[Scriptoris] Gothic Cross

[Diane Rudin]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

Short answer is, there is no such thing as a "gothic cross", neither in art history nor in heraldry.  It's like saying "I want a Celtic beast".  The medieval period used a proliferation of variations on the cross-form.


Explain this as kindly as possible to your friend.  I'd recommend asking her to draw a pencil sketch of what she has in mind, or  you might even bring some pictures for her to choose from, if she's not very artistic.  I recommend a good heraldry book, such as Stephen Friar's *A Dictionary of Heraldry* or J.P. Brooke-Little's *An Heraldic Alphabet* as a starting point.  You might also find a herald in your area who has a copy of *A Pictorial Dictionary of Heraldry*.  It was compiled by two top SCA heralds, and contains a comprehensive list of crosses that have been used in SCA heraldry (including the ones we don't use anymore) and background on them (including dates) as well as drawings of each and every one.

--Serena

 Suzanne Booth <suzannebooth at yahoo.com> wrote:
 Greetings!

I'm working on a mundane commission (an acquaintance from church). She would like a piece of artwork that looks like an illumination from a medieval
manuscript. She has some text for me to use and wants me to include a "gothic cross" in the artwork.

I'm having trouble finding examples of illuminations that contain a gothic
cross. Anyone have any suggestions?

-- Suzanne


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