Colouristic Analysis of Russian Orders

Abstract

In addition to the symbolism, compositional laconism and colour palette are important for the visual perception of an order. The combination of colours is the first thing perceived by the human eye. This article offers an analysis, based on colour science and colouristics, of the colours and their combinations used to create orders. The work examines three periods of the Russian order: the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and modern Russia. Gold, silver, platinum, and sometimes copper are used in the manufacture of orders. Each of these metals has its own colour: gold is golden yellow, silver and platinum are of silver-grey colour, and copper is golden pink. The colour of the enamel may be ruby red, white, blue, grey, black and green. All orders are divided into four groups. Orders for which only one colour is used are in the first group. These are orders made of one type of metal without the use of enamel. The second group includes awards to which, in addition to the base metal, enamel or the second metal is added. Orders consisting of three colours are in the third group; orders with four colours or more are in the fourth group. An order which is made using only ruby red enamel can be considered an example of a good and concise combination. The classic combination of the silver-grey metal with red enamel works very well. The yellow colour of the metal matches with the red one, creating a bright festive palette. The same as the combination of the saturated and the neutral, the golden yellow goes well with the silver-grey. In addition to the base metals, such as silver and enamel, gilding is used in other awards. As a rule, red is dominant in such orders; some elements are gilded but the silver-grey colour balances the bright combination of red and golden. The next category of orders with four or more colours can be divided into two subgroups. The first subgroup includes orders with one or two dominant colours whereas orders with four or more colours, distributed relatively evenly, are in the second one. Having analysed the orders of the three historical periods of Russia, the following conclusions can be drawn: the royal orders are more conservative, the most interesting colour combinations are from the Soviet era, the modern awards have largely lost the experience of previous generations.