Maharajah rates national emblems

[Susano]

Oh, oh, now its definitly my turn to chirp in! Because that is exactly what I was talking about the whole time: Faux-quartering Also yes, the tree... ugh.

I dont think its easy to clean up, myself. The shield IS after all the central part of any CoA. So I think its entirely legit to give it a F for the shield alone, worsened to F- by the tree and the ugly wreath...

[Maharajah]

Benin



Rating: C+
Coat of arms? Yes

By the standards of African heraldry, this is acceptable. But many African states have very good emblems, some of which constitute examples of very good heraldry. Others...not so much.

Anyways, this has one of those torseless crests that awkwardsly float/rest above/on the shield. I think the cornucopias are a bit odd looking, actually.

Below is the shield, where there are some things that would ordinarily be considrered improper pseudo-quarters, but the addition of a cross filet with a diamond shape in the middle seems to make it clear that they're just situated on a single field around the cross. (Not that that's great heraldry, but...)

The supporters are pretty much okay, and I think the scroll looks good with the rest of the arms.

What they could probably do is get rid of the water below the ship, thicken the cross, and simplify the colors of the palm tree, and also maybe make those cornucopias look better.

[Alex Richards]

Totally agree with you on Belize. It's like the worst of American seals.

[WorldWarZ]

belize.i dont understand it. it offends my senses

[Maharajah]

And here's the emblem of the People's Republic of Benin, which, aside form this rather poor illustration, I find to be very interesting:

[Susano]

Well, actually, I would call that faux-quartering with an unheraldic cross divide between the fields... so in a way even worse. I think despite the poor graphics, even the Peope Republics emblem is better! Though African socialist states generally had better emblems than the European socialist states, anyways...

[Benkarnell]

Maharajah, since you didn't object to Susano or I inserting our own opinions of the emblems of "quasi-countries" Abkhazia and Åland, I figured it was all right to keep doing so.

Anguilla


Rating: B+
Coat of arms? Yes

Since Anguilla is one of the remaining parts of the British Empire, I expect it to have a full achievement of arms in the British fashion. Because of this expectation, I deducted 10% for "did not follow directions" but otherwise think this is a very good one.

The shield itself is difficult to blazon. Something like Argent three dolphins naiant in pile reversed noses inward tenné, a base bleu celeste comes close.aThe arrangement, colors, and even the symbols themselves (literal rather than heraldic dolphins) are highly untraditional for a coat of arms. But I am willing to give it a high grade anyway because the symbol is attractive and appropriate. The impression created by the simple design and the color choice is of a calm, peaceful, and unsullied tropical island. The arrangement of the dolphins is also effective: rotational symmetry always looks lively and dynamic, and the triskelion is under-used as a device. The leaping dolphins of Anguilla's shield give the impression of a place that is always moving but always harmonious.

Anguilla's coat of arms is, I believe, an example of the heraldic rules being broken successfully. At any rate, it's much better than the more traditional achievement the island used from 1967 to 1980. Check this monstrosity out:

[Susano]

Anguilla you mean, not Antigua, which is part of Antigua and Barbuda Strangely enough, you however picked Anguillas CoA

Anyways, the CoAs of British Oversea territories are ALL, to the last, terrible. The only exception is in fact Anguilla. I do have some doubts about that orange tincture, but I figure its something English-heraldic again (like that debatte about brown we had). On the other hand, I do not care at all about blazoning, so I guess it even evens out. But yes, I would rate Anguilla quite high, as it absolutely stands out among British Oversea Territories, which I all (all others that is) would rate F.

Oh, however, though, Maharjah has said he had planned to do dependencies after the souvereign states

[Aranfan]

Originally Posted by Susano

Oh, however, though, Maharjah has said he had planned to do dependencies after the souvereign states

Why'd he skip Alabama then? (According to American legal theory the states and the Fed share sovereignty.)

[Maharajah]

Originally Posted by Aranfan

Why'd he skip Alabama then? (According to American legal theory the states and the Fed share sovereignty.)

Fully sovereign states.

[Maharajah]

Bhutan



Rating: A
Coat of arms? No

Complicated? Yes. Beautiful? Yes, very.

The emblem of Bhutan is a seal. However, it's not an ugly one like the emblem of Algeria, or many US state seals. It follows traditional designs, and that's what makes it good while at the same time complicated. In fact, I'm sure that Algeria could have created a fairly complex emblem if they had stuck to traditional motifs. (Calligraphy, geometric borders, etc.)

I think it's very, very nice, and just an amazing example of when complex is good.

[Benkarnell]

Originally Posted by Maharajah

Bhutan

I think it's very, very nice, and just an amazing example of when complex is good.

Beautiful!

Yes, sorry about Anguilla-antigua. Should I stop doing that? I was going to rip Aruba a new one, but I don't want to be stealing Maharajah's schtick.

[Maharajah]

Originally Posted by Benkarnell

Beautiful!

Yes, sorry about Anguilla-antigua. Should I stop doing that? I was going to rip Aruba a new one, but I don't want to be stealing Maharajah's schtick.

No, it's fine, just leave some for me to do when I'm done.

[Maharajah]

Bolivia



Rating: C-
Coat of arms? Yes

This is a typical Latin American national coat of arms. It has flags and weapons behind it, a torseless crest, contains elements of landscape heraldry... it's doesn't have pseudo-quarterings, which is good.

As for the "Bolivia" on the shield: writing on the shield is permitted in Hispanic heraldry.

And concerning the main field: It looks pretty landscapey, but it isn't really that complicated. Basically, it's per fess, um, blue/gold (that's the worst part about the shield, it has a gradient, which is very bad heraldry) and vert, with five charges: the sun, a mountain, and llama, a palm tree, and a grab of wheat. So it could be worse.

Overall, I think it has a reasonably good effect, and conveys a sense of Bolivia-ness, so I won't give it worse than a C-.

[Maharajah]

Bosnia and Herzegovina


Rating: A
Coat of arms? Yes

Theere's not too much to say about this one. It's based off of the flag without actually making the flag into a retroactive armorial banner, and the design is nice and simple. While I like the pre-1998 design better, I think the bend of mullets argent evokes the bend argent in the old arms. The same with the blue field.

[charl]

I would give the Bosnia one an A+ if it wasn't for the stars being cut in half at the edges of the shield. I would prefer if they had centred the stars so that wouldn't happen. As it is now I give it a simple A grade. It's a beautiful emblem though. Simple yet distinctive. Couldn't ask for more.

[Grand_Panjandrum]

Our old CoA was so much better. But the Serbs and Croats complained that the coat of arms of a medieval Catholic Serbian monarch were too Muslim. Only in the Balkans!

[Benkarnell]

Something about the Bosnian coat always looked kind of sterile and modern to me... I guess it's the field of white 5-pointed stars, which is a legitimate charge but which I associate so much with modern republics.

The old arms were much better, I agree. And Mr. Pajandrum, you'll just have to explain to me, because it doesn't make any sense to me. Fleurs-de-lis? Too muslim? If anything, the Muslims were the ones who had grounds to comlain (not much, but more than the Serbs & Croats) - the fleur-de-lis is definitely a Christian symbol, associated both with the Crusades and the Trinity.

[Feo]

Originally Posted by Grand_Panjandrum

Our old CoA was so much better. But the Serbs and Croats complained that the coat of arms of a medieval Catholic Serbian monarch were too Muslim. Only in the Balkans!

I agree, the old one was really beautiful, and also the two austro-hungarian ones.
even if I don't really like the actual one I have to say that it looks better as CoA rather than as flag

[Susano]

Originally Posted by Benkarnell

Something about the Bosnian coat always looked kind of sterile and modern to me... I guess it's the field of white 5-pointed stars, which is a legitimate charge but which I associate so much with modern republics.

Well, its derived from the EU, so of course it will look sterile and bland!
Still, its proper and without annoying decor outside the shield, so I would also rate A. Maybe A- for the cut off stars.

As for Bolivia, I will agree that the flags and crossed arms are legit parts of South American heraldry, but that is still a rather unheraldic landscape on the shield, even if it could be heraldically described... so as usual I would rate it lower.