associated the Falcon with the 'Eye of Horus'. The god Horus was believed to appear in the form of Pharaoh's Falcon or as a Falcon-headed god. The mythology states he could see everything at once because one eye was the sun and the other was the moon. It is written that Falcons were permitted to ride on Pharaoh's nape as his protector and divine spirit. Falcons were used in a royal sport known as falconry. Is the art of training Falcons (or hawks) to pursue and attack wild fowl or game; falconry started in ancient China and Persia and soon became prevalent with the royals of ancient Egypt; the Falcon was associated with the Egyptian sun god 'RA' and later the Christians adopted it as an emblem of the saviour. A venerable symbol of majesty and power, heraldic writers add that the Falcon denotes someone eager, or hot in the pursuit of an object much desired; if seated on its 'rest' or perch it may signify a bearer who is ready and serviceable for high affairs.

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THE WORLDS LARGEST PROVIDER OF HERALDRY ART

We are putting this up again as more and more of you are upgrading

your Corel Draw software to X3 or X4

Corel Draw has changed some default settings in X3 and X4 that can render your vector images black, do the same for your F9 preview and in the case of X4 display your image excessively dark.

Fixes:

Top Command Bar/View Select “enhanced” and not “enhanced with overprints”;
Top Command Bar/Tools/Color Management Color Mode for Effects-should be set at RGB (not CMYK);
Top Command Bar/Tools Select “Save Settings as default” ;
When importing AG graphics into X4, make sure you first group your image before using the F9 full screen preview (X3 imports the graphic already grouped).