The Handbook to English Heraldry

by Charles Boutell

In English Heraldry the Tinctures comprise Two Metals, Five Colours, and Eight Furs. They are symbolised or indicated by dots and lines—a very convenient system, said to have been introduced, about the year 1630, by an Italian named Silvestre de Petrasancta. Some such symbolisation, however, may occasionally be found in anticipation of Petrasancta. The system now in use was not generally adopted till the commencement of the eighteenth century. This system is never officially employed in a matter of record, and is now being discarded by many artists. The Metals, Colours, and Furs are named, their names are abbreviated, and they are severally indicated, as follows:—

Two Metals

	Titles	Abbreviations	Symbolisation.
1. Gold	Or	Or	No. 50
2. Silver	Argent	Arg.	No. 51

No. 50.		No. 51.

Five Colours

	Titles	Abbreviations	Symbolisation.
1. Blue	Azure	Az.	No. 52.
2. Red	Gules	Gu.	No. 53.
3. Black	Sable	Sa.	No. 54.
4. Green	Vert	Vert	No. 55.
5. Purple	Purpure	Purp.	No. 56.

(In French Heraldry, Green is Sinople.)

No. 52.	No. 53.	No. 54.	No. 55.	No. 56.

Eight Furs (not abbreviated).

	Titles	Symbolisation.
1.	Ermine,—black spots on white	No. 57.
2.	Ermines,—white spots on black	No. 58.
3.	Erminois,—black spots on gold	No. 59.
4.	Pean,—gold spots on black	No. 60.