This ClipArt gallery offers 225 the ordinaries commonly used in heraldry. The ordinaries are the geometric figures that are created when the shield is divided by straight, curved, or zigzag lines.
"Argent, a fess gules" describes the red (gules) stripe (fess) on the silver (argent) field.
"Ermine, two bars gules. BAR. An honourable ordinary, occupying one-fifth of the shield. It may be placed…
Argent, two closets, azure. The closet is a diminutive of the bar, and is half its width. -Hall, 1862
"Parted per pale, baron and femme, two coats; first, or, a chevron gules; second, barry of twelve pieces,…
"Parted per pale, baron and femme, three coats;—first, gules, on a bend (argent), three trefoils…
"Baron and femme, two coats; first, gules, a saltier argent; second, on an escutcheon of pretence, azure,…
"Gules, two barrulets argent. BARRULET. The smallest diminutive of the bar. The closet is half the bar;…
Azure, two bars, gemels, argent. The annexed example is to illustrate the word gemels, which is frequently…
34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels…
"Barry of eight pieces, azure and argent. BARRY. A field divided transversely into several equal parts,…
"GEMELS. This word signifies double. The example contains two double bars, which in heraldic language…
"Argent, the lower half of the shield three bars wavy, azure. WAVY. Curved lines, undulating like the…
"Or, a cross gules, over all a baton argent. BATON. BATUNE. BASTON. It is generally used as an abatement…
Argent, a fess, azure. The fess is formed by two horizontal lines drawn above and below the centre of…
The white represents silver or "argent," the fesse is the band going across. It is gules or red and…
"Azure, a bend gules, fimbriated argent. FIMBRIATED. An ordinary having a border of a different tincture…
"Argent, a Bend Grady Gules. GRADY. In heraldry, cut into steps, one upon another: said of lines, of…
"Argent, a bend gules, invected between two hurts. INVECTED. A line formed with small semicircles, with…
"Azure, a bend argent. BEND. One of the honourable ordinaries formed by two diagonal lines drawn from…
"Quarterly or and gules, over all a bend vair. OVER ALL. This expression describes a figure borne over…
Argent, a scarpe, purpure. The scarpe is the diminutive of the bend sinister, and is half its size.…
"Argent, a bend sinister gules. BEND SINISTER. Is the reverse of the bend; it is seldom found in coats…
"Gules, a bend sinister embattled, argent. EMBATTLED. A line, formed like the battlements on a wall…
"Argent, a bend undy, gules. UNDY. A term used to express the word wavy by Gwillim and other ancient…
"Argent, a bend, vert. The bend is an honourable ordinary, formed by two diagonal lines drawn from the…
"Argent, three bendlets, enhanced gules. ENHANCED. A term applied to bearings placed above their usual…
Argent, a bend sinister, purpure. The bend sinister is the same breadth as the bend dexter, and is drawn…
"Bendy of six pieces, azure and argent. BENDY. This word serves to denote a field divided diagonally…
"A Bordure Gobonated Argent and Gules. GOBONATED. In heraldry, same as componé." -Whitney, 1911
"The canton is a square part of the escutcheon, usually occupying about one-eighth of the field; it…
"Checky, sable and argent. CHECKY. The field covered with alternate squares of metal and fur." -Hall,…
"Or, a chevron gules. CHEVRON. This ordinary is supposed to represent the rafters of the gable of a…
"In heraldry, broken asunder. This condition is depicted in different ways: thus, a fesse fracted may…
Argent, two chevronels, gules. The diminutives of the chevron, according to English Heraldry, are the…
"Argent, two chevronels gules. CHEVRONEL. The diminutive of the chevron, being one half its size." -Hall,…
Gules, three couple-closes interlaced in base, or ... the couple-close ... is half the chevronel. -Hall,…
"Argent, a chief, azure, indented. The chief is an ordinary terminated by an horizontal line, which,…
"Or, a chief gules, indented. INDENTED. A serrated figure, much smaller than the dancette." -Hall, 1862
"Argent, on a chief, gules, two mullets, sable. The chief is an ordinary terminated by an horizontal…
Gules, two barrulets, argent. The barrulet is half the width of the closet. -Hall, 1862
"Or, two closets azure. CLOSET. A diminutive of the bar, being only one half its width." -Hall, 1862
"Argent, an inescutcheon azure, border compony, or and gules. COMPONY. A term applied to a bordure,…
"Gules, a bend argent, coticed of the same. COTICE. One of the diminutives of the bend: cotices are…
Argent, a riband vert. The riband, which is one third less than the garter and the bendlet, must never…
Or, a cross, gules. THE CROSS ... as its name imports, was the distinguishing badge of the Crusaders,…
"Argent, three couple-closes interlaced vert. COUPLE-CLOSE. One of the diminutives of the chevron, half…
"CROSS. An honourable ordinary, more used as a charge in a coat of arms than any of the others." -Hall,…
Gules, a saltier, argent. The saltier was formed by making two pieces of riband cross diagonally, having…
"Cross quadrate. CROSS. An honourable ordinary, more used as a charge in a coat of arms than any of…
"Cross quarter-pierced. CROSS. An honourable ordinary, more used as a charge in a coat of arms than…
"Cross raguly. CROSS. An honourable ordinary, more used as a charge in a coat of arms than any of the…
"Argent, a pale, dancette vert. DANCETTE. A zig-zag figure with spaces between the points, much larger…
Differences are shields with a distinguishing charge or bordure. "Party per pale, azure and gules; a…
Differences are shields with a distinguishing charge or bordure. "The annexed example is or, a bordure…
The shield is silver or argent and the red or gules chevron is enarched or rounded. "Argent, a Chevron…
"Argent, a pale between two endorses, gules. The pale has another diminutive one fourth its size; it…
On an argent (silver) background, an engrailed gules (red) bend (diagonal band). "Engrailed. In heraldry,…