Handsome Heraldry

Heraldry has been described as the "floral border in the garden of history", which originated with the need to distinguish participants in combat whose faces were hidden by iron and steel helmets, and progressively developed into the complex system of rules that preserve its medieval beauty today.


The handsome practice of displaying blazoned coats of arms can be seen in the gorgeous tincture of the royal arms depicted above, the various colours and metals that make up its heraldic design. The Canadian shield in the upper left corner is a wonderful example of marshalling, the quartering of the field into divisions to combine several coats of arms into one shield, in this case to express the kingdom's sovereign claim over its constituent provinces.