Fimbriation
In
Fimbriation may also be used when a charge is the same colour as the field on which it is placed. A red charge placed on a red background may be necessary, for instance where the charge and field are both a specific colour for symbolic or historical reasons, and in these cases fimbriation becomes a necessity in order for the charge to be visible. In some cases, such as a fimbriated cross placed on a field of the same colour as the cross, the effect is identical to the use of
According to the rule of tincture, one of the fundamental rules of heraldic design, colour may not be placed on colour nor metal on metal. (In heraldry, "metal" refers to gold and silver, frequently represented using yellow and white respectively. "Colour" refers to all other colours.) Sometimes, however, it is desired to do something like this, so fimbriation is used to comply with the rule.
In vexillology that is not specifically heraldic, the rules of heraldry do not apply, yet fimbriation is still frequently seen. The reason for this is largely the same as the reason for the heraldic rule of tincture: that is, the need for visibility — the separation of darker colours by white or yellow is an aid to the visual separation of the darker colours. A good example of a flag which uses fimbriation is the national flag of South Africa which is fimbriated in white above and below the central green area, and in yellow between it and the triangle at the hoist.
Though fimbriation is, heraldically, intended to be used to separate areas that are both colours (by the use of a metal) or both metals (by the use of a colour), occasionally flags may be found which use fimbriation in non-standard ways. One example of this is the flag of the Faroe Islands, which separates a red cross from a white field with blue fimbriation. Another example of this non-standard fimbriation is the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, which separates areas of blue and red with black fimbriation. The flag of Uzbekistan also uses this form of "pseudo-fimbriation" - it adds a thin red band between a colour and a metal, separating blue (above) and green (below) from a central white stripe.
Some 15 to 20 countries use fimbriation on their national flags. National flags that use fimbriation include those of
Flags using fimbriation
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Flag of Åland (Finland)
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Flag of American Samoa (United States)
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Flag of the Faroe Islands (Denmark)
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Flag of Mississippi (United States)
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Flag of the Solomon Islands
References
- ^ The arms of Daniel Christopher Boyer ("Sable, three fleurs-de-lys one and two Azure, fimbriated Argent, in base a chevron per chevron Vert and Gules, all fimbriated Argent") are an example of this reason. APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION OF HERALDIC REPRESENTATIONS AND OBJECTIONS THERETO, July 23, 2010, archived from the original on June 29, 2011, retrieved 2011-01-03
- ^ "REGISTRATION OF HERALDIC REPRESENTATIONS, December 24, 2010". Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
- ^ "National Archives of South Africa (NASA) Database Selection".
- ^ "Mozirje (Municipality, Slovenia) - Fahnen Flaggen Fahne Flagge Flaggenshop Fahnenshop Versand kaufen bestellen".