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, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
, azure ( , ) is the
tincture with the colour
blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In
engraving, 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 origin with the Spanish word "azul", which refers to the same color, deriving from Hispanic Arabic ''lazawárd'' 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.
As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, ...
. The word was adopted into
Old French by the 12th century, after which the word passed into use in the
blazon of
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...
.
As a heraldic colour, the word ''azure'' means "
blue", and reflects the name for the colour in the language of the French-speaking Anglo-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, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...
. A wide range of colour values is used in the depiction of azure in armory and flags, and 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
Bleu celeste (, "sky blue") is a rarely occurring and non-standard tincture in heraldry (not being one of the seven main colours or metals or the three ''staynard colours''). This tincture is sometimes also called ciel or simply celeste. It ...
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
* Of heavenly bodies,
Jupiter[ (the planet Jupiter is further associated with the metal tin in traditional alchemical/occultistic lore)
* of virtues, ]loyalty
Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another h ...
[
]
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
See also
*
References
{{Heraldry
Colours (heraldry)
Shades of blue