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

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PADDED EMBLEM (or CHARGE)
PADDING THE SLEEVE
PAGEANT STANDARD
PALE
PALEWISE
PALIO
PALL
PALL FLAG
PALL WAVY
PALLIA (or PALLIUM)
PALLET(S) (or PALET(S)
PALLET(S) WAVY
PALM
PALY
PAN-AFRICAN COLOURS (or COLORS)
PAN-ARAB COLOURS (or COLORS)
PAN-SLAVIC/SLAV COLOURS (or COLORS)
PANEL
PANICLES
PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (or PMS)

PADDED EMBLEM

See ‘raised detail’.

Padded Emblem/Raised Detail on the Flag of San Cristóbal 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’).

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 (see also ‘banner of arms’, ‘Canadian pale’, ‘in pale’, ‘per pale’, ‘paly’, ‘quartering 1)’ and ‘triband’).

Flag and Arms of Harbarnsen, Germany (fotw); Flag of Hoogstraten, Belgium (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 and the note below.

Flag of Villars-sous-Mont, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Duffel, Belgium (fotw); Flag of Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, Switzerland (fotw)

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

Flag and Arms of Gjerstad, 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 - but see note a) below.

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)’, ‘fringe’ and ‘in pall’).

Flag of Horní Jiřetín, Czechia (fotw); Flag of Santo António da Serra, Portugal (fotw); Flag of the Archbishop of Canterbury, UK (fotw)

Notes
a) With regard to 1) 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 ‘inverted’, ‘reversed’) and ‘upright’).
b) The pall design originated as the pallium, a vestment symbolic of Arch-episcopal authority in some Christian churches (see also ‘pallia’).

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’).

(adamtglass.com)

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

PALL WAVY

See ‘pall 2)’.

Arms and Flag of Kvinnherad, Norway (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’).

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.

PALLET(S) (or PALET(S)

The heraldic term for a vertical stripe (or stripes) 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 ‘paly’ and ‘pale’ (also ‘banner of arms’).

Flag of Richterswil, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Vila Boa de Ousilhão, Portugal (fotw); Flag of Foix, France (fotw)

PALLET(S) WAVY

See ‘pallet’.

Flag of Albergaria da Serra, Portugal (fotw)

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’).

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 ‘multistripe’ (also ‘banner of arms’, ‘barry’, ‘pale’, ‘quartering 1)’ and ‘tincture’).

Flag of Rovray, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Leipzig, Germany (fotw); Flag of Arrissoules, 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 ‘flag family’, ‘Garvey colours’, ‘Rastafarian colours’ and the notes below (also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, ‘pan-Arab colours’, ‘pan-Slavic colours’).

The National Flag of Ghana (fotw); The National Flag of Senegal (fotw); National Flag of Benin (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.

National Flag of Bolivia (fotw)

PAN-ARAB COLOURS (or COLORS)

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 - but see ‘flag family’ and the notes below (also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, ‘pan-African colours’, ‘pan-Slavic colours’).

National Flag of Jordan (fotw); National Flag of Sudan (fotw); National Flag of the United Arab Emirates (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.

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 ‘differenced 1)’, ‘flag family’ and the notes below (also ‘core flag’, ‘pan-African colours’ and ‘pan-Arab colours’)."

The National Flag of Serbia 1882-1918 (fotw); National Flag of Slovakia (fotw); Flag of Czechia (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.

National Flag of France (fotw)

PANEL

1) In vexillology that 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)’).
2) In heraldry see ‘quarter 2)’.

Flag of Guam (fotw); Arms of Bochnia, Poland (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)’).

Flags of a General, 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.

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); National Flag of Argentina in Blue PMS 284, Yellow PMS 1235 and Brown PMS 1685

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