Tinctures are the colours, metals, and furs used in heraldry. There are nine tinctures in common use: two metals, five colours, and two furs. The metals are or (gold or yellow) and argent (silver or white); the colours gules (red), azure (blue), vert (green), sable (black), and purpure (purple); and the furs ermine, which is derived from the winter fur of a stoat, and vair, which is derived from the fur of a red squirrel. The use of other tinctures varies depending on the time period and heraldic tradition in question. Where the tinctures are not depicted in full colour, they may be represented using one of several systems of hatching, in which each tincture is assigned a distinct pattern; or tricking, in which each tincture is designated by a letter or abbreviation. Historically, particularly between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, the tinctures were sometimes associated with the planets, precious stones, virtues, and elements. However, in contemporary heraldry they are not assigned any particular meaning.
Development and history The use of tinctures dates back to the formative period of European heraldry in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The range of tinctures and the manner of depicting and describing them has evolved over time, as new variations and practices have developed. The earliest surviving coloured heraldic illustrations, from the mid-thirteenth century, show the use of the two metals, five colours, and two furs. Since that time, the great majority of heraldic art has employed these nine tinctures. The distinction between colours and metals is not made in many medieval heraldic treatises, including the Anglo-Norman De Heraudie, which has been dated to between 1280 and 1300 or 1341–45, the Italian Tractatus de Insigniis et Armis, published in 1358, the Tractatus de Armis, which dates from shortly after 1394, or the mid-fifteenth century Bradfer-Lawrence Roll. In addition, while De Heraudie and the Bradfer-Lawrence list the seven common metals and colours of contemporary heraldry, the Tractatus de Insigniis combines red and purple and omits green, and the Tractatus de Armis omits purple. A fourteenth-century English treatise, possibly by the same author as the Tractatus de Armis, does make the distinction between colours and metals and lists the seven in contemporary use in addition to the colour tawny, which it states is used only in France and the Holy Roman Empire. The Accedence of Armory, written by Gerard Legh in 1562, also distinguishes between colours and metals, listing the seven in contemporary use as well as proper, the natural colour of any animal, bird, or herb. Legh rejects tawny as non-existent and sanguine or murrey, a reddish-brown tincture, as a mistake for purpure. The tinctures are not standardised, with any shade being acceptable so long as it cannot be confused with another tincture. Purpure, in particular, has been depicted in a range of shades; many grants by the Tudor officer of arms Thomas Wriothesley, for example, use for purpure a reddish-purple shade which would now be described as murrey. Over time, variations on these basic tinctures were developed, particularly with respect to the furs. Authorities differ as to whether these variations should be considered separate tinctures, or merely varieties of existing ones. Two additional colours appeared, and were generally accepted by heraldic writers, although they remained scarce, and were eventually termed stains, from the belief that they were used to signify some dishonour on the part of the bearer. Other colours have appeared occasionally since the eighteenth century, especially in continental heraldry, but their use is infrequent, and they have never been regarded as particularly heraldic, or numbered among the tinctures that form the basis of heraldic design.
Frequency and national variants
The frequency with which different tinctures have been used over time has been much observed, but little studied. There are some general trends of note, both with respect to the passage of time, and noted preferences from one region to another. In medieval heraldry, gules was by far the most common tincture, followed by the metals argent and or, at least one of which necessarily appeared on the majority of arms (see below). Among the colours, sable was the second most common, followed by azure. Vert, although present from the formative period of heraldic design, was relatively scarce. Over time, the popularity of azure increased above that of sable, while gules, still the most common, became less dominant. A survey of French arms granted during the seventeenth century reveals a distinct split between the trends for the arms granted to nobles and commoners. Among nobles, gules remained the most common tincture, closely followed by or, then by argent and azure at nearly equal levels; sable was a very distant fifth choice, while vert remained scarce. Among commoners, azure was easily the most common tincture, followed by or, and only then by gules, argent, and sable, which was used more by commoners than among the nobility; vert, however, was even scarcer in common arms. Purpure is so scarce in French heraldry that some authorities do not regard it as a "real heraldic tincture". On the whole, French heraldry is known for its use of azure and or, while English heraldry is characterised by heavy use of gules and argent, and unlike French heraldry, it has always made regular use of vert, and occasional, if not extensive, use of purpure. German heraldry is known for its extensive use of or and sable. German and Nordic heraldry rarely make use of purpure or ermine, except in mantling, pavilions, and the lining of crowns and caps. In fact, furs occur infrequently in German and Nordic heraldry.
Tinctures
The colours and patterns of the heraldic palette are divided into three groups, usually known as metals, colours, and furs.
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