Blue - Azure

Primary tinctures – Blue

A heraldic tincture belonging to the group of colours. The shades used in heraldry include ultramarine, azure, medium and cobalt blue; however, in Hungarian heraldry sky blue is very common, as it provides a lighter ground that makes the charges depicted on the shield more clearly visible. In Hungarian coats of arms and armorial letters, it is the most frequent colour of the field, most often sky blue (coelestini), and more rarely sea blue (coerulei).

The etymology of the blue

The name of the colour used in certain Western European heraldic systems (Fr. azur, Eng. azure) derives from Persian لاژورد (lazhward), the name of the locality where dark blue stones (lapis lazuli) were found. It entered Old French in the 12th century and subsequently appeared in heraldry. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the French-speaking nobility also used it in England, while the Anglo-Saxon common people retained the original name. Thus, while French-speaking heralds referred to the colour on banners as azure, the common people called the same colour blue. In colour designation by planetary symbols, it corresponds to Jupiter.

The symbolism of blue

During the period of “dead heraldry,” various symbolic meanings were attached to it. In Prinsault’s work it symbolized beauty, nobility, and exaltedness. In Alonso López de Haro (1622), it represents the sky and the air. The medieval herald known as Heraldus Britannus, mentioned by Spener, used the term veneto.

Variants

Various darker and lighter shades are used in heraldry in comparison with the standard medium blue. Among these, sky blue possesses the oldest traditions.

Production

Ultramarine

Ultramarine was produced by grinding the semi-precious stone known as lazurite (lapis lazuli). It consists largely of aluminium and sodium silicates. Lapis lazuli was mined and exported from Afghanistan, from the province of Badakhshan along the Amu Darya, from antiquity and even earlier. For this reason it was called ultramarine, as it came from beyond the Mediterranean Sea. Its preparation was extremely complex and time-consuming, which was reflected in its high price.

This process was described in detail by Cennino Cennini (Il libro dell’arte, early 15th century):
“First take the lapis lazuli. … Crush it in a covered bronze mortar so that the dust does not escape, then pour it onto a porphyry stone and grind it thoroughly. Then take a covered sieve, such as apothecaries use to sift medicines, and sift this crushed material and grind it again as necessary. Remember that the finer you grind it, the finer the blue colour will be.”

Afterwards, the powdered stone was kneaded into a dough-like substance with melted wax, resin, and oil, which, according to Cennini, had to be worked for three days and nights. A diluted solution of potash (potassium carbonate), prepared by leaching wood ash with water, was then added to the paste, and the entire mass was kneaded again until the lye became completely blue. In this way, over the course of a few days the particles settled at the bottom of the vessel, while the colourless crystalline material forming the bulk of the substance and other impurities remained in the dough-like mass. The sediment was then dried into a powder.

Other pigments

Cobalt was also used, more precisely cobalt salts, since metallic cobalt was not known until 1735. In medieval and Renaissance painting, azurite was also employed, which was considerably cheaper. It was mined in Europe and required only crushing and settling. However, through hydration it turns into green malachite, and in a mildly alkaline environment, under the influence of moisture, it gradually transforms into copper oxide over the long term, appearing as black spots.