Hi All and particularly members from France and vexillogists (And might I say, vexillology...what a great word).
My dilemma is I have almost completed the Arcne 1680 1780 long boat (again) and am at the point of putting on the finishing touches. I wanted to use historically accurate flags and to my surprise it appears that French military flags of this ere are totally white...nothing on the at all...no adornment or colour...
Now I have weathered my sails using tea and have cut a flag from material shown below...No really happy with the look. If I go with white I’m leaning toward dousing it with tea to give it a weathered effect. However, would the French admiralty of the day have frowned on having a tarnished flag on one of their vessels? To tea or not to tea, that is a question?
Another option which would be more attractive would be to use a flag with a bit of colour to it but still historically fitting in for the period and the vessel. There is the option based on the following but how likely would the king be on my humble longboat?
Historical Context
White Ensign: The primary flag used by the Royal French Navy was a plain white ensign, which became the standard for French naval vessels from the 17th century until the French Revolution. This flag was often displayed with golden fleurs-de-lis, representing the royal authority of the King of France.
Variations: The white ensign was sometimes modified to include the royal arms or other symbols, particularly when the King or a member of the royal family was aboard a ship. The flag indicated the presence of the monarch and was a mark of royal favor.
Another possibility is to call it a merchant vessel and use other forms of French flags of the era. At least they have colour and interest. But would a small merchant longboat likely to have been armed with small (expensive) cannons?
Look forward to your comments.
Cheers Rick
My dilemma is I have almost completed the Arcne 1680 1780 long boat (again) and am at the point of putting on the finishing touches. I wanted to use historically accurate flags and to my surprise it appears that French military flags of this ere are totally white...nothing on the at all...no adornment or colour...
Now I have weathered my sails using tea and have cut a flag from material shown below...No really happy with the look. If I go with white I’m leaning toward dousing it with tea to give it a weathered effect. However, would the French admiralty of the day have frowned on having a tarnished flag on one of their vessels? To tea or not to tea, that is a question?
Another option which would be more attractive would be to use a flag with a bit of colour to it but still historically fitting in for the period and the vessel. There is the option based on the following but how likely would the king be on my humble longboat?
Historical Context
White Ensign: The primary flag used by the Royal French Navy was a plain white ensign, which became the standard for French naval vessels from the 17th century until the French Revolution. This flag was often displayed with golden fleurs-de-lis, representing the royal authority of the King of France.
Variations: The white ensign was sometimes modified to include the royal arms or other symbols, particularly when the King or a member of the royal family was aboard a ship. The flag indicated the presence of the monarch and was a mark of royal favor.
Another possibility is to call it a merchant vessel and use other forms of French flags of the era. At least they have colour and interest. But would a small merchant longboat likely to have been armed with small (expensive) cannons?
Look forward to your comments.
Cheers Rick