Wulfhere
02-26-2010, 04:14 PM
The rule of tincture (full article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_tincture) is a strict rule within heraldry - which carries over into vexilligy - about the placing of colours next to each other. Basically, you can't do it. You must place a colour next to a "metal" - a technical term for white and yellow (equivalent to silver and gold). And nor must "metals" be placed against each other.
A moment's thought will reveal the pratical reason for this apparently arbitrary rule - white and yellow are pale, all other colours are darker, and to best distinguish a design they should be separated.
To say that it's a strict rule is true, though rules can always be broken. The coat of arms and flag of the Vatican does precisely that, putting silver against gold - quite deliberately. Less forgivable is when it is done out of ignorance. Those flags in the world today that follow this rule tend to look far more harmonious than those that don't. The British Union Jack follows the rule, and to do so had to chop the cross of St Patrick into thin slices - but the result is, perhaps unintentionally, extremely distinctive. Contrary to appearance the American Stars and Stripes also follows the rule, because one of its few exceptions is when you quarter something.
Whenever I see a flag that doesn't follow the rule I always think the designers were just plain ignorant.
A moment's thought will reveal the pratical reason for this apparently arbitrary rule - white and yellow are pale, all other colours are darker, and to best distinguish a design they should be separated.
To say that it's a strict rule is true, though rules can always be broken. The coat of arms and flag of the Vatican does precisely that, putting silver against gold - quite deliberately. Less forgivable is when it is done out of ignorance. Those flags in the world today that follow this rule tend to look far more harmonious than those that don't. The British Union Jack follows the rule, and to do so had to chop the cross of St Patrick into thin slices - but the result is, perhaps unintentionally, extremely distinctive. Contrary to appearance the American Stars and Stripes also follows the rule, because one of its few exceptions is when you quarter something.
Whenever I see a flag that doesn't follow the rule I always think the designers were just plain ignorant.