Proper Tincture

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Definition:

Glossary of Terms:

(1) Specifying that a charge appears in its natural hues. A zebra proper has the zebra's characteristic pattern of black and white stripes; a tree proper has a brown trunk and green leaves. Proper should not be used to indicate colorings that can be easily described in terms of the usual heraldic tinctures: a raven proper is better blazoned as a raven sable. It should also be used only if a competent artist will be able to draw the animal correctly without extensive research.

(2) Indicates a standard set of tinctures for a standard heraldic charge, such as a sword proper, which has an argent blade and Or hilt and quillons, or a rose proper, which is a rose gules, barbed vert and seeded Or. See Table 3, Conventional Proper Colorings for a listing of proper tinctures defined in precedent. [[1]]

A Heraldic Primer (old version):

Proper Tinctures - http://heraldry.sca.org/primer/proper.html

In addition to the aforementioned tinctures, there is a special consideration termed 'proper'. The term is used when a charge is emblazoned in a manner as it appears in nature and is considered heraldic shorthand. Thus, instead of saying A pine tree vert, trunked brun, one blazons it A pine tree proper

A pomegranate proper A fox proper A pine tree proper
Pomegranateproper.gif Fproper.gif PTreeproper.gif

Glossary of Terms:

Table of Proper Colorings

Conventional "Proper" Colorings - http://heraldry.sca.org/coagloss.html#proper

Most monsters, e.g., griffins, unicorns, sea-lions, etc., being mythical creatures, have no "proper" coloration. Natural animals which are frequently found as brown but also commonly appear in other tinctures in the natural world may be registered as a brown [animal name] proper (e. g., brown hound proper, brown horse proper).

Charge Tincture or Blazon Tincture Class
Acorn Brown Color
Animals Varies by specific animal n/a
Antler/Ivory White or light yellow brown Metal
Arrow Brown shaft, black head, tincture of fletching specified Color
Axe No defined proper tincture n/a
Barbed and seeded Green sepals, yellow seeds Ignored
Bear No default; must be specified n/a
Boar Brown Color
Bread Brown Color
Bull/Cow No default; must be specified n/a
Camel No default; must be specified n/a
Carrot No defined proper tincture n/a
Cherub No defined proper tincture n/a
Chough Black with red beak and legs Color
Cloves Dark brown Color
Daisy Argent seeded Or Metal
Deer/Stag Brown Color
Dog/Wolf No default; must be specified n/a
Dolphin Green with red fins Color
Dolphin, natural Gray Metal
Dove White with pink or red beak and legs Metal
Elephant Gray with white tusks Metal
Falcon Brown Color
Fire/flame Alternately red and yellow or yellow and red Neutral
Ford A base wavy barry wavy blue and white Neutral
Fountain A roundel barry wavy blue and white Neutral
Fox Red with black "socks" and white at tip of tail Color
Hammer Sable shafted of brown wood Color
Hare Brown Color
Harp Brown Color
Horse No default; must be specified n/a
Humans/human parts Caucasian by default, i.e., pink or white (See also Moor) Metal
Ibex Brown Color
Ladybug No defined proper tincture n/a
Lavender Purple flowers, green leaves and stem Color
Leaf Green (sometimes with a brown stem) Color
Leather/leather items Brown Color
Mermaid Caucasian human with green tail and yellow hair Neutral
Monster Most have no proper tincture n/a
Moor Brown with black hair Color
Moose Brown Color
Mouse No default; must be specified n/a
Owl No default; must be specified n/a
Parchment Tan or yellow Metal
Peacock Mostly blue and green with "eyes" in the tail Color
Pickaxe Black, shafted brown Color
Plants Green, sometimes with brown stems Color
Pomegranate Green, seeded red Color
Popinjay Green with red details Color
Pretzel Brown Color
Rabbit Brown Color
Rainbow (on color field: from top to bottom)

Yellow, red, green, white; white clouds || Metal

^ (on metal field from top to bottom)

Blue, green, gold, red; cloud color must be specified || Color

Rainbow, natural (from top to bottom)

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, white clouds || Neutral

Raven Sable Sable
Rose Red, barbed green and seeded yellow Color
Saracen As a default Human Metal
Seraph Caucasian skin, red hair, multicolored wings n/a
Ship Brown, sails must be specified Color
Slipped and leaved Brown or green stem and green leaves Color
Stone/stone items Gray Metal
Sword White with yellow hilt and quillons Metal
Tai-chi Per fess embowed counter-embowed argent and sable Neutral
Thistle Green sepals, stem, leaves; purple or red flower Color
Tiger No default; must be specified n/a
Tree Brown trunk, green leaves Color
Urchin Brown with white face and belly Color
Weaver's slea Brown Color
Wood/wooden items Brown Color
Zebra White striped black Metal


===Article "On Proper... "===
[[2]]
We will begin with the definition given in the glossary to the rules for submission:
Proper – Used in blazon to specify that a charge appears in its natural colors. "A zebra proper" has the zebra’s characteristic pattern of black and white stripes. "A tree proper" has a brown trunk and green leaves. Sometimes "proper" is used to indicate a standard set of tinctures for a standard heraldic charge, like "a sword proper", which has an argent blade and Or hilt and quillons, or "a rose proper", which is "a rose gules, barbed vert and seeded Or". The term "proper" should only be used to indicate colorings that cannot be described in the usual heraldic language. "A raven proper" is just "a raven sable". "Proper" should also only be used if a competent artist will be able to draw the animal correctly without extensive research.
The definition gives two types of proper:The natural colors of the object, and a heraldic shorthand.
Proper as the natural colors of a charge must be unambiguous. For example, a robin proper, or a brown bear proper, or a tree proper. If the charge comes in different colors, do not call it proper. Consider a horse. How many different colors and color patterns do horses come in? The words must describe the picture so that a competent artist can recreate the picture without having to do extensive research.
If it is necessary to name the species to define what is proper, then you cannot use proper. If described as "an American Kestrel proper", most people would have to go scrambling for a bird book to check the colors, even if they recognized that the Kestrel is a falcon. Being more precise and including the species (Falco sparverius) doesn’t help.
One of the examples was "a brown bear proper". Anyone can visualize that. However, consider "a snowshoe hare in summer phase". "A brown rabbit proper" says the same thing in words that anyone can visualize. The fine distinction between a generic "rabbit" and a "snowshoe hare" is insignificant in the heraldic sense.
As heraldic shorthand, proper has limited application. There are only a few objects, which have a "proper" coloration. They include:
* A sword (argent, hilted and pommelled Or)
* A rose (gules, barbed vert, seeded Or)
* A thistle (purpure, slipped and leaved vert in the SCA; gules, slipped and leaved vertin mundane)
* A mount (vert in mundane, no default in SCA)
* A popinjay (vert, beaked gules)
* A rainbow (heraldic) (four bands, either Or, gules, vert, argent, clouds argent when on a dark field; or azure, vert, Or, and gules, clouds to be specified when on a light field)
* A ford (a base barry wavy azure and argent or argent and azure)
Note that each can be blazoned without resorting to proper. If you have any doubts whether "proper" is applicable, don’t use it.
Rules for Submission VIII.4.c – Natural Depiction says "Excessively naturalistic use of otherwise acceptable charges may not be registered." It further notes: "Excessively natural designs include those that overuse proper, depict animate objects in unheraldic postures, or use several charges in their natural forms, especially when heraldic equivalents exist." You cannot have a rabbit proper between three robins proper and on a chief azure two rattlesnakes proper. That is excessive use of proper. Armory should contain no more than one charge blazoned as proper, in the natural sense. Heraldic flora and fauna are normally stylized to some degree.
Perhaps the commonest reason to use proper is to get a brown something. For example, a tree proper has a brown trunk. Since we do not recognize brown as a heraldic tincture by name, the only way to get a brown object is to blazon it proper, if brown is the proper color.
We are heralds, not botanists!
You cannot use proper to cheat on the rule of tincture. Charges blazoned as proper are still either light or dark, and must be placed on an appropriate tincture. A tree blasted proper is still a dark color (brown) and cannot be placed on a color.
A rose proper... (gules, barbed vert, seeded Or)File:Http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/lessons/images/proper-2.jpg
A thistle proper (purpure, slipped and leaved vert)File:Http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/lessons/images/proper-3.jpg
A popinjay proper (vert, beaked gules)File:Http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/lessons/images/proper-4.jpg
Argent, a ford proper (a base barry wavy azure and argent)File:Http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/lessons/images/proper-5.jpg

Precedents:

Precedents of the SCA College of Arms - http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/precedents.html

Morsulus Heralds Website - http://www.morsulus.org/ (to search the LoARs and Precedents)

Use the above links to be sure any precedents listed below haven't been superseded by newer precedents.


Definition:

February 2006 - proper turnip

"Proper for a turnip is the top half of the turnip purpure and the bottom half argent (with a somewhat wavy line of division) with vert leaves; neither the purpure nor the argent should predominate. The argent tip on a purpure turnip need not be blazoned, nor does a purpure cap on an argent turnip as both are considered artistic details." and "The turnip leaves should be about a quarter to a half of the total charge. Due to the variability in size of the leaves, the tincture of the leaves does not contribute to tincture difference. This is similar to our treatment of a rose's slip and leaves." Note: therefore a turnip "proper" is a neutral charge as neither the purpure nor the argent predominates. February 2006 LoAR

March 2005 - grapes proper

Regarding grapes, A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry, by James Parker, says on p. 602 (s.n. Vine), "When blazoned proper the leaves should be vert, the fruit purpure." March 2005 LoAR Cover Letter

October 1995 - using brown proper

When using brown, defined as "proper", the entire charge/creature is tinctured brown. As per: "PRECEDENT: Henceforward, and more in line with period heraldic practice, animals which are normally brown may be registered simply as an {X} proper (e.g., boar proper, hare proper). Animals which are frequently found as brown but also commonly appear in other tinctures in the natural world may be registered as a brown {X} proper (e.g., brown hound proper, brown horse proper). This precedent does not, however, loosen the ban on "Linnaean proper" (Cover Letter, May 13, 1991); proper tinctures for flora and fauna which require the Linnaean genus and species to know how to color them. For example, a falcon proper will be considered to be all brown, not brown head, wings and back, buff breast with darker spots, and a tail striped with black; a hare proper will be considered to be all brown, not brown with white underbelly and tail and pink ears. This also appears to be more in keeping with period heraldic practice." October 1995 Cover Letter


Registerability:

(Restricted, Reserved, SFPP, OOP)

February 2007 - pink flamingos proper

In April 1985 (q.v., Cherie Ruadh MhicRath of Locksley) Laurel ruled, "The color of a flamingo's feathers is apparently dependent on its diet, so there really is no 'proper' color." This has been interpreted to mean that flamingos proper could not be registered; however, pink flamingos proper have been registered since that time, including as recently as April 2006. The 1985 precedent is hereby overturned; a pink flamingo proper is registerable. It is dark pink while the tincture of its beak and legs are treated as artistic license. Its tincture is a color, not a metal. February 2007 LoAR

October 1995 - brown proper

When using brown, defined as "proper", the entire charge/creature is tinctured brown. As per: "PRECEDENT: Henceforward, and more in line with period heraldic practice, animals which are normally brown may be registered simply as an {X} proper (e.g., boar proper, hare proper). Animals which are frequently found as brown but also commonly appear in other tinctures in the natural world may be registered as a brown {X} proper (e.g., brown hound proper, brown horse proper). This precedent does not, however, loosen the ban on "Linnaean proper" (Cover Letter, May 13, 1991); proper tinctures for flora and fauna which require the Linnaean genus and species to know how to color them. For example, a falcon proper will be considered to be all brown, not brown head, wings and back, buff breast with darker spots, and a tail striped with black; a hare proper will be considered to be all brown, not brown with white underbelly and tail and pink ears. This also appears to be more in keeping with period heraldic practice." October 1995 Cover Letter


Conflict:

Identifiability:

Collected Precedents:

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