Purple

Purple is a heraldic tincture belonging to the group of “supplementary colors.” It is a scarlet or reddish-violet hue, which since antiquity was derived from various Mediterranean mollusks (Murex brandaris, M. truncatus, Purpura zapillus, and P. aperta).

“In later eras, purple was added to the six primary colors; however, it is almost never used regularly as a field color for a shield, but primarily for coloring mantling, crowns, and hats. Its hatching, contrary to green, consists of diagonal lines running from top left to bottom right…” (Iván Nagy 1872-1875, pp. 19-20).

The dye (Lat. purpura) was extracted from the bodies of Murex snails. The dye produced in the Phoenician city of Tyre was world-famous. Depending on the production method, it could take various shades, but it was most often described as blood-red. In antiquity, this was the only known “fast” dyeing method; a toga could be washed indefinitely without the color fading. Despite the descriptions provided by Pliny, the exact ancient process is not entirely clear. Certain varieties were strictly reserved for the imperial family and high officials.

When Tyre was captured by the Arabs in the 7th century, production continued in Byzantium, which supplied royal courts and the Church with dyed silk and wool. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, this production ceased. In 1456, the Pope ordered that it be replaced by cochineal (insect-based dye) for the vestments of cardinals and archbishops. It appears that during this era, its definition shifted from a carmine-red shade to a blood-red hue, while the modern version is typically a mixture of red and blue.

Etymology

While it has existed since ancient times, purple was never as common a heraldic color as the others. The word likely originates from the Latin purpura (the purple snail or purple-dyed cloth), referring to its method of production.

Until the 1260s–70s, the original French name for purpure was bis (sometimes gris or brun), describing a grayish-brown shade. The term bis disappeared as purpure became more widespread and replaced it.

Symbolism

During the era of “dead heraldry,” various meanings were attached to purple. It was considered one of the most noble colors. According to Prinsault, it was a symbol of abundance, prosperity, and wisdom. He categorized it as a “composite color” rather than a “primary color,” aligning with the medieval understanding of the hue. The medieval herald known as Heraldus Britannus, mentioned by Spener, used the term oiscy. In ancient heraldic systems, it was also associated with the amethyst.

Production

• Antiquity: Produced from the glandular secretions of the spiny dye-murex (Murex brandaris). Legend says a dog bit into a snail on the beach, staining its mouth red; a Phoenician shepherdess saw this, dipped a cloth into the substance, and discovered the dye. By 1100 BC, production flourished in Tyre. Recent finds suggest it was known as early as 1400 BC in Sarepta. Pliny the Elder notes it was heated in large metal (likely tin) vats for ten days with salt added. Shades were adjusted using urine. 12,000 snails were required for a single gram of dye.

• Middle Ages: The manufacturing secret was largely lost after the fall of Rome, only to be revived in the 15th century. Its “rediscovery” is noted in a 1685 article by William Cole for the Royal Society, describing an Irish method of dipping fabric and drying it in the sun. The color shifted through light-sensitive stages: yellow, dark green, blue, and finally deep red.

• Modern Era: The chemical composition was solved between 1909 and 1912 by German chemist Paul Friedländer, who identified it as a bromine derivative of indigo. There were three main types: red (African Mediterranean), violet (Italy), and nearly black (Atlantic).

Purple in Heraldry

Purple was rare in medieval heraldry, and some early writers did not distinguish it from Gules (red). Its existence as a “true” color was even debated, despite appearing in 13th-century French and English rolls of arms. It is most commonly used for the lining of crowns and helmets, or for the pavilion and mantling. In German heraldry, the pavilion is sometimes called a Purpurbaldachin.

The description of the shade has evolved:

• Pre-15th Century: Described as a grayish-brown between gray and brown.

• 15th Century: Viewed as an equal mixture of the four other colors (red, blue, green, black).

• 16th Century: With the Renaissance, it became associated with “Roman Purple.” In Virgil Solis’s 1505 work, the Latin Purpureus is still translated as the German braun (brown). Later, Charles Segoing (1660) defined it as a transition between red and blue.

• Regional Variations: In German heraldry, it is often a carmine red; in Czech, a reddish-purple; elsewhere, it leans toward violet or “Imperial Purple.”

Purple in Hungarian Heraldry

It is rare, but documented:

• Hevenesi mentions it in the fields of the Apor family arms.

• Iván Nagy notes it in the Csekonics family arms.

• In the Joseph family arms, one of the severed arms is placed on a purple field.

• In the Török family crest, one horn is parted of purple and silver.

• The Horváth de Boosfalva family uses silver and purple mantling.