A medieval heraldic banner on a snapped pole - the cloth torn at the fly, half-furled against the ground. The image of a broken line. Period: Battle of Grunwald, 15 July 1410.
Banners were the rallying point of every medieval contingent - lose the banner and you lose the unit. Grunwald is famous for the captured Order banners that Władysław Jagiełło sent to Kraków cathedral, and for the Polish Banderia Prutenorum manuscript painted soon after to record them. A torn standard says everything about what just happened on this ground.
Painting tips
- Cloth: bold heraldic field (red, white, blue, gold) with a clear central device (cross, eagle, pahonia).
- Tears at the fly: paler underside, frayed edges in muted off-white.
- Pole: warm wood, sepia wash, lighter at the snap.
- Mud and trampling on the contact arc.
Historical sources & further reading
- Banderia Prutenorum (Jan Długosz)
- Stefan Kuczyński, Grunwald
- Medieval heraldic banner studies
⚠ Small parts. Not suitable for children under 14.





