Individually Attested Pattern for Device of Richenda du Jardin

The submitted badge is in violation of the SCA's practice of requiring two tinctures with good contrast to be used with field divisions of more than 4 pieces. This badge is of a style found in Stemmario Trivulziano by Niccolo' Orsini de Marzo, a 15th century Italian roll of arms.

The submitted badge currently employs three tinctures (Or, azure and argent) in a multiply divided field of more than four pieces (per pale bendy and bendy sinister). I plan to show a pattern of using multiply divided fields of three tinctures in Italian armory. In addition to the demonstrating the exact field division submitted, I will demonstrate the use of three tinctures in barry, bendy and paly fields.

In addition, this badge uses a bordure compony of three tinctures. In addition to demonstrating the use of a three tincture compony with the complex field division on the submitted badge, I will demonstrate its use more broadly, including a bordure denticulata of three tinctures.

The submitted arms are based on the arms of de Dentibus in Trivulziano (plate 1301, page 143). The de Dentibus arms, in SCA blazon terms, are Per pale bendy sinister argent, gules and purpure and bendy purpure, argent and gules, on a chief gules and eagle displayed maintaining three sets of dentures argent, a bordure compony argent, gules and purpure. The submitted badge, Per pale bendy sinister azure, Or and argent, and bendy Or, argent and azure, a bordure compony argent, azure and Or does not contain the chief.

Examples of fields multiply divided, in addition to the exemplar arms listed above, are:

De Borssano (plate 64b, page 87), Bendy gules, argent and Or.
De Bezzio (plate 64c, page 87), Bendy Or, argent and gules, on a chief gules three letters B argent.
Di Birigozi (plate 64h, page 87), Bendy gules, argent, and azure, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable.
Dal Careto (plate 78a, page 99), Bendy gules, azure, and Or, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable.
Di Piligrini (plate 283c, page 232), Bendy azure, argent and gules.
Da Sondra (plate 325c, page 257), Bendy gules, sable and Or.
Da Sore (plate 329b, page 261), Per fess gules and barry bendy argent, gules, and vert, in chief a swan rousant, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable.
Da Vogera (plate 368g, page 293), Barry, gules, sable, and argent, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable.
De Muschiaro (plate 223c, page 198), Bendy sable, azure, and Or, a bottle gules, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable.
Di Cimis (plate 120i, page 138), Paly gules, O, and vert, on a chief azure three triangles argent.

Clearly, multiply divided fields are not excessively common; however, they were not exceedingly rare either. These fields were unremarkable enough that I found one with a charge other than a peripheral ordinary. I also found one instance of a bend multiply divided of four tinctures: di Scarognini (plate 334g, page 266), Per bend gules and sable, a bend chevronelly inverted argent, Or, gules, and sable fimbriated rgent, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable.

Examples of bordures multiply divided of three tinctures, in addition to the examplar arms listed above, are:

Di Luino de Barbati (plate 68g, page 91), Gules, on a bend between two roses argent three roses gules, a bordure denticulata azure, argent and gules.
De Albertus de Buymio (plate 43g, page 71), Argent, a tree eradicated vert sustained by two lions gules, on a chief Or an eagle displayed sable, a bordure compony argent, gules and vert.

With an example of a multiply divided bend of more than two tinctures as well as the bordures (and one of the bordures was of a complex line that shared a tincture with the field), a bordure compony of three tinctures seems reasonable.

Given that the submitted arms are based on a period exemplar, these arms should be eligible for registration as a documented exception to the rules.