Diapering

Diapering of the field of the shield of the Diocese of Worcester: Argent, ten torteau four three two and one

In Heraldry, Diapering (from an old term for damask) is a technique in which those who draw achievements of arms attempt to decorate large areas of flat colour by drawing crosshatches or arabesques. There is no standard, and each artist is allowed his own idiosyncrasies.

Diapering is not specified in the blazon, so a shield with diapering is considered the same as a shield of the same design but without diapering. For this reason, however, diapering must not be so obtrusive or so heavily drawn that it could be mistaken for a charge or for a variation of the field.

Other uses

In Architecture and other decorative arts, diapering or diaper decoration is a decorative treatment of a surface with a repeat pattern of squares or lozenges. A stone wall may be decorated with such a pattern carved in relief; in brickwork the effect may be achieved by using bricks of two different colours, or by allowing certain bricks to protrude from the wall's surface to create a regular diamond-shaped pattern. In English flushwork limestone and dark knapped flint are used. Windows may be set in a diamond shaped lattice.^[1]

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