Oswald von Wolkenstein
R. Sale > 19-10-2022, 11:02 PM
The biography of Oswald von Wolkenstein is an interesting connection of heraldry and history. Initially it was the name and the heraldry. Perhaps there is a preferred interpretation, but it seemingly ‘translates’ into “Cloudstone”. And it is further represented in the heraldic insignia with the use of a ‘nebuly’ line, having a blazon such as: Per bend nebuly, argent et gules. White on top and red below. The heraldic shield is included in the last two images.
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The heraldic terms, ‘nebuly’ and ‘gewolkt’, are both derived from references to clouds and mists. The use of this pattern is surely based on heraldic canting. At least it reveals the first part of the family surname. It indicates that the use of this interpretation would be well-known in the “heraldic community”.
In the early examples of the Wolkenstein heraldic insignia, the nebuly line is a ‘plain’ line, in contrast to a later example where the individual crests and troughs of the nebuly line have been given the “scallop-shell treatment”. This is a splendid artistic technique by which an extended nebuly line can be made to look like a line of fluffy, scallop-shelled clouds. Cloud bands or Wolkenbands are historically significant and relevant to several VMs investigations. The cloud band in the VMs central rosette is an example of the “scallop-shell treatment”. A series of bumps, like a series of arches, either across the top and/or bottom of the nebuly line, OR up, and down the whole length of each individual crest and trough.
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This technique, to run a single line of arches all along the nebuly line, has a problem in that it reverses between one side of the nebuly line and the other. Crests that appear rounded on one side leave troughs that are pointy on the other side. Invected on the top side, engrailed on the bottom. This was rejected in art, in heraldry and in the VMs examples. Instead, the orientation is reversed for each trough to maintain the points inward, scallop-shell pattern. It seems to be the standard practice, which the VMs follows.
So, if scalloped, invected lines are used in artistry, and heraldry, what about the occurrence of engrailed lines in heraldry and the VMs. Though any use of the engrailed or invected line is uncommon, the engrailed cross, with points out, is predominant. Otherwise, it occurs in a border or as a bend, but that seems to be the limit of usage in the heraldic texts of the 15th century. What the VMs does in the tub patterns of the three Pisces and Aries pages provides examples of engrailed lines running horizontally across the pattern. While the use of such a pattern is valid, there don’t yet seem to be any relevant chronological examples.
That’s the thing about VMs investigation, every bit of hopeful inquiry leads directly to a wall. Nebuly lines and invected lines are fine in cloud bands and cosmic boundaries, but the VMs use of engrailed lines is all messed up, providing examples of things that did not exist at the time. How does that happen – that the valid and the flawed are combined? Are any of these VMs interpretations valid? Do VMs illustrations contain factual information or nothing more that random markings?
On three pages, the VMs presents several examples of engrailed lines running horizontally across different tub patterns, The lines go back and forth, not up and down or round and round. The devil is always in the details. If they went up and down, that’s probably nothing. But if they went round and round, that’s definitely something. An engrailed border distinguishes the heraldic insignia of the Duke of Berry, who is previously tied to the provenance of BNF Fr. 565 and the investigation of VMs cosmic structure.