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 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 colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto 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 ...

, 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. The word was adopted into

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

by the 12th century, after which the word passed into use in the

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

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 an heraldic colour, the word ''azure'' means "

", 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 sometimes found 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. I ...

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. Sometimes, the different tinctures are said to be connected with special meanings or virtues, and represent certain elements and precious stones. Even if this is an idea mostly disregarded by serious heraldists throughout the centuries, it may be of anecdotal interest to see what they are, since the information is often asked for. Many sources give different meanings, but azure is often said to represent the following: * 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, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

* 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 mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

(the planet Jupiter is further associated with the metal tin in traditional alchemical/occultistic lore)

Gallery

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municipality, Hradec Králové District, the Czech Republic. File:DEU Dollern COA.svg, Arms of the

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municipality File:DEU Holtorfsloh COA.svg, Arms of the municipality of Holtorfsloh,

Seevetal Seevetal (Northern Low Saxon: ''Seevdaal'') is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 20 km south of Hamburg, and 15 km west of Winsen (Luhe). Its seat is in the village Hittfel ...

, 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 Guy Harpigny (born 13 April 1948 in Luttre, Belgium) is a Belgian Bishop of the Catholic Church. He was ordained to the priesthood on 7 July 1973. On 22 May 2003 he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Tournai by Pope John Paul II ...

File:Coat of arms of Ireland.svg, Arms of the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

References

{{Heraldry Colours (heraldry) Shades of blue

Gallery

See also

References