Russian College of Heraldry Comparison AIII

TINCTURES AND BLAZON

TINCTURES

The tinctures of heraldry comprise two metals, eight colours (5 principal ones and 3 'stains', the latter being rarely found) and various furs.

     The two METALS used in heraldry are gold (Or) and silver (Argent), and are usually represented by yellow and white. The heraldic names for these metals (and for other tinctures) are Norman French.

     The COLOURS used in heraldry are mostly primary colours and are:

     Red, which is called Gules
     Blue, which is called Azure
     Green, which is called Vert
     Purple, which is called Purpure
     Black, which is called Sable

     And three so-called 'stains' (which are used very rarely):

     Blood red, which is called Sanguine
     Orange or Tawny, which is called Tenné
     Purply red (mulberry colour), which is called Murrey

     THE RULE OF TINCTURE: A colour must never be placed on a colour, or a metal on a metal.

     The meaning of the Rule of Tincture is very simple and reasonable: the picture must always be distinctive. Thus, a dark figure should be placed on a light background, and vice versa – a light figure should be posed on a dark background.
     The two METALS are considered to be LIGHT, while the COLOURS to be DARK.
     So, for example, if the shield is Gules, the figure must necessarily be either Or or Argent, but never Azure, Vert, Purpure or Sable. And so on, and so forth.

BLAZON
     The word "Blazon" is used with some number of meanings, but practically it may be confined to the verb "to blazon", which is to describe in words a given coat of arms, and the noun "blazon", which is such a description. The correct blazoning traditionally demands specific heraldic terms of Norman French origin, and a special syntax. Thus, one should clearly discern between the BLAZON (which is always strict and concise) of a given coat of arms, and a broad semantic description of same.

     Below is a sample of the wording of a Diploma Armorum (which shows the blazon given in strict heraldic terms) issued by the Russian College of Heraldry.

     Below are samples of a Library Painting and a book plate (Exlibris) that each Armiger receives from the Russian College of Heraldry, the whole set of Armorial Documents comprising 9 items printed out on excellent quality A4 sized glossy paper, as is explained in our Normative Documents.

To choose a type of the helmet and the shield
you would wish to have, please click HERE

Return to the Art Gallery

HERALDRY WORLDWIDE THE RUSSIAN COLLEGE OF HERALDRY To listen to the MUSICAL accompaniment to this page, click on the GLOBE above COMPARISON The Armorial Bearings of Eduardo Pelagio Brillantes y Balderas Madrid (30 April 1937 † 25 June 2006) Requiescat in Pace COMPARE The roughly coloured Line Drawing (left) meant merely to check the colours, and the final gorgeous hand-painted Piece of Art (right) Painted by Natalie Yegorova Principal Heraldic Artist to the Russian College of Heraldry Dated 11th January 2006 Now you can either return to the Art Gallery or to scroll down for a kind of concise heraldic PRIMER.
TINCTURES AND BLAZON TINCTURES The tinctures of heraldry comprise two metals, eight colours (5 principal ones and 3 'stains', the latter being rarely found) and various furs. The two METALS used in heraldry are gold (Or) and silver (Argent), and are usually represented by yellow and white. The heraldic names for these metals (and for other tinctures) are Norman French. The COLOURS used in heraldry are mostly primary colours and are: Red, which is called Gules Blue, which is called Azure Green, which is called Vert Purple, which is called Purpure Black, which is called Sable And three so-called 'stains' (which are used very rarely): Blood red, which is called Sanguine Orange or Tawny, which is called Tenné Purply red (mulberry colour), which is called Murrey THE RULE OF TINCTURE: A colour must never be placed on a colour, or a metal on a metal. The meaning of the Rule of Tincture is very simple and reasonable: the picture must always be distinctive. Thus, a dark figure should be placed on a light background, and vice versa – a light figure should be posed on a dark background. The two METALS are considered to be LIGHT, while the COLOURS to be DARK. So, for example, if the shield is Gules, the figure must necessarily be either Or or Argent, but never Azure, Vert, Purpure or Sable. And so on, and so forth. BLAZON The word "Blazon" is used with some number of meanings, but practically it may be confined to the verb "to blazon", which is to describe in words a given coat of arms, and the noun "blazon", which is such a description. The correct blazoning traditionally demands specific heraldic terms of Norman French origin, and a special syntax. Thus, one should clearly discern between the BLAZON (which is always strict and concise) of a given coat of arms, and a broad semantic description of same. Below is a sample of the wording of a Diploma Armorum (which shows the blazon given in strict heraldic terms) issued by the Russian College of Heraldry. Below are samples of a Library Painting and a book plate (Exlibris) that each Armiger receives from the Russian College of Heraldry, the whole set of Armorial Documents comprising 9 items printed out on excellent quality A4 sized glossy paper, as is explained in our Normative Documents. To choose a type of the helmet and the shield you would wish to have, please click HERE Return to the Art Gallery
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