Cannon (heraldry)

Cannon, stylized; heraldic pattern

The cannon , also occasionally described as a cannon in the coat of arms, is a coat of arms figure in modern heraldry .

Presentation and use

Almost without exception, the gun from the early days, when ammunition was still spherical, is shown.

The coat of arms figure is often found in Swedish and Russian heraldry, for example in the coat of arms of Smolensk , relating to the first cannon shot in Russia in 1393, in the coat of arms it has been found since the 17th century. In German coats of arms it appears only in family coats of arms after 1850 of officers and generals who took part in the wars that followed. The inclusion in the coat of arms should improve their actions. This heraldic figure is more common on the symbols of traditional and rifle clubs, almost speaking it is common in the badges of military artillery associations . Occasionally, like other weapons, it symbolizes the local armaments industry .

The representation of the weapon in the coat of arms has two basic forms. One time only the gun barrel aimed primarily to the right and the other time a gun barrel with a mount . The timing is variable and details are greatly simplified. The free space in the coat of arms is often filled with stacked ammunition in the form of bullets . The cannon is also used as an armature outside of the escutcheon . One example is the coat of arms of Haiti .

Examples

Master board of the blacksmith's guild in Ravensburg (from 1505), detail Hans Pernecker, 1562: cannon (iron caster) and bell (colored caster)

• 

  Cizúrquil , Province of Gipuzkoa , Spain: Twelve cannons in red

• 

  Gondomar , Pontevedra Province , Spain: crossed swords over a cannon

• 

  Departamento del Atlántico , Colombia: A naturally depicted cannon

• 

  Pornic , France, Loire-Atlantique (old coat of arms): an anchor crossed and topped with a cannon barrel

• 

  Joroinen , Finland: a bull's head, around three cannon balls (1 and 2)

• 

  Coat of arms of Smolensk , Russia: In silver a cannon, on it the bird Gamayun

• 

  Vlagtwedde , Netherlands: with sheaf - the cannon stands for the nearby fortress Bourtange

United States Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment: US dragoons, mounted on a white horse and swinging a saber, attacking a Mexican field cannon, defended by the gunner with the ramrod, in natural colors (memory of a historic heroic deed)

• Military heraldry
• 

  Artillery Regiment Småland, Swedish Army: Crossed cannon barrels as armature / shield holder (the lion wears a crossbow)

literature

• Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry. VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984, p. 220.
• Walter Leonhard : The great book of heraldic art. Development - elements - motifs - design. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 2001, ISBN 3-8289-0768-7 , p. 271.

Web links

Commons : cannons in heraldry  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : cannon barrels in heraldry  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : cannon balls in heraldry  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Official symbols of Smolensk region ( Memento of the original dated June 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , admin.smolensk.ru (English)