In
heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...
, azure ( , ) is the
tincture
A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...
with the colour
blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...
, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In
engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ar ...
, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else is marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation.
The term azure shares its origin with the Spanish word "azul", which refers to the same color, deriving from Hispanic Arabic ''lāzaward'', the name of the deep blue stone now called
lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...
. The word was adopted into
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
by the 12th century, after which the word passed into use in the blazon of coat of arms, coats of arms.
As a heraldic colour, the word azure means "blue", and reflects the name for the colour in the Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman dialect spoken by French-speaking Norman nobles following the
Norman Conquest of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
. A wide range of colour values is used in the depiction of azure in armory and flags, but in common usage it is often referred to simply as "blue".
In addition to the standard blue tincture called azure, there is a lighter blue that is called
bleu celeste or "sky blue". Neither azure nor bleu celeste is precisely defined as a particular shade of blue, but azure is consistently depicted in a much darker shade.
''Azure plain'' are the arms of the Swiss family Maienthal.
Poetic meanings
The different tinctures are traditionally associated with particular heavenly bodies, precious stones, virtues, and flowers, although these associations have been mostly disregarded by serious heraldists.
Azure is associated with:
* Of jewels, the
sapphire
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...
* Of heavenly bodies,
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...
[ (the planet Jupiter is further associated with the metal tin in traditional alchemical/occultistic lore)
* of virtues, ]loyalty
Loyalty is a Fixation (psychology), devotion to a country, philosophy, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another human being can be the obj ...
[
]
Gallery
File:Dolní Přím CoA.svg, Arms of Dolní Přím municipality, Hradec Králové District, the Czech Republic.
File:DEU Dollern COA.svg, Arms of the Dollern municipality
File:DEU Holtorfsloh COA.svg, Arms of the municipality of Holtorfsloh, Seevetal, Lower Saxony.
File:Arms of the St Cleere family of St Osyth, Essex.png, Arms of St Cleere family of St Osyth, Essex.
File:Blason évêque be Harpigny.svg, Arms of Guy Harpigny
File:Coat of arms of Ireland.svg, Arms of the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
See also
*
References
{{Heraldry
Colours (heraldry)
Shades of blue