Tincture (heraldry) - Basic Tinctures

Basic Tinctures

English heraldry recognises seven principal tinctures, consisting of two "metals", or light tinctures (gold and silver), and five "colours", or dark tinctures (blue, red, purple, black, and green). On the continent, however, especially in German and Nordic heraldry, purple (together with ermine, discussed below) is not used on the shield, but is reserved for the royal pavilion, the lining of some royal crowns and the caps of some of the high nobility. Some continental heraldic traditions also recognise white as a colour distinct from silver. While some heraldic authors recommend a particular shade for each colour, there is only one red in heraldry, and only one green, one blue, etc. The exception to this is the late 19th century development of "natural" colours, known as stains, (see Later tinctures below) which have been largely shunned and are seldom found.