Carbuncle

Escudo de gules, un carbunclo cerrado, pomelado de oro; cargado en el centro de una esmeralda en forma de losange de sinople.

Original coat of arms of Navarre interpreted with: a semicircular (round) base; the field in flat Gules; the pommetty carbuncle illuminated in Or and outlined in Sable; the emerald illuminated in Vert and also outlined in Sable; and the whole finished with a raised-stroke effect.

In the armorial [Urfé; Siglo XV; indexed on folio 151, but actually written on 142] the arms of Navarre are blazoned in French as «de gueles à l'escarboucle d'or pommelée alumée de sinoble en la moyenne en guise d'esmeraude», it only gives the blazon, since this armorial is not illustrated.

An image of the original French blazon text can be seen in the article Blazon of Navarre in the Urfé armorial.

The interpretation of the arms of Navarre shown here is based on the one illustrated in the armorial [Bosque, J. del; 1540; folio 1 of the 1613 numbering], which is its main plate, with the arms of the king of Navarre surrounded by the coats of arms of the lineages and manors of his «ricoshombres», twelve lineages in total.

In [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1963] one can consult his view on what is, probably, the real origin of the arms of Navarre, which he bases on:

• The existence of a defensive element of the shield called the boss, placed at its center. This element already existed in classical Rome, on the shields of the legionaries and, in addition, it could serve to keep small valuables inside.
• The later reinforcement of this boss with 8 spokes, that is, 4 diameters set vertically, horizontally, bendwise and bendwise sinister, giving rise to a radiated boss to strengthen the shield.
• This radiated boss on rich shields could be very elaborate and even be adorned with gems, thus becoming an ornamental element.
• The evolution of the radiated boss from a defensive and ornamental element to the so-called carbuncle, but now as a heraldic element with a radial structure. Originally the carbuncle was a mystical stone, comparable to the ruby, that emitted an intense light capable of illuminating the knight in the darkness of night. Heraldically the name carbuncle is used to denote a scheme of radial rays and not the marvellous stone that emitted them and from which it borrows its name.
• This eight-rayed carbuncle, joined at the ends forming a closure, like an orle, and decorated with pommels, on a field Gules, and with an emerald overall at its center is what constitutes the arms of Navarre.

Regarding the importance of the radiated boss and the carbuncle, not only in the arms of Navarre but in heraldry in general, [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1963] goes a step further when he writes «although it has never been pointed out, it seems evident to us the influence of this piece on the classic partitions of the shield, contained in the four diametral lines that compose it». He makes us see that «cortado, partido, tronchado y tajado» and, therefore also, «cuartelado, en sotuer y jironado», do not have their origin in the different ways of striking a shield with a sword, as illustrated, for example, in [Avilés, J.; 1725a; plate 18, illustrations 23, 24, 25 and 25], but in different ways of selecting, as delimiters, the four diameters of the carbuncle.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Carbuncle, Pommelled, Or, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Vert and Lozenge.

Style keywords: Freehand, Illuminated and Outlined in sable.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Navarre.

Escudo de gules, un carbunclo cerrado, pomelado de oro; cargado en el centro de una esmeralda en forma de losange de sinople.

Coat of arms interpreted with: a semicircular (round) base; the field in flat Gules; the pommetty carbuncle and the emerald illuminated in Or and Vert, shaded and outlined in Sable; and the whole finished in lightly-hammered metal.

In addition to historical documents such as the armorials [Urfé; 15^th century] which blazons it and [Bosque, J. del; 1540] which illustrates it, there is, in the last half century, an abundant bibliography on the arms of Navarre, for example: [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1963], [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1974], [Martinena Ruiz, J. J.; 1982], [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1999], [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; Martínez de Aguirre, J.; 2000], [Martinena Ruiz, J. J.; Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 2001] and [Martínez de Aguirre, J.; 2007].

This pommetty shield can also be seen, for example, on the outer façade of the convent of Santo Domingo in Estella, on capitals preserved in the Cathedral of Tudela and on capitals of the church of Santa María la Real of Laguardia, the latter dating from the 14^th century.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Carbuncle, Pommelled, Or, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Vert and Lozenge.

Style keywords: Soft metal, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Shaded.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Navarre.

Escudo de gules, un carbunclo cerrado, pomelado de oro; cargado en el centro de una esmeralda en forma de losange de sinople.

The armorial [Urfé; 15^th century] contains only blazons written in French and is not decorated with shields.

The image shows my interpretation of the arms and, beneath it, the blazon of the king of Navarre as follows «Le Roy de Navarre... de gueles à l'escarboucle d'or pommelée alumée de sinoble en la moyenne en guise d'esmeraude» which could be translated as «The King of Navarre... Gules, a carbuncle Or pommetty, illuminated Vert in the middle in the manner of an emerald».

Note that the blazon does not suggest the presence of an emerald, but that the place corresponding to the central boss of the shield, from which the rays of the carbuncle emerge, is enamelled Vert.

In the article Universitas Studiorum Navarrensis about the arms of the University of Navarre I interpret the arms of Navarre borne in profile by the Archangel Saint Michael, which, by my way of painting it, lies halfway between the carbuncle and the chains, with round chain links and long carbuncle rays, where at the centre there is no emerald, but a Vert enamel in the manner of an emerald.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Carbuncle, Pommelled, Or, Charged, In the fess point, Emerald, Vert and Lozenge.

Style keywords: Soft metal, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Shaded.

Classification: Interpreted, Civic and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Navarre.

Azure, a carbuncle of twelve rays Argent; on a chief Or, a hop cone Vert between two apples Gules, slipped and leaved Vert.

Escudo de azur, un carbunclo de doce rayos de plata; en un jefe de oro, una flor de lúpulo de sinople acompañada de dos manzanas de gules, talladas y hojadas de sinople.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a pointed shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Carbuncle, Twelve, Argent, Chief, Or, Hop cone, Flower, Vert, Between, Two, Apple, Gules, Slipped and Leaved.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Pointed and Freehand.

Classification: Personal, Created and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Sales, Robert Edward.

Azure, a carbuncle of twelve rays Argent; on a chief Or, a hop cone Vert between two apples Gules, slipped and leaved Vert. Motto: «Omnia tempus habent».

Escudo de azur, un carbunclo de doce rayos de plata; en un jefe de oro, una flor de lúpulo de sinople acompañada de dos manzanas de gules, talladas y hojadas de sinople. Lema: «Omnia tempus habent».

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Carbuncle, Twelve, Argent, Chief, Or, Hop cone, Flower, Vert, Between, Two, Apple, Gules, Slipped, Leaved and Motto.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Pointed and Freehand.

Classification: Personal, Created, Coat of arms and Latin language.

Bearer: Sales, Robert Edward.

Azure, a carbuncle of twelve rays Argent; on a chief Or, a hop cone Vert between two apples Gules, slipped and leaved Vert. Crest: Upon a helm, with a wreath Argent and Azure, an eagle displayed Or, langued Gules, holding in his dexter talon an hourglass bendwise proper. Mantling: Azure doubled Argent.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, Carbuncle, Twelve, Argent, Chief, Or, Hop cone, Flower, Vert, Between, Two, Apple, Gules, Slipped, Leaved, Crest and mantling, Helm, Mantling, Wreath, Crest, Eagle, Langued, Grasping, Hourglass, Bendwise and Proper.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Pointed and Freehand.

Classification: Personal, Created and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Sales, Robert Edward.

Juan del Bosque, «Libro de Armería del Reino de Navarra», which is currently missing and whose subsequent copy, commissioned in 1572, is kept in the Royal and General Archive of Navarre, estimated year of creation 1540.

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The origin of this armorial dates back to 1527, when the Navarrese Courts requested that the Royal Council and the Chamber of Comptos ~ Chamber of Accounts and Fiscal Control, record in a book the coats of arms of the kingdom of Navarre starting with that of the king of Navarre and the houses and lineages of the so-called «ricoshombres», Almorrabides, Guebara, Aybar, Baztanes, Urroz, Lete, Subiça, Rada, Vidaurre, Qasqante, Monteagudo, and Mauleón, also including the coats of arms of other manors, houses, valleys, towns, and nobles [Valverde Ogallar, P. B.; 2001; page 326].

According to [Martinena Ruiz, J. J.; 1982; page 35] the book was compiled around the year 1540, and this is the date I use for referencing this armorial.

This first manuscript created by Juan del Bosque was taken by the royal visitor Hernán Suárez de Toledo, under the pretext of taking it to Emperor Charles V, despite being requested back by the Navarrese Courts, it was never returned and was definitively lost. The armorial that has come down to us is a recreation commissioned in 1572 [Valverde Ogallar, P. B.; 2001; page 327].

According to [Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1974; page 19] the recreation of this armorial was carried out based on certifications, such as those from the herald Azcárraga, and notes and partial copies of the stolen book, like the copy kept in the monastery of Leyre.

Another noteworthy bibliographic reference about this armorial, in addition to those previously mentioned, is [Martinena Ruiz, J. J.; Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 2001].

The image illustrating this bibliographic reference is the coat of arms of the king of Navarre, which I recreated based on the illustration in this armorial, on its first folio according to the numbering given to it in 1613.

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Bibliographical reference of century XVI.

Author: Bosque, Juan del.

The following articles cite this bibliographic reference:

• Almorrabides of Navarre
• Aybar of Navarre
• Baztanes of Navarre
• Guebara of Navarre
• Lete of Navarre
• Martinena Ruiz, J. J.; 1982
• Martinena Ruiz, J. J.; Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 2001
• Mauleón of Navarre
• Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1974
• Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; 1985
• Menéndez Pidal de Navascués, F.; Martínez de Aguirre, J.; 2000
• Monteagudo of Navarra
• Navarra, closed carbuncle
• Navarre
• Noblemen of Navarre
• Qasqante of Navarre
• Rada of Navarre
• Subiça of Navarre
• Urroz of Navarre
• Vidaurre of Navarre

My heraldic Pixiv wall is Dr.A.Salmeron @antoniosheraldry and pixiv.me/antoniosheraldry.

Pixiv is a Japanese online community for artists. I post in Pixiv 2 or 3 coats of arms per week. They use a strict form to post with many mandatory input fields. This week, they have added a new mandatory field «AI-generated work: Yes / No», AI ~ Artificial Intelligence. In the image, I have highlighted this new field in red.

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Categories: Technology, Social networks, Quarterly, Gules, One, Chevron, Argent, Between, Three, Fleur de lis, Or, Five, Mullet, In saltire, Four, Escutcheon, In cross, Azure, Charged, Nine, Bezant and plate, Two, Flank, Fesswise, Center, Overall, Carbuncle, Cord, In orle, Knotted, Purpure, Overall (all), Sable, Mount, Issuant from base, Vert, On, Tower, Port and windows, Masoned, Wolf, Supporting, Enté en point, Fess, Wavy, Crown of the Sovereign and Most Noble Order of the Pomegranate, Crown and Motto.