Compartment (heraldry) Compartment (heraldry) In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount ("mount vert"), or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing. Care must be taken to distinguish true compartments from items upon which supporters are merely resting one or more feet, or, sometimes, mere heraldic badges or pure decoration under the shield, and, conversely, care must also be taken in very unusual cases such as the coat of arms of Belize, in which what may be taken to be a crest, the mahogany tree rising above the
Tincture (heraldry) era, when heraldic scholars and artists began looking to earlier and simpler periods of armorial design for inspiration. In the English-speaking world, heraldic terminology is based largely on that of British armory, which in turn is based on Norman French. With respect to the heraldic tinctures, French heraldry, which is often cited by heraldic authors, uses similar terminology; while German heraldry, also highly influential, uses a different vocabulary; it calls the colours by their everyday names. In its original sense, "tincture" refers only to the group conventionally referred to as "colours". But as the word "colour" seems inapplicable to the