Nebuly

A line nebuly
An heraldic shield displaying Barry nebuly of nine azure and argent
Diagram illustrating nebuly construction

In heraldry and architecture,[1] a line which is drawn nebuly (or nebulée) is made up of a series of bulbous protrusions, which are supposed to resemble clouds. The term is derived from the Latin word nebula, "a mist, vapor, or cloud"(OED). A nebuly line meanders in one direction describing the shape of three-quarters of a circle, then similarly in the other direction, maintaining a straight overall trajectory. A fess nebuly is a fess where the two horizontal lines of the fess are nebuly. A shield formed of several such fesses, termed bars where in excess of one, is barry nebuly.

Construction

A nebuly line is constructed from two identically spaced rows of circles, one row placed beneath the other in such a way that each circle in each row touches another two circles tangentially, which is effected by the horizontal shunting of one of the rows. Each circle in the lower row should touch the two above at about 45 and 135 degrees and each circle in the upper row should touch the two below at 225 and 315 degrees.

Examples

The mediaeval arms of the Dauntsey family of Wiltshire, England, were barry nebuly. Its use in coats of arms can be seen in the cases of Jones and Munk, both, FLEETWOOD BOROUGH COUNCIL, England and HYDE BOROUGH COUNCIL, England

References

  1. Nebuly - definition of Nebuly by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia, thefreedictionary.com

External links

Look up nebuly in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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