Sparks

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Sparks are discussed in an article by H. Stanford London (Coat of Arms, vol. II, No. 11, July 1952, p. 111) and Brault's "Early Blazon".

Illustrations:

Period Forms:

Ballard's Book (William Ballard Exeter Herald) c. 1485, arms of Lumley, poppinjays, sparks as diapering. Courtesy of Bruce Draconarius via the 1936 Heralds' Commemorative Exhibition Catalog.

Modern Images:

Pictorial Dictionary of SCA Heraldry (3rd edition):

• Sparks]

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Sources:

Academy of St. Gabriel "Medieval Heraldry Archive" - http://www.s-gabriel.org/heraldry/

Archive of St. Gabriel reports - http://www.panix.com/~gabriel/public-bin/archive.cgi

Laurel Armory Articles - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/armory_articles.html

Period Armorials

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Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/precedents.html

Morsulus Heralds Website - http://www.morsulus.org/ (to search the LoARs and Precedents)

Restatement Wiki - http://yehudaheraldry.com/restatement/index.php?title=Main_Page (restatements of Precedents)

Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.

Definition/Defining Instance:

June 2016 CL - 1-and-2 vs 2-and-1

This month, once again, a submission came up for discussion with an estencelly field where the sparks were grouped in two and one configuration rather than one and two. Commenters cited the precedent from March 2013:

• "Please advise the submitter to draw the sparks as groupings of roundels one and two, not two and one. This depiction of sparks two and one may not be registerable without period evidence in the future." [Jan Langhe ten Wald, A-Æthelmearc]

They also noted that in November 2015 that warning wasn't repeated, as the decision simply stated:

• "Please advise the submitter to draw the sparks as groupings of roundels one and two, not two and one." [Evangeline Bajolet, November 2015 ,A-Calontir].

Gerard Brault's "Early Blazon" defines "Estencelé" as "powdered with sparks, i.e. clusters of three or four small dots". Although the modern depiction he gives has the estencely as the generally accepted one and two depiction, he goes on further to cite "Medieval practice tolerated considerable diversity in verbal as well as pictorial blazon". Thus it seems difficult to consider it as a firm endorsement of a single possible depiction for estencely fields. Although both he and the cited "Scintillatum Auro: The Spark in Armory" by H. Stanford London mention that it might have been in some cases a form of diapering it was also in cases specifically blazoned and can't be considered accidental. Of note, the figure 2 in "Scintillatum Auro: The Spark in Armory" has the sparks in various orientations.

Furthermore, we can see in a period armorial that period heraldic artists were not necessarily particular about maintaining a constant orientation for sparks as can be seen on the folio 144r of the Armorial de Gilles le Bouvier, dit Berry. (http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b85285803/f295.item.zoom ).

Based on the variability of period depiction, we are declaring the two and one depiction of sparks registerable, with a note that the one and two arrangement of sparks would appear more likely. No difference will be granted for the orientation of the sparks and that orientation will not be blazoned. http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2016/06/16-06cl.html

Registerability:

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

Conflict:

June 2016 CL - 1-and-2 vs 2-and-1

This month, once again, a submission came up for discussion with an estencelly field where the sparks were grouped in two and one configuration rather than one and two... No difference will be granted for the orientation of the sparks and that orientation will not be blazoned. http://heraldry.sca.org/loar/2016/06/16-06cl.html

Collected Precedents:

• 2nd Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (April 2011 - August 2011) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of Elisabeth de Rossignol (May 2005 - July 2008) - ESTENCELY
• The 2nd Tenure of François la Flamme (October 2004 - May 2005) - na
• The Tenure of Shauna of Carrick Point (May 2004 - August 2004) - Collected Armory Precedents
• 1st Tenure of François la Flamme (August 2001 - April 2004) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Elsbeth Anne Roth (June 1999 - July 2001) - Collected Armory Precedents
• The Tenure of Jaelle of Armida (June 1996 - June 1999) - Single HTML Document
• 2nd Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (November 1993 - June 1996) -
  • the 1st part (Nov 1993 - June 1994) and
  • the 2nd part (July 1994 - June 1996)
• The Tenure of Bruce Draconarius of Mistholme (June 1992 - October 1993) - Collected precedents
• 1st Tenure of Da'ud ibn Auda (June 1990 - June 1992) -
  • the 1st year (June 1990 - June 1991) and
  • the 2nd year (July 1991 - June 1992)
• The Tenure of Alisoun MacCoul of Elphane (September 1986 - June 1990) - Collected Precedents
• The Tenure of Baldwin of Erebor (August 1984 - August 1986) - Single HTML Document
• The Tenure of Wilhelm von Schlüssel (August 1979 - August 1984) - Collected Precedents
• The Tenure of Karina of the Far West (December 1975 - June 1979) - Collected Precedents
• The Early Days (June 1971 - June 1975) - Collected Precedents

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Ordinary:

(includes estencely)

• Sparks