A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.
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Heraldry
In heraldry, a roundel is a circular charge. Roundels are among the oldest charges used in coats of arms, dating from at least the twelfth century. Roundels in British heraldry have different names depending on their tincture.[1] Thus, while a roundel may be blazoned by its tincture, e.g., a roundel vert (literally "a roundel green"), it is more often described by a single word, in this case pomme (literally "apple", from the French) or, from the same origins, pomeis - as in 'Vert; on a cross Or five pomeis' (Scottish Public Register vol 32, p 26).
| metals | colours | neutral | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bezant coin |
plate silver |
hurt berry |
torteau cake |
pellet gunshot |
pomme apple |
golpe wound |
fountain fountain |
In French blazon, a roundel of either metal (or or argent) is a besant, and a roundel of any colour (dark tincture) is a torteau, with the tincture specified.
One special example of a named roundel is the fountain, depicted as a roundel barry wavy argent and azure, that is, containing alternating horizontal wavy bands of blue and silver (or white). Because the fountain consists equally of parts in a light and a dark tincture, its use is not limited by the rule of tincture as are the other roundels.
Another special roundel, largely confined to Scots heraldry, is the gurges filled with a double spiral of contrasting tinctures. A gurges argent and azure can be seen in the arms of James Watt College.
In their earliest uses, roundels were often strewn (semy) upon the field of a coat of arms, a design with as many names as there are tinctures. For example, a field semy of roundels argent could be called platy; a field semy of roundels sable could be called pellety. The precise number and placement of the roundels in such cases were usually left to the discretion of the artist.
Because of their long use and simple outline, roundels are accorded status as a subordinary charge by most heraldic writers.
The term roundel also describes a circular shield used for heraldic display (as opposed to other forms such as the more common escutcheon or lozenge). An example of arms borne on a roundel is the Coat of Arms of Nunavut.
Military aircraft
The first use of a roundel on military aircraft was during the First World War by the French Air Service[2]. The chosen design was the French national cockade, whose colors are the blue-white-red of the Flag of France. Similar national cockades, with different ordering of colours, were designed and adopted as aircraft roundels by their allies, including the British Royal Flying Corps and the US Army Air Service. After the First World War, many other air forces adopted roundel insignia, distinguished by different colours or numbers of concentric rings.
Military aircraft insignia often are called roundels even when they are not round. Thus the Polish szachownica is considered a roundel, even though it is square.
Corporate use
Some corporations and other organizations also make use of roundels in their branding; employing them as a trademark, or logo.[citation needed] The London Underground's roundel, consisting of a voided red circle with a blue bar bearing the word UNDERGROUND in white Johnston letters, is an iconic symbol of the Underground and of London more generally. The roundel motif has been adopted as part of the corporate identity of Transport for London (TfL), which uses an assortment of different-coloured barred roundels for all of its services, and uses a plain, blank blue roundel to represent TfL as a whole.
In pop culture
- The roundel, especially the RAF's, has been associated with British pop art of the 1960s, appearing in paintings by Jasper Johns. It became part of the pop consciousness after British rock group The Who started to wear RAF roundels (and Union Flags) as part of their stage apparel at the start of their career. Subsequently it came to symbolise Mods and the Mod revival.
- Some of Paul Weller's material involves the use of a roundel in psychedelic colours.
- Ben Harper's album Fight For Your Mind uses roundels from several nation's air forces as graphics in the liner notes.
- In the British television series Doctor Who, the circular decorations on the interior walls of the TARDIS control room are known as roundels.[3]
Examples
Military aircraft roundels
Corporate logo roundels
Corporate logos incorporating roundels include BMW, Starbucks, and Target.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles (1909). A Complete Guide to Heraldry. p. 151.
- ^ http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/faq/roundel.cfm
- ^ Russell, Gary (2006). Doctor Who: The Inside Story. London: BBC Books. p. 86.
Bibliography
- Smith, Whitney (1975). Flags:Through The Ages And Around The World. McGraw Hill. pp. 24, 342. doi:JC345.S57. ISBN 0070590931 [Amazon-US | Amazon-UK].
- David Donald, ed (1986). The pocket guide to Military Aircraft and the World's Air Forces. London, UK: Temple Press Aerospace. pp. 136–189. ISBN 0-600-55002-8.
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