Carnation (heraldry)

In heraldry, carnation is a tincture, the name for skin colour, more exactly the colour of pale or European human skin (i.e., pale pinkish orange).

It is rare in coats of arms in Anglophone countries but quite frequent on the European continent, in France in particular, derived from widespread use in German heraldry. In its rare appearances in Anglophone armory; it is not only used for European flesh tones, as in a crown rayonny or supported by two cubit arms, dexter carnation, sinister skeletal proper (crest of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists) but is also used for a general pink colouring as in a horse passant argent bridled saddled and trappings or, on its head a plume of three feathers carnation (crest of The Worshipful Company of Saddlers, England).