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Dictionary of Vexillology: P (Padded Emblem - Pantone Matching System)

Last modified: 2016-02-18 by rob raeside
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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PADDED EMBLEM
See ‘raised detail’.

[raised detail]
Padded Emblem/Raised Detail on the Flag of San Cristσbal de la Laguna, Tenerife, Spain (Klaus-Michael Schneider)

PADDING THE SLEEVE
(v) A (largely US) practice, now obsolete, of reinforcing the sleeve of a military colour (see also ‘colour 2)’, ‘raised detail’ and ‘sleeve 2)’).
PAGEANT STANDARD
A term, now obsolete, for the Scottish heraldic standard as carried on ceremonial occasions; and there are indications that it was the middle of three sizes (see also ‘battle standard’, ‘pinsel’, ‘heraldic standard 2)’, and ‘great standard’).

[pageant standard]
Standard of the Laird of Clan Agnew (The Flag Center)

PALE
The heraldic term for a vertical stripe whose centreline lies along the vertical meridian of a shield, a banner of arms or any quartering thereof, and which (in strict heraldic usage) should occupy about one-third the width of that shield, banner of arms or quartering – but see ‘Appendix VI’ (also ‘banner of arms’, ‘Canadian pale’, ‘in pale’, ‘per pale’, ‘paly’, ‘quartering 1)’ and ‘triband’).

[pale] [pale] [pale] [pale] [pale] [pale]
Example; Flag of Hoogstraten, Belgium (fotw); Arms and Flag of Kaiserslautern, Germany (fotw & Wikipedia); Arms and Flag of Jerichower Land, Germany (fotw)

PALEWISE
1) In traditional heraldry see ‘in pale’.
2) In some heraldic usage this term relates specifically to the axis of a charge or charges, rather than to its, or their position, on a shield, a banner of arms or a flag – but see ‘in pale’ as referenced above.

[palewise example] [palewise example] [palewise example]
Flag of Courtaman, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Villars-sous-Mont, Switzerland (fotw)

Please note with regard to 2) that charges can be orientated palewise but arranged in fess as per the examples shown below would be blazoned “…three saw blades palewise in fess”’

[palewise example] [Vaksdal, NO]
Flag and Arms of Siljan, Norway (fotw)

PALIO
The flag – usually a unique banner of painted silk - that is presented in Sienna, Italy as a prize in the annual horse race of the same name (see also ‘flag tossing’).
PALL
1) On flags, a Y-shaped charge of equal width throughout, generally with two arms of the “Y” touching, or nearly touching the top and bottom corners of the hoist, meeting on the horizontal meridian and extending to the fly as a single band - as in the flag of South Africa. When the two arms of the ‘Y’ are on the hoist it may be called a simple pall, with the two arms on or towards the fly a reversed pall, with the two arms on the top edge an upright pall and with the two arms on the bottom edge of the flag an inverted pall (see also ‘inverted’, ‘reversed’) and ‘upright’).
2) In heraldry, a Y-shaped charge of equal width throughout, generally (but not exclusively) shown upright and when employed in ecclesiastical arms is usually seen with its lower point fringed and couped (see also ‘couped 2)’, ‘couped 2)’ and ‘fringe’).

[flags with pall] [flags with pall] [flags with pall] [flags with pall] [flags with pall] [flags with pall] [flags with pall]
From left: National Flag of the Republic of South Africa (fotw); Flag of Horin, Czech Republic (fotw): Flag of Krasnoarmeyskiy, Russia (fotw); Flag of Fontenoy-la-Joϋte, France (Ivan Sache); Arms and Flag of Matulji, Croatia (fotw); Flag of the Archbishop of Canterbury, UK (Bartram)

Notes
a) The pall design originated as the pallium, a vestment symbolic of Arch-episcopal authority in some Christian churches (see also ‘pallia’).
b) With regard to 2) a pile may also be wavy as per the example below.

[flags with pall] [flags with pall]
Arms and Flag of Alcobaηa, Portugal (Klaus-Michael Schneider)

PALL FLAG
That flag which is used to cover a coffin prior to interment, or the deceased person when lying in state – a burial, interment or casket flag (see also ‘flag case 2)’, ‘flagfolding’, ‘funeral flag’ and ‘mourning flag’).

pall flag
(adamtglass.com)

Please note, not to be confused with a pall as defined above.

PALLET (or PALET)
The heraldic term for a vertical stripe whose centreline often (but by no means exclusively) lies along the vertical meridian of a shield, a banner of arms or any quartering thereof, and which (in strict heraldic usage) should occupy about one-quarter the width of that shield, banner of arms or quartering – but see ‘Appendix VI’, ‘paly’ and ‘pale’ (also ‘banner of arms’).

[pallet] [pallet]  [pallet]
Example; Flag of Richterswil, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Commugny, Switzerland (fotw)

PALLIA (or PALLIUM)
Pre-heraldic banners of varying design presented by the Pope to indicate his approval and/or support for a person or cause (see also ‘Bayeux tapestry’, ‘gonfanon’, ‘pall’ and and ‘pre-heraldic’).

[pallia]
One interpretation of the Pallia given to William of Normandy in 1066 as shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and the earliest known representation of a gonfanon (fotw).

Notes
a) This term was derived from an item of arch-episcopal regalia – the pallium – and was almost certainly in the majority of cases a gonfanon.
b)"Pallia" and "pallium" are (respectively) the plural and singular in Vulgate Latin.

PALM
A term for the square or rectangular part of any flag that carries a schwenkel, or whose fly is divided into tongues (see also ‘crutch’ ‘indentation(s)’, ‘schwenkel’, ‘swallow-tail(ed)’, ‘swallow-tail and tongue’ and ‘tails’).

[illustration of a palm]

PALY
The heraldic term for the division of a shield, a banner of arms or any quartering thereof, into four or more usually (but not invariably) equal vertical stripes in alternating tinctures – but see ‘Appendix VI’, and ‘multistripe’ (also ‘banner of arms’, ‘barry’, ‘pale’, ‘quartering 1)’ and ‘tincture’).

[paly] [Arrissoules, Switzerland] [Wisen, Switzerland] [Wisen, Switzerland] [Wisen, Switzerland]
Example: Flag of Arrissoules, Switzerland (fotw); Arms and Flag of Leipzig, Germany (ICH & fotw); Flag of Wisen, Switzerland (fotw)

PAN-AFRICAN COLOURS (or COLORS)
The green, yellow and red of the Ethiopian flag, adopted by a number of newly independent countries in Africa from 1956 onwards – and sometimes called the Rastafarian or Rasta colours - but see ‘Garvey colours’ and ‘Rastafarian colours’ (also (see also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, 'flag family', ‘pan-Arab colours’ below and ‘pan-Slavic colours’).

Ethiopia c1897 – 1996 Ghana Senegal Benin Benin
From left: The National Flag of Ethiopia c1897 – 1996; The National Flag of Ghana (fotw); The National Flag of Senegal (fotw); National Flag of Benin (fotw); National Flag of Burkina Faso (fotw)

Notes
a) Some sources include the Garvey and Rastafarian colours (as referenced above) in this category.
b) Flags that share the same colours, but which do not have the historic or geographic connections given above (for example the flag of Bolivia illustrated below) must not be included in this category.

Bolivia
National Flag of Bolivia (fotw)

PAN-ARAB COLOURS (or COLORS)
1) The white, black, red and green seen in the flags of a number of Arab countries based upon the colours of the Arab Liberation or Sharifian Flag and lines by the Arab poet Safi al-Din al-H'ly (see also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, 'flag family', ‘pan-African colours’, ‘pan-Slavic colours’ and the notes below).

Arab Revolt Flag Jordan Syria United Arab Emirates Palestine
From left: Arab Revolt/Sharifian Flag 1917 (fotw); The National Flag of Jordan (fotw); The National Flag of Syria 1932 - 1958 (fotw); The National Flag of the United Arab Emirates (fotw); Flag of Palestine (fotw)

Notes
a) The lines mentioned in the definition read: “White are our deeds, black the fields of battle, our pastures are green, but our swords are red with the blood of our enemy.” and the first flag to used these colours was the Arab Liberation Flag of 1917 (as mentioned and illustrated above).
b) The red, white and black (with or without a touch of green) introduced by Egypt in their tricolour of 1958 are included by some sources in the above category – but see ‘Arab liberation colours’.
c) It should be further noted that flags which share the same colours, but which do not have the historic or geographic connections given above (for example the flag of Malawi illustrated below) must not be included in this category.

Malawi
National Flag of Malawi 2010 - 2012 (fotw)

PAN-SLAVIC/SLAV COLOURS (or COLORS)
The blue, white and red originally adopted by the Slavic peoples during their struggles for independence from the Ottoman and Habsburg empires, and derived from the national flag/civil ensign of the then Russian Empire - but see note below (also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, 'flag family', ‘pan-African colours’ and ‘pan-Arab colours’ above)."

Russia Serbia Czech Republic Yugoslavia Croatia
From left: The National Flag of Russia (fotw); The State Flag of Serbia (fotw); The National Flag of the Czech Republic (fotw); National Flag of Yugoslavia 1992 – 2003 (fotw); National Flag of Croatia (fotw)

Notes
a) The red-white-blue tricolour of the Netherlands was almost certainly the model upon which the Russian flag (adopted as a civil ensign c1700) was based, and that some sources include these same “Dutch colours” in the above category – but see ‘Dutch colours 1)’ (also ‘driekleur’ and ‘princeflag’).
b) Flags that share the same colours, but which do not have the historic or geographic connections given above (for example the flag of France illustrated below) must not be included in this category.

France
National Flag of France (fotw)

PANEL
The area of a flag that is surrounded by a border, the panel itself is generally (but not exclusively) used to display charges or other designs (see also ’border’, ‘charge’ and ‘pierced 1)’).

[panel example] [panel example] [panel example] [panel example]
Example; Civil Ensign of Malta (fotw); Flag of Sγo Vicente, Brazil (fotw);Flag of Guam (fotw)

PANICLES
A term used when loosely branching clusters of flowers and/or foliage form a wreath, such as the panicles of rice on the army rank flags of Taiwan (see also ‘rank flag 1)’ and ‘wreath 1)’).

[panicles example] [panicles example] [panicles example] [panicles example]
Flags of a General First Class, General Second Class, Lt General and Major General, Taiwan (fotw)

PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (or PMS)
An internationally recognized proprietary system of identifying colours by a code number, and increasingly used for the official regulation of flag colours.

[PMS example] [PMS example]
National Flag of Gabon in Green PMS355, Yellow PMS109 and Blue PMS 293 (fotw); National Flag of Azerbaijan in Blue PMS 313, Red PMS185 and Green PMS3405 (fotw)

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