In heraldry, purpure is a tincture, more or less the equivalent of the colour "purple", and is one of the five main or most usually used colours (as opposed to metals). It may be portrayed in engravings by a series of parallel lines at a 45 degree angle running from upper right to lower left from the point of view of an observer, or else indicated by using purp. as an abbreviation. Purpure has existed since the earliest periods, for example in the purpure lion of the arms of León; at that time, it was painted in a greyer shade. However, it has never been as common as the other colours, and this has led to some controversy as to whether it should be counted among the five common colours. There is at least one instance of it being blazoned as "Imperial Purple".[1] Purpure is said to represent the following:
- Of jewels, the amethyst
- Of heavenly bodies, Mercury
- (The planet Mercury is further associated with the element mercury or "quicksilver" in traditional alchemical/occultistic lore)
External links
- Heraldica.org: Purpure, discussion based on Michel Pastoureau, Traité d'Héraldique.
- Red vs. Purple Lions
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| Rule of Tincture | |
| Metals | Argent · Or |
| Colours | Azure · Gules · Purpure · Sable · Vert |
| Furs | Ermine · Vair · Potent |
| Stains | Murrey · Tenné · Sanguine |
| Other | Bleu celeste · Carnation · Cendrée · Orange |
