Purpure
A heraldic colour for purple, seen in coats of arms since early times
No single value: Purpure is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, purple and violet.
Purpure is the heraldic term for purple, counted among the main colours in heraldry though less common than others. It has appeared in coats of arms since the early days, sometimes in a greyer form, and is linked with amethyst and the virtue of temperance.
- Purpure is the heraldic name for purple.
- It is less common than other heraldic colours.
- Linked with the gemstone amethyst and Mercury.
- Used in the arms of León and Byzantine banners.
- Sometimes called Imperial Purple or porphyr red.
What colour is Purpure?
Purpure is the name for purple in heraldry, where it stands as one of the main colours used in coats of arms and banners. It is less often chosen than other heraldic colours, which makes it distinctive. In engravings, purpure is shown by a special pattern or by abbreviations. The shade has sometimes appeared more greyish in older examples.
Where does Purpure come from?
The word purpure comes from the heraldic tradition, where it refers to purple. Its use goes back to early heraldic arms, such as the lion of León. The colour was rare and costly in ancient times, which may explain its uncommon use. In some traditions, its status as a main colour has been debated, and in France and Finland, its use is limited or considered uncertain.
Where Purpure is used
Purpure has been used on banners, such as those of the Kingdom of León and the Byzantine Empire, where it could be found on war flags. In heraldic art, it is marked by a specific hatching pattern or by abbreviations. Its use is less frequent than other colours, and in some countries, it is subject to special rules.
What Purpure means
Traditional associations link purpure with the gemstone amethyst, the planet Mercury, and the virtue of temperance. These links are part of heraldic symbolism, though modern heraldry often does not focus on them. The colour does not have widely agreed meanings in culture or faith.
Purple around the world
What the purple and violet family means from country to country.
In Holy Week, members of religious brotherhoods walk in procession in robes and pointed hoods, many of them purple, the colour of penance. A purple band also marked the flag of the Second Republic.
Sacred and holyPolitics and protestSource: Holy Week in SpainSuffragettes campaigning for women's votes wore purple, white and green: purple for dignity, white for purity and green for hope.
Politics and protestCourageSource: SuffragetteA child born to a reigning Byzantine emperor was called porphyrogennetos, born in the purple. The birth took place in a palace room lined with purple stone.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Born in the purpleIn the elections of 2005, voters dipped a finger in purple ink to prevent double voting. The stained finger, held up for cameras, became a sign of the vote.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Election inkPurple dye from the murasaki plant was costly and hard to make. In the court rank system set up under Prince Shotoku, the highest officials wore purple caps.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Twelve Level Cap and Rank SystemThe Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon made Tyrian purple from sea snails. The dye was so costly that it became the colour of kings and Roman emperors.
Royalty and powerAweSource: Tyrian purpleShades and relatives of Purpure
Purpure is sometimes called Imperial Purple or porphyr red in heraldic writing. It is related to Tyrian purple, a famous ancient dye. In some arms, the shade has appeared more grey than purple. French heraldry treats it as an uncertain colour, not always counted among the main ones.
Questions people ask about Purpure
What colour is purpure?
Purpure is the heraldic term for purple, used in coats of arms and banners. In older times, it sometimes appeared as a greyer shade.
Where does the name purpure come from?
The name comes from heraldic tradition, where it stands for purple. It has been used in heraldry since early periods.
How is purpure shown in heraldry?
In heraldic engravings, purpure is marked by a specific pattern or by abbreviations such as purp., pu., or p.
Is purpure a common heraldic colour?
It is one of the main heraldic colours but is used less often than others, and its status as a main colour has sometimes been debated.
What is purpure associated with in heraldry?
Traditionally, it is linked with amethyst, the planet Mercury, and the virtue of temperance, though these associations are not always followed today.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Purpure", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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