Isabelline (colour)
| Isabelline | |
|---|---|
 Colour coordinates |
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| Hex triplet | #F4F0EC |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (244, 240, 236) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (30°, 3%, 96%) |
| Source | |
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B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) |
|
Isabelline /ɪzəˈbɛlɪn/, also known as isabella, is a pale grey-yellow, pale fawn, pale cream-brown or parchment colour. It is primarily found in animal coat colouring, particularly plumage colour in birds and, in Europe, in horses. It also has historically been applied to fashion. The first known record of the word was in 1600 as "isabella colour"; this use later became interchangeable in literature with "isabelline" after the latter was introduced into print in 1859. The origin of the word is unclear; the uncertainty prompted by this has generated several attempts to provide an etymology and led to one prominent legend.
The first recorded use of isabella as the name of a colour in English was in the year 1600, to describe an item in Elizabeth I of England's wardrobe inventory: "one rounde gowne of Isabella-colour satten ... set with silver spangles".Isabelline as a derivative term was first used in the journal Ibis in 1859 by Henry Baker Tristram to describe the common colour of the upper plumage in the birds of Northern Africa.
A few theories have been proposed for the origin of the colour's name. According to a popular legend, the name comes from Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain; during the Siege of Ostend, which started in July 1601, Isabella is claimed to have vowed not to change her shift until the siege was over, expecting a quick victory for her husband Archduke Albert of Austria. Since the siege lasted over three years, finally ending in September 1604, it is claimed that the discolouration of her shift in that interval led to the naming of the colour. However, this theory was discounted by the Oxford English Dictionary as the word was in use before the siege had begun. A variation of the legend refers to Isabella I of Castile and the eight-month siege of Granada by Ferdinand II of Aragon starting in April 1491. This siege ended in January 1492 and again was said to have resulted in overworn shift belonging to an Isabella.
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