Directed study
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Basic Elements of Heraldry
Heraldry - The art or science of blazoning or describing in proper terms coats of arms. It treats also of the history and meaning of armorial bearings, rules governing their use and transmission, and their connection with titular rank, family dignities and genealogies.
The three main elements relevant to this course will be Tinctures, Lines, and Charges. Each has subtleties which be be further explained. The key point is that each element, or its diminutive, has significance. By sucessfully utilizing these design principles, a Herald will not only produce a pleasing composition, but one that can be "read" to discover underlying aspects of the subject.
TINCTURES - (tink'-tur) The name given to the colors, metals and furs used in heraldry. These are described using French.
The tinctures may be classed as follows:
Metals
Or (gold, yellow) Argent (silver, white)
Colors
Azure (blue) , Sable (black), Gules (red), Vert (green) Purpure (purple).
Of later introduction are Sanguine (dark red) and Tenne (orange). They are, however, almost unknown in English heraldry.
Furs
Ermine Vair-en-point
Ermines Counter-vair
Erminois Pean
Erminites Potent
Vair Counter -potent
PARTITION LINES - The lines by which a shield may be divided. They are closely allied to the ordinaries for which they are named.
Nebuly, Wavy, Engrailed, Invected, Indented, Dancette, Raguly, Embattled.
When a field is divided in the direction of an ordinary it is said to be "party per" that ordinary; as, party per pale, party per bend, etc. Unless otherwise specified, the partition lines are straight; they may, however, be drawn in a variety of ways, such as undy, embattled, dancette, etc.
Charge - Anything occupying the field in an escutcheon. There are two kinds of charges - Common and Proper.
Common Charges - Figures. Those charges which have been imported into heraldry from all quarters, representing an array of objects, natural and artificial, from reptiles and insects to human being and celestial figures.
Proper Charges -Geometric Arrangements. So called because they peculiarly belong to the art of heraldry. The ordinaries, as they are called by the majority of heraldic writers, are as follows:
Chief, Cross, Pale, Saltire, Fesse, Pile, Chevron, Quarter, and Bend.
The three main elements relevant to this course will be Tinctures, Lines, and Charges. Each has subtleties which be be further explained. The key point is that each element, or its diminutive, has significance. By sucessfully utilizing these design principles, a Herald will not only produce a pleasing composition, but one that can be "read" to discover underlying aspects of the subject.
TINCTURES - (tink'-tur) The name given to the colors, metals and furs used in heraldry. These are described using French.
The tinctures may be classed as follows:
Metals
Or (gold, yellow) Argent (silver, white)
Colors
Azure (blue) , Sable (black), Gules (red), Vert (green) Purpure (purple).
Of later introduction are Sanguine (dark red) and Tenne (orange). They are, however, almost unknown in English heraldry.
Furs
Ermine Vair-en-point
Ermines Counter-vair
Erminois Pean
Erminites Potent
Vair Counter -potent
PARTITION LINES - The lines by which a shield may be divided. They are closely allied to the ordinaries for which they are named.
Nebuly, Wavy, Engrailed, Invected, Indented, Dancette, Raguly, Embattled.
When a field is divided in the direction of an ordinary it is said to be "party per" that ordinary; as, party per pale, party per bend, etc. Unless otherwise specified, the partition lines are straight; they may, however, be drawn in a variety of ways, such as undy, embattled, dancette, etc.
Charge - Anything occupying the field in an escutcheon. There are two kinds of charges - Common and Proper.
Common Charges - Figures. Those charges which have been imported into heraldry from all quarters, representing an array of objects, natural and artificial, from reptiles and insects to human being and celestial figures.
Proper Charges -Geometric Arrangements. So called because they peculiarly belong to the art of heraldry. The ordinaries, as they are called by the majority of heraldic writers, are as follows:
Chief, Cross, Pale, Saltire, Fesse, Pile, Chevron, Quarter, and Bend.
