Escutcheon Points

A Chief B Dexter C Sinister D Base E Dexter Chief F Middle Chief G Sinister Chief H Honour Point I Fess Point J Nombril Point K Dexter Base L Sinister Base M Middle Base

Escutcheon Shapes

1 French and English Heater style; 2 modern French; 3 Cartouche; 4 Lozenge; 5 Rectangular; 6 Italian; 7 Swiss; 8 English Tudor arch; 9 a bouche; 10 Polish; 11 - Iberian

Tinctures - Metals

Or Gold

Argent Silver

Tinctures - Colours

Azure Blue

Gules Red

Purpure Purple Vert Green

Sable Black

Tinctures - Furs

Ermine Stoat

Vair Squirrel

Rule of Tincture
Metal should not be placed on another metal, nor colour on colour. Heraldic furs are exceptions.

Rule of Tincture
Metal should not be placed on another metal.
Godfrey of Bouillon, later King of Jerusalem
Argent a cross potent between four plain Crosslets Or violates the rule of tincture.

Rule of Tincture
A Colour should not be placed on another colour.
The coat of arms of Albania Sable two-headed eagle on a field gules

violates the rule of tincture.

(Some consider that sable has both the properties of a metal and a colour)

Field Divisions

Ordinaries any charge placed upon the field

Sub-ordinaries

Charges - Crosses

Cross botonny

Cross crosslet

Cross flory

Maltese Cross

Cross moline

Cross patee

Cross patonce

Cross Potent

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant standing erect with forepaws raised.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion passant walking with the forepaw raised ad all the others on the ground.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Gules, with three lions passant guardant in pale Or armed and langued azure (three identical gold lions with blue tongues and claws arranged in a column on a red background)

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion statant standing on all four feet on the ground, usually with the forepaws together.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion salient leaping with both hind legs together on the ground and both forelegs together in the air.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion sejant sitting on his haunches, with both forepaws on the ground

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion sejant erect sitting on his haunches but with the body erect and both forepaws raised in the rampant position (sometimes called lion sejant rampan)

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion couchant lying down but with the head raised.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion courant running at full stride with all four legs in the air.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion dormant lying down with its eyes closed and head lowered down, resting upon the forepaws, as if asleep.

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant guardant Guardant head only faces the viewer

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant regardant Reguardant head looks over shoulder

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant coward Coward carries the tail between his legs

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant queue fourchee Queue fourchee carries the tail between his legs

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant queue saltire Queue saltire carries a cross tail

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant queue saltire (reverse) Queue saltire carries a cross tail reversed

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lion rampant tail nowed Tail nowed carries a knotted tail

Charges Lion (Attitude)

Lions combatant Lions rampant facing each other with forepaws towards each other.

Charges Eagle (Attitude)

Eagle displayed Shown affronte with head turned to dexter and wings spread to the sides to fill the area of the field

Charges Eagle (Attitude)

Eagle displayed and elevated Elevated wings are raised with the tips pointing upwards

Charges Eagle (Attitude)

Double headed Eagle