Studio Brief 1 - Wayfinding - Heraldry Research

Heraldry

Coats of arms were used as a form of identification, originally on the battlefield. The classic ‘shield’ shape came from the shape of early shields used in war, where their coat of arms would be placed. The term heraldry originated from heralds who were messengers for the monarch. These people grew to have a great knowledge of their masters devices and crests. This was then copied and more people wanted to have their own unique identification. Their knowledge on the subject meant it was termed Heraldry. Originally arms were only for people, however they were later granted for places and groups. Heraldry is a way of showing the history of a place and tells a story about the thing it is representing.

Arms were granted to:

People

-        Peers

-        Barons

-        Knights

-        Individuals

Places

-        Cities

-        Towns

-        Counties

Corporations and Institutions

-        Companies

-        The Church

-        Armed Forces

-        Educational establishments

Terms

The Blazon is a written description of the different elements within a coat of arms, which allows for accurate reproduction. The shield shape varies with use and trend. The shield shape is sometimes not used at all, women for example, used an oval or lozenge shape, which had less association with war. The surface of the shield is called the field which is the background to the coat of arms. The design had to be clear in order to show the identity of the person on the battlefield. The field consists of a base colour, which is then contrasted by another coloured shape. When a shield is divided vertically it is called per pale and horizontally it is per fesse. The line dividing the shapes does not have to be straight it can be one of the lines of partition. The field can be divided into different geometric shapes and colours allowing varitions.

The five heraldic colours (tinctures) are:

-        Gules (red) which means warrior/ martyr

-        Azure (blue) which means loyalty / truth

-        Sable (black) which means constancy/grief

-        Vert (green) which means hope / joy

-        Purpure (purple) which means majesty/ justice

The Two metals are:

-        Or (Gold)(can be represented as yellow) which means wealth / generosity

-        Argent (Silver)(can be represented as white) which means peace/ sincerity

The Three stains are:

-        Tenne (orange tawny) which means ambition

-        Sanguine (Blood red) which means patience

-        Murrey (Purpley red) which means fortitude

Patterns known as Furs had different variations. These patterns were repetitive and include:

-        Ermine which represents a stoats changing tail colour in the winter

-        Vair which originates form a squirrel fur

There are rules when using Tinctures:

-        Colour must be placed on metal

-        Metal must be placed on colour

-        An exception is if charges in their natural colour

Lines of Partition include:

-        Embattled which reflects the battlements on a castle or a town

-        Raguly which means difficulties have been encountered

-        Dovetailed which means

-        Indented which means fire

-        Invected which means Earth or Land

-        Wavy which means sea or water

-        Nebuly which means clouds or air

-        Dancetty which means water

Element on a field are called a ‘charge’. Charges include:

-        Ordinaires which are used often. They are large and simpler in design

-        Sub – Ordinaires which provide ways of more variation 

Graphical images were used as a means of adding further personalisation. These charges were either:

-        Animate which were animals either real or mythological

-        Inanimate which were everyday objects

These charges were painted in either tinctures or their natural colours.

The phrase Canting Arms described a visual pun on the name of the owner.

Counter changing is when charges use reversed colouring. Shadows can also be created from charges giving a three-dimensional quality.