Assorted Lessons in SCA Heraldry

Edited By Jaelle of Armida. (mka Judy Gerjuoy)



Contrast


Answers to the Quiz


In each of the following blazons or blazon fragments, is there adequate contrast?
[Answers Below]

1. Per chevron azure and sable... - Yes.

2. Per chevron invected azure and sable... - Probably not. The contrast between azure and sable is so low that the complex line is probably unidentifiable.

3. Per chevron engrailed gules and sable.. - Yes.

4. Per fess Or and sable, a chief sable. - Yes, but this looks like Sable, a fess enhanced.

5. Per bend sable and Or, a chief azure. - No. The azure chief has inadequate contrast with the sable part of the field; it does not touch the Or part of the field.

6. Per pale sable and Or, a chief sable. No. The chief has no contrast with the sable half of the field.

7. Argent, a bordure compony argent and azure. No. A bordure compony may not share a tincture with the field; this looks like a bunch of blue blocks around the edge.

8. Argent, a bordure compony Or and azure. - Yes.

9. Argent, a bordure checky argent and azure. - Yes.

10. Per fess checky argent and azure and vair.. - No. The top and bottom are both blocks of blue and white in slightly different patterns.

11. Gules, a lion checky argent and azure. - Yes.

12. Gules, a lion checky argent and gules. - No. This lion is too complex an object to share a tincture with the field.

13. Per fess gules and argent, a lion Or. - Yes. This is not very good, but it is legal.

14. Per fess gules and argent, a lion barry argent and azure. - No. the lower half has inadequate contrast.

15. Per fess gules and argent, a lion barry Or and azure. - Yes.

16. Sable, an eagle barry argent and gules. - Yes.

17. Checky argent and sable, an eagle sable. - No.

18. Checky Or and gules, an eagle sable. - Yes.

19. Per pale argent and azure, a sheaf of three arrows sable. - Yes.

20. Per pale argent and azure, a sheaf of three arrows gules. - Yes.

21. Per pale argent and azure, a sheaf of three arrows Or. - Yes.

22. Azure, a bend vair. - No.

23. Sable, a bend vair. - Yes.

24. Checky Or and gules, a chief sable. - Yes.

25. Checky of six panes gules and Or, a chief sable. - No, because in this field two-thirds of the top edge are gules, which officially has poor contrast with sable. 


Back to Contrast
Credits:
Armory content written by Herveus d'Ormonde (mka Michael Houghton)
Name content written by Jaelle of Armida (mka Judy Gerjuoy)
Web layout, design, and additional editing by Frederic Badger (mka Brander Roullett)