Draft:Blazoning

Comment: Asking for another opinion. The Wikidata entry for the frwiki article is Blazonry; I just merged the one for Blazon in to more obviously link the articles; if the articles are no longer linked, someone may have contested the Wikidata merge. Rotideypoc41352 (talk · contribs) 11:13, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

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Types of blazon shields:

1. Old French shield
2. Modern French shield
3. Oval shield improperly called "of Ladies"
4. Lozenge shield improperly called "of Maidens"
5. Tournament shield or banner
6. Italian shield
7. Swiss shield
8. English shield
9. German shield
10. Polish shield
11. Spanish, Portuguese, and Flemish shield

In heraldry, blazoning, in its most common sense, is the act of describing, or also of reading or deciphering coats of arms. It is a specific technical language to first describe the precise components of an armorial shield, then the ornaments added to it.

This description is carried out using a specific vocabulary and syntax according to a strict order of reading the elements composing the coat of arms.

In principle, a given coat of arms should correspond to a unique text. For coats of arms with a simple design, practice confirms this principle. However, for complex coats of arms (either due to the blazon itself or due to the richness of the ornaments), one can find quite a few synonymous variants.

In its broader sense, the blazoning describes the entire coats of arms. In this case, apart from the shield, which is obligatorily described first, the order of mentioning the elements is vague and can vary according to places and times. Moreover, the description contained in the blazoning leaves the heraldist (in the sense of author of the drawing) entirely free in his interpretation regarding the shape of each part of the blazoning, the shape of the shield, provided that he respects the correspondence between the recognized piece, furniture or ornament and its design.

In other words, if the shield accompanied by its external ornaments is the graphic representation of the coats of arms, the blazoning is its verbal representation.

History

Born in the Middle Ages from the practice of tournaments, heralds (who give their name to heraldry), and stemming from the need to constitute true catalogs (armorials), blazoning developed into a true language, with its vocabulary and syntax, rigorous and precise, allowing to describe quickly and often without ambiguity the most complex coats of arms (see below "Language of blazon"). These armorials were constituted with the dual function of collecting identities and depositing exclusivity, at a time when illustration, especially in color, was a lengthy undertaking. The duty of heralds and pursuivants was also to recognize, by their colors, the knights fallen on the battlefield.

The specific identity having long been limited to the elements borne by the shield, the blazoning often confines itself to describing only that. The ornaments only gained importance later, and the complete blazoning must integrate them when they exist.

Constitution and blazoning

The constitution is the act of creating a particular coat of arms, with all its characteristics.

The list of criteria below is a synthesis of the principles stated by various authors, compiled by the National Heraldry Commission. Although primarily intended for municipalities, the stated criteria are largely generalizable, in the sense that they are very rarely contradicted.

Well-constituted coats of arms must be both easy to blazon (that is, to describe) and to represent (that is, to draw). A coat of arms can be more or less well constituted. These two criteria do not lead to absolute and clear-cut judgments, but allow identifying what is wrong with a composition, and determining possibilities for improvement.

Logically correct descriptions can lead to illegible representations, mainly when the details become too small. One can thus imagine a blazon "of vair trellised with ermine and nailed of the field", perfectly understandable but impossible to represent correctly.

Compositions that are not possible (or easy, or obvious) to blazon are also poorly constituted. This is the case for many "modern arms" of countries or municipalities, which incorporate into their shields images, even when highly stylized, that are not constructed according to the logic of blazon, but rather according to the logic of an advertising brochure (see the arms of Manaus in Brazil, for example).

Arms of Liège, example of late blazoning.

Finally, the constitution must not stray too far from common heraldic usage, and avoid, for example, inscribing mottos on the shield itself, or composing overly rich tableaux.

Thus, the arms of Liège are quite typical of late heraldry, which tends to be poorly constituted. They can nevertheless be blazoned without too much difficulty: "Gules, a perron of three steps, raised and supported by three couchant lions, bearing a column with three drums, topped with a pine cone and surmounted by a crosslet, all or, flanked by the capital letters L and G of the same". The poor constitution of these arms lies in two types of defects:

• The description of the central column includes about ten differentiations (lions, pine cone, steps…), details that all become illegible at small scale. Such arms are no longer an abstract and symbolic figuration, but the representation of a particular monument (the Liège perron).
• The addition of letters in the arms is a rare practice, because not universally readable: the reading of such a blazon is no longer directly possible for a heraldist trained in the Cyrillic alphabet (no more than Cyrillic letters would be readable for a Western herald). However, this marginal practice has been tolerated for quite some time.

Blazoning and specification of coats of arms

The heraldist does not describe at the same level of detail, depending on whether it is a matter of blazoning arms, or specifying or describing a particular representation of coats of arms.

• In the first case, it is a matter of inventorying the significant details that distinguish these arms from those held by other bearers. It is preferable, in such a description, to be as general as possible, while respecting the heraldic spirit, so that priority can be invoked on all "almost" similar arms, which would differ only by details whose significant character may be debatable. To blazon arms, it is therefore necessary to discard everything that may seem secondary, or that may result from a stylistic effect: unclear attitudes of animals, arrangements of furniture that could pass for a default position, etc. The contestation against which one must protect oneself here is that of people who would choose "almost" the same arms, with a risk of confusion.
• On the other hand, to describe a particular representation, the same heraldic language can be much more precise, and indicate all sorts of apparent irregularities, finally followed solutions, or retained alternatives. The contestation to avoid is that of the client, whose coat of arms has not been defined to his taste.

In the composition of a blazon, it is normal to follow the stylistic practices of such or such region, or even to satisfy the particular indications of the bearer. On the other hand, when it comes to describing the corresponding blazon, the heraldist must exercise firm censorship, and discard from his description everything that relates not to the essential nature of the arms, but to their particular representation. Is it significant that a lion is represented without hair on its paws, with its tail outside rather than inside, raised or between its legs, its head turned to the right or to the left, its paw raised or not? In doubt, it is preferable to mention this originality when it comes to describing the representation, but one must refuse to consider it as a significant sign, sufficient to distinguish the arms from those of the neighbor.

Language of blazon

Blazoning uses a technical, conventional, and precise language that falls under the discipline heraldry. Initially done by heralds in the current language of the time, heraldic description became fixed in its syntax and vocabulary.

Principles of the composition or reading of a blazon

The shield

As the sole bearer of the properly identity elements of the coat of arms (as part of the patronymic name or of a territory), the shield is the first described in the blazoning, which sometimes limits itself to this description alone, either due to the absence of external ornaments, or because they do not bring anything significant.

The arms can be of different types, and the way to blazon depends on this type:

• simple arms form the general case of a field most often uniform, possibly charged with figures, that is, pieces or furniture (they are said to be plain otherwise);
• composed arms adjoin two or more arms, separated by partition lines forming quarters (this term being taken in an extended sense), each of them behaving like simple arms.

Simple arms (not composed)

The first component of the shield to describe is the field. This can be simple or composed.

	Simple field: the shield is entirely covered with an enamel, a metal, or a fur, which may or may not receive charges (or figures), pieces and/or furniture. One states the color of the field then describes the charges: Gules, a chevron or (Les Essarts). A field without charges is said to be plain. (Right: ermine plain which is of Brittany). See also: Colour (heraldry)
	Partitioned field: the field is not of a single color, but of two colors (rarely more) separated by a more or less complex geometric pattern. One indicates the partition, then the two (or more) corresponding colors, following the rule chief before base, then dexter before sinister. If furniture is astride such a partition, they are said to be brochant: Per fess argent and azure, a lion or, armed and langued gules, overall (left, Villeroux family). In a partitioned field, the furniture brochant on the partition is sometimes of the one in the other: Per pale argent and azure, a fleur-de-lis counterchanged (right, Hoecklin de Steineck family), meaning that the fleur-de-lis is azure for the part resting on the argent half, and vice versa, argent for the azure half.
	Special case of composed field: the chosen partition divides the field into many small regular elements, most often using two alternating colors (some call this type of field alternated field for this reason). Each element being too small to constitute an autonomous element, the entire field is often described as a simple field with a specific name according to the type of partition: lozengy argent and gules (left, Saint-Tropez). However, if it is charged, the charges are blazoned as overall on this composed field: Lozengy vert and gules, a star or angled, to sinister, with a comet's tail of the same curved in bend, overall (right, Lachassagne). Similarly to the previous case, an honorable piece can be of the one in the other, which can lead to complex geometric patterns despite a relatively simple description.

After stating the field, one enumerates the charges, which can be pieces or furniture, starting, if there are several different ones, with the one that seems principal, because more central, larger, or simply more significant.

See also: Charge (heraldry)

	The charge is a piece: it has an assigned place, and in the simplest case, it suffices to specify its color. A piece is introduced with the definite article: Argent, a fess gules (left, Béthune). If the piece has particular shapes, these are described before the color. If the piece is itself charged, this is blazoned afterwards. Ex: ermine, a chief indented gules charged with a scallop or (right, Mortrée). See also: Ordinary (heraldry)
	The principal charge is a furniture: as its name indicates, it has no specific place. However, by default, it is considered to be placed in the center of the field. Moreover, if it is a known and listed furniture, and it presents itself in its most usual aspect, it suffices to indicate its color (which can sometimes also be defined by default, but this is rare). A furniture is introduced with an indefinite article (it is not a piece of the shield): argent, a rose gules (left, Pacy-sur-Eure). If the furniture has particularities (of shape, posture, etc.), this must be blazoned with specific terms (most often participles of verbs). Furniture can also be charged, although this is quite rare. ex.: gules, an eight-pointed star or charged with a double-headed eagle sable, membered, beaked, and crowned of the field (right, Marquis de Sade).
	Exceptions. Some reduced pieces sometimes behave like furniture and can be found in unusual places. They should then be treated as furniture (in particular by using the indefinite article): Or, a bend gules charged in chief with a cross trefly argent set palewise (left blazon). Note however that the few pieces concerned change their name when becoming furniture: the cross becomes a crosslet, the saltire becomes a saltorel, etc. The escutcheon keeps its name. But it is the only piece that, by default, does not touch the edges of the shield, which is why it is considered as "furniture" by some authors. Conversely, some furniture, due to their prestige, are granted a promotion by the use of the definite article: one says the lion, the eagle or also the Virgin (but a virgin if it is a statue): Argent, the lion vert (right, Agincourt). General remark: the rule of using the article is little followed, which does not pose any problem.

After stating the principal charge and its complete description, including everything that charges it, one proceeds to describe the secondary charges that possibly accompany it on the same field.

Composed arms

	In composed arms, the blazon consists of several areas adjoined according to one or more simple partition figures, each area most often forming pre-existing arms designating a bearer. One states the partition, then each quarter is described in turn, the priority being: "chief before base, then dexter before sinister". – If necessary, one specifies for each quarter its order of appearance, which is marked in its simplest expression by a simple number (in 1, in 2, etc.) sometimes followed by a closing parenthesis (in 1), in 2), etc.): or with an ordinal in letters (in the first, in the second, etc.) or in figures (in the 1st, etc.): quartered in saltire: in the first azure a donjon argent, in the second gules a bunch of grapes, stalked and leaved argent, in the third gules a dexter arm argent with the index finger pointed, vested azure semé of fleurs-de-lis or, from which two drops also argent fall, in the fourth azure three fleurs-de-lis or ill-ordered (left, Écrouves). If two quarters are identical, which is frequent, they are described together at the time of the appearance of the first of the two: Quartered, in 1 and 4 of Navarre, in 2 of Bourbon, in 3 of Béarn (right, Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre).
	Bearers: The quarters of composed arms are simpler arms, whose bearer it is possible to name in the blazon: Quartered, azure three fleurs-de-lis or, which is of France modern, and gules, which is of Albret. It is also possible to describe arms solely by the bearers, if the latter is sufficiently known for his blazon to be implicit: Quartered of France and England.

The whole

In all cases, one then blazons the possible furniture that charges the whole or the figures that affect the whole.

The whole designates the entire shield that has been described up to this point, and which can be charged with complementary figures, which are then arranged as if everything preceding was plain: quartered in 1 and 4 azure three fleurs-de-lis or and in 2 and 3 gules three leopards or, a label argent overall (arms of Edward of Westminster). The designation of the whole can be ambiguous, in the case of composed arms, if the last quarter receives a figure overall on its whole, because several levels can be in the process of description not yet completed. In this case, it is better to specify on the whole of the quarter: Quartered, in I party: in 1 gules three leopards or (of England) and in 2 or, a lion gules, within a double tressure flory counter-flory of the same (of Scotland); in II azure three fleurs-de-lis or (of France); in III azure, a harp or stringed argent (of Ireland) and in IV tierced in pairle reversed, 1, gules, two leopards or; 2, or, semé of hearts gules, a lion azure, armed and langued of the second, overall; 3, gules, a horse rampant argent, harnessed or, an escutcheon gules overall on the whole of the quarter, a label of three points argent overall (George III). Here, if one did not specify overall on the whole, the label could only bear on the last named quarter whose description is still open, that is, not the escutcheon gules (since its description was closed by saying it was on the whole of the quarter) but on the tierced in pairle reversed.

External ornaments

Examples of ornaments (blazon of the Shakespeares): helm (4) surmounted by (6&7) with mantling (8) topped by a crest (6) resting on a torse (9).

One blazons the external ornaments following the shield, going from the foreground to the background, and from the shield outward, but this order is not strictly fixed.

The external ornaments (headgear, collar and cords, supporters and compartment, mantles, flags, weapons, batons, scepters and hands of justice, keys, crosiers, motto, etc.) surround the shield to form the complete coat of arms, and sometimes specify the attributes of the bearer (his rank, his function… - especially in Empire heraldry).

These external ornaments can be very varied, and they are normally described with the same language as for the shield. However, the rigor is much less outside the shield than inside, the same goes for the language used, which must adapt to all the fantasies, licit in this part of the coat of arms.

As for the shield, shortcuts are common: thus for a coat of arms including flags, it is theoretically possible to describe each of them, but it is much clearer and simpler to indicate the presence of the flags "of France", "of Germany" and "of Poland", rather than to make their individual description.

Some figures are specific to external ornaments (flags, mantles), but in principle, any other external ornament can appear in the coat of arms.

Simple example

• The former Alsace blazons thus: per pale, first, gules a bend argent between two cotises fleury of the same and second also gules a bend or between six crowns of the same, three in chief and three inverted in base.

Complex examples

Principality of Liège.

Province of Liège.

• Principality of Liège: Quartered: 1. of Bouillon; 2. of Franchimont; 3. of Looz; 4. of Horn; overall of Liège (originally borne without L and G).

• Province of Liège: Quartered: 1. of Liège; 2. of Bouillon; 3. of Franchimont; 4. of Looz; enté in base of Horn.

• • Liège (City of Liège): Gules, a perron raised, supported by three lions on three steps, mounted with a pine cone, topped with a crosslet, all or, flanked by the capital letters L and G of the same.
  • Bouillon (Duchy of Bouillon): Gules, a fess argent.
  • Franchimont (Marquisate of Franchimont): Argent, three lion cubs vert, armed and langued gules, and crowned or.
  • Looz (County of Looz): Burely (10) or and gules.
  • Horn (County of Horn): Or, three hunting horns gules ill-ordered, ringed and stringed argent.

Arms of the Dukes of Mayenne.

• Arms of the Dukes of Mayenne:

"Quartered, in 1 and 4: per fess and per pale in 3, in the first barry gules and argent, in the second azure semé of fleurs-de-lis or and a label gules, in the third argent a cross potent or, cantoned with four crosslets of the same, in the fourth or four pallets gules, in the fifth azure semé of fleurs-de-lis or and a bordure gules, in the sixth azure a lion contourné or, armed, langued and crowned gules, in the seventh or a lion sable armed and langued gules, in the eighth azure semé of crosslets or and two barbels or. Overall or a bend gules charged with three alerions argent the whole differenced by a label gules; in 2 and 3 counter-quartered in 1 and 4 azure, an eagle argent, beaked, langued and crowned or and in 2 and 3 azure, three fleurs-de-lis or, a bordure indented gules and or."

Heraldic term	Comment	Arms
Quartered,	Formed of four elements, which will be numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4, the reading order being from left to right then from top to bottom.
in 1 and 4:	The elements at top left (1) and bottom right (4) are identical, and the description follows (these are the arms of the Dukes of Guise):
per fess and per pale in 3,	This first element will be divided by a per fess (a horizontal line) and three per pale (vertical lines), making eight sub-elements. The numbering order will be from left to right 1, 2, 3, 4 (top row) then 5, 6, 7, and 8 (bottom row).
in the first barry gules and argent,	(1) Arms of Hungary: banner of Árpád, founder of the first dynasty of kings of Hungary.
in the second azure semé of fleurs-de-lis or and a label gules,	(2) Ancient arms of Anjou, on the field of France ancient.
in the third argent a cross potent or, cantoned with four crosslets of the same	(3) Arms of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
in the fourth or four pallets gules	(4) Arms of the Kingdom of Aragon. Last element of the top row, moving to the next row.
in the fifth azure semé of fleurs-de-lis or and a bordure gules,	(5) Arms of the Counts of Valois.
in the sixth azure a lion contourné or, armed, langued and crowned gules,	(6) Duchy of Guelders, contourné by courtesy because these arms are joined to the following.
in the seventh or a lion sable armed and langued gules,	(7) Duchy of Jülich, attached to the previous after 1379.
in the eighth azure semé of crosslets or and two barbels or.	(8) Duchy of Bar, and end of the bottom row.
Overall	Overall, thus forming an escutcheon brochant on the previous series:
or a bend gules charged with three alerions argent	Arms of Lorraine.
the whole differenced by a label gules;	The whole, therefore the entire quarter (and not only the arms of Lorraine).
in 2 and 3	The first grand quarter having been described, we move to the second, which is identical to the third. These are the arms of the Este family between 1431 and 1452.
counter-quartered	The quarter is divided into four elements by a per fess (a horizontal line) and a per pale (vertical line).
in 1 and 4 azure, an eagle argent, beaked, langued and crowned or	The top left quarter is repeated bottom right. Primitive arms of the House of Este.
and in 2 and 3 azure, three fleurs-de-lis or, a bordure indented gules and or.	The top right quarter is repeated bottom left. Arms of the Duchy of Modena.

These quartered arms are classically those of a couple, which can be identified (in the genealogy of the Dukes of Guise) as that formed by Francis, Duke of Guise, known as le Balafré (1519-1563) and Anna d'Este and Ferrara. From this union was born a cadet, Charles, Duke of Mayenne, ancestor of this cadet branch.

External links

• Heraldry - Art of blazons A heraldry primer with small armorials (Touraine).
• Heraldry of Abzac A clear and precise understanding of heraldry. A reference tool for heraldists and genealogists.
• Heraldry in the Encyclopedia of Diderot and D'Alembert

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• Heraldry