Lion of Saint Mark Church Banner and Stand

Today is World Lion Day, apparently.  In heraldry, lions are featured prominently, and hence why we've become familiar with them over time.

In one instance - more vexilological than armorial perhaps -  we've outdone ourselves with the particular item featured today.  This, is the Banner we made with the lion of Saint Mark embroidered in 3D using a technique called stumpwork.

It is a bit like additive sculpting - if it were clay - but mind you, the whole thing is made of fabric and thread and just the right bits of padding to achieve the three-dimensional features of the big cat.

Once we had the banner - a stand like this wouldn't do, would it?  The kind used in police stations, schools and the Department of Motor Vehicles?!

So... accordingly, the pole is covered in velvet, and so is the custom-made stand.  We used the method employed for covering the chairs-of-state since elizabethan times in England.   Would also  look nice as a stand for a Paschal Candle or the 6 Candles around a catafalque, yes?

But back to our banner: because it is the banner of a church proper, it got topped with a cross to match the stand.

But how does one even begin the process to get a glorious custom-made banner?  Contact us, tell us what you have in mind, we sketch a few proposals and you choose whar you like or do not like and in the end, the results speak for themselves, we hope.

Here are some of the initial proposals based on the discussions with Father Bob and Mother Liza about the design.

We knew the colours would be red and blue; just not sure in what order.  Also, if to go with a colorful lion or something more fierce. Mind you, it was option C that was chosen for the colour scheme.  The colorful feline inspired by the book of Kells did not win favor in the end.

This one, from a mosaic at Trinity Cathedral became the model to follow.

A cartoon was drawn to suit our purposes, and the embroidery was made.  The end result always looks better than the cartoons... it takes a little imagination and a whole lotta faith,  But it's always worth it.

And thus, we end as we started, with the face of the lion in the banner of Saint Mark's.  All for about the price of one of the ready made banners one gets from your average catalog!

#worldlionday

To see the stand in blue velvet and the Banner made for the DOK, go here.