Editing Bleu celeste (section)

{{short description|Tincture}}
{{about|the heraldic tincture|use of the color elsewhere|Sky blue}}
{{More footnotes|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox heraldic tincture
|title                   = Bleu celeste
|class                   = Colour
|non-heraldic_equivalent = [[Sky blue]]
|hatching                = {{Hatching colors|Bleu celeste}}
|hex                     = 7EC0EE
|tricking                = 
|gemstone                = 
|planet                  = 
|flower                  = 
}}

[[File:Heraldic Shield Bleu-celeste.svg|right|122px|Blue celeste tincture]]
'''Bleu celeste''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|b|l|uː|_|s|ə|ˈ|l|ɛ|s|t}}, "sky blue") is a rarely occurring and non-standard [[tincture (heraldry)|tincture]] in [[heraldry]] (not being one of the seven main colours or metals or the three [[Stain (heraldry)|''staynard colours'']]).  This tincture is sometimes also called '''ciel''' or simply '''celeste'''.  It is depicted in a lighter shade than the range of shades of the more traditional tincture [[Azure (heraldry)|azure]], which is the standard blue used in heraldry.

Generally considered to be European rather than English or Scottish, after the [[First World War]] it started to appear in England in arms and [[Heraldic badge|badges]] relating to the [[Royal Air Force]], though it is still doubtful if any more than a dozen examples could be found in British heraldry, and most British heralds consider it unheraldic. While in the post-World War I period bleu-celeste is depicted as a darker shade, in prior times it was depicted as very light, and has even been treated as a metal, as [[Azure (heraldry)|azure]] charges have been placed on a bleu celeste field, and ''vice versa''.

Regardless, ''bleu celeste'' is still used by [[heraldic authorities]], such as Britain's [[College of Arms]] in London, with one example of the [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20181120063623/http://www.armorial-register.com/arms-en/flamberg-js-arms.html arms of Jacob Flamberg] being granted in 2016 using bleu celeste in the blazon for the field, mantling and charge, in each case ''per pale/party'' with sable.

''"Per pale Bleu Celeste and Sable on a Fess wavy between three Plum Trees eradicated Argent a Wolf courant per pale Sable and Bleu Celeste langued and armed Gules"'' and ''"Party Bleu Celeste and Sable doubled Argent"''<ref>{{cite web|last1=Flambefrg|first1=Jacob|title=The Arms of Jacob Simon Flamberg|url=http://www.armorial-register.com/arms-en/flamberg-js-arms.html|website=International Armorial Register|publisher=The Armorial Register|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=3 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403032808/http://www.armorial-register.com/arms-en/flamberg-js-arms.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bleu celeste can also be seen in the arms of Israel and Peru and also in the arms of former [[Canadians|Canadian]] [[Governor General]] [[Ray Hnatyshyn]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=General |first=Office of the Secretary to the Governor |date=2020-11-12 |title=The Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges of Canada |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/public-register |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=The Governor General of Canada}}</ref> In the arms of the [[University of Natal]] Athletic Union the ''azure'' is defined as "sky blue".<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Archives of South Africa (NASA) Database Selection |url=http://www.national.archsrch.gov.za/sm300cv/smws/sm30ddf0?20050217191919384F61A4&DN=00000053 |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=www.national.archsrch.gov.za}}</ref>