Escudo de Castilla y León

Martos García, J. C., video of the heraldic catalogue

Credits:

  • Kevin MacLeod es el autor de la música.
  • Dr.ª Marianne Steinbauer tiene los derechos del tipo de letra.

Blazon keywords: Gules, Or, Argent, Five, Sword, Point upwards, In fess, Vairy, Crest and mantling, Helm, Mantling, Wreath, Crest, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, The fangs, The eyes, Sinister, Grasping, Key, Supporter (animal), Supporter and Motto.

Classification: Video, Created, Personal, Catalogue and Heraldic document.

Bearer: Martos García, Juan Carlos.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Martos García, J. C., coat of arms on chinapiería

Party per fess: 1 Gules, five swords erect, in fess Argent; 2 Vairy Or and Gules. Crest: Upon a helm with a wreath Or and Gules, a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, the fangs and the eyes Gules, grasping in its sinister paw a key Argent. Mantling: Gules doubled Or. Supporters: Two lions rampant Or, armed, langued, the fangs and the eyes Gules. Motto: «Veritas filia temporis» Gules over a scroll Argent.

Party per fess: 1 Gules, five swords erect, in fess Argent; 2 Vairy Or and Gules. Crest: Upon a helm with a wreath Or and Gules, a lion rampant Or, armed, langued, the fangs and the eyes Gules, grasping in its sinister paw a key Argent. Mantling: Gules doubled Or. Supporters: Two lions rampant Or, armed, langued, the fangs and the eyes Gules. Motto: «Veritas filia temporis» Gules over a scroll Argent.

Escudo cortado: 1o de gules, cinco espadas alzadas, en faja de plata; 2o verado de oro y gules. Timbrado de un yelmo, adornado de dos lambrequines de gules doblados de oro, un burelete de oro y gules, cimado de un león rampante de oro, armado, lampasado, fierezado y encendido de gules, teniendo en la siniestra una llave de plata. Soportes: dos leones rampantes de oro, armados, lampasados, fierezados y encendidos de gules. Lema: «Veritas filia temporis» de gules sobre una filacteria de plata.

Complete coat of arms with motto, crest, and two supporters, illuminated, outlined in Sable and in raised-stroke, and mounted on a circular chinapiería, illuminated in Argent and Or metal; the chinapiería is the same used to damask the mantling and the torse and it bears 269 as its registration number within my chinapiería catalogue.

[Real Academia Española; 2014] defines «adamascar» as «to give fabrics an appearance similar to damask» and «damasco» as «a strong silk or wool fabric with patterns formed by the weave».

Blazon keywords: Party per fess, Gules, Or, Argent, Five, Sword, Point upwards, In fess, Vairy, Crest and mantling, Helm, Mantling, Wreath, Crest, Lion, Rampant, Armed, Langued, The fangs, The eyes, Sinister, Grasping, Key, Supporter (animal), Supporter and Motto.

Style keywords: Chinapieria, Pointed, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Watercolor.

Classification: Created, Personal and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Martos García, Juan Carlos.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Video, drawing a helm

Video of the making, step by step, of a helm based on the stechhelm of John the Steadfast of Saxony, around the year 1500. The stechhelm is a type of helm used by knights mainly in tournaments, from 1400 to 1525.

The soundtrack of the video is «Hot Swing» by Kevin MacLeod.

Credits: Kevin MacLeod es el autor de la música.

Blazon keywords: Helm.

Classification: Video.

Bearer: Martos García, Juan Carlos.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León

Bearers of the coat of arms by name

SalmeronA 27 Insignia Marmorea jpg

Index of the bearers of the coats of arms ordered alphabetically by name of the bearer:

~ A ~

~ B ~

~ C ~

~ D ~

~ E ~

~ F ~

~ G ~

~ H ~

~ I ~

~ J ~

~ K ~

~ L ~

~ M ~

~ N ~

~ O ~

~ P ~

~ Q ~

~ R ~

~ S ~

~ T ~

~ U ~

~ V ~

~ W ~

~ Y ~

~ Z ~

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León Libro abierto, hojas de plata, filo de oro, guardas de gules, tapas de sable.

Parsons, R. J.; 1989

Robert John Parsons, heraldic painter at the College of Arms, «The Herald Painter», is an article derived from the lecture given by R. J. Parsons at The Heraldry Society on January 18, 1989, at the premises of «The Society of Antiquaries» at Burlington House, London, and later published in Coat of Arms, COA, An Heraldic Quarterly Magazine, issue 146, The Heraldry Society, Baldock, Hertfordshire, summer of 1989.

This article presents a historical review of the heraldic painters at the «College of Arms» and analyzes the creation of coats of arms and other objects like badges, flags, stained glass, seals, etc. It is especially interesting for its view of the current stage of heraldic art and, even more, the description of the author's own working method.

I highly recommend reading this article and, here, I present some of the ideas that I highlighted while studying this text by R. J. Parsons, who is «herald painter to Her Majesty's College of Arms».

Tradition and innovation in heraldic art

Creativity, innovation, and achieving a unique style are fundamental characteristics of any self-respecting artist, but when artists enter the realm of heraldry and, especially when working for institutions like the College of Arms, the weight of the norms and rules of heraldry, its long historical tradition, the reverential respect towards it, the language of blazon, the need for a long initiation process, etc. can cause artists to curb their natural impulses, become intimidated, and adhere strictly to rules to avoid criticism, which hinders the introduction of new proposals, ideas, and styles, risking making heraldry a static and time-bound field.

R. J. Parsons' working method

Robert Parsons explains that the first phase of his method is to create the complete drawing of the coat of arms and its ornamentation on tracing paper, starting with the coat of arms and then outlining all the external ornamentation.

He does this considering that the main problem he must solve is reconciling the two-dimensionality of the coat of arms with the three-dimensionality of the external ornamental elements, such as the supporters, mantling, crest, etc. which must be designed as if enveloping the coat of arms. The extent to which this is achieved provides an idea of each artist's skill.

Silhouettes, expressiveness, and balance

R. J. Parsons believes that the silhouettes of the figures probably characterize each artist and their designs the most. For him, each silhouette must be bold and express emotions, and the silhouettes must maintain proportions that give balance to the whole, as there are no rules that guarantee a good aesthetic result.

To achieve boldness and expressiveness in the figures, especially in natural ones, the artist must emphasize certain features and stylize others, resulting in, for example, in beasts and birds, representations that diverge from natural reality.

Shape of the coat of arms and space

All delineation must be done within the chosen mouth shape for the coat of arms. These shapes have evolved over time, and the artist must consider that some shapes facilitate the internal composition of the coat of arms more than others. For example, he highlights the difficulty of fitting the pieces and figures within lozenge-shaped shields, traditionally carried by unmarried women.

Regardless of the chosen shape, pieces and figures must be arranged to use the entire internal space correctly, neither too small to leave space nor too large to make the whole crowded.

External ornamentation

Robert J. Parsons observes that nowadays the protocol rules that used to govern external ornamentation have been greatly relaxed, for example, regarding the shapes, positions, and orientations of the helmets depending on who would be the holder of the coat of arms, and this relaxation has favored art, aesthetics, and the balance of the whole coat of arms.

He states that of all the external ornamentation, and many heraldic artists will agree with him, the most complex to create are the supporters and tenants, and of the three, the tenants, i.e., human figures, are the most difficult.

Human figures do not have a proper heraldic characterization as lions, unicorns, boars, etc., do. The characterization of women and men in heraldry is done through their attire and the objects they carry or accompany them, with ancient attire and objects being the easiest to characterize, while the more modern and, even more so, the more naked they are, the more difficult and challenging it becomes to create heraldically attractive tenants.

As a general rule, Parsons advises that the visual weight of supporters, tenants, and tenants be similar to that of the coat of arms, so that they neither draw all the observer's attention due to their excessive size nor look ridiculous and incapable of performing their function, which is to support the visual weight of the coat of arms.

Tinctures, shadows, edges, and highlights

When he finishes the drawing phase, R. J. Parsons explains how he transfers it to a new paper support and, then:

  • he starts by applying the tinctures for the metals,
  • the first he applies is gold using gold powder, although it is known that other artists use gold leaf,
  • then the metal silver is left as the white of the paper,
  • then he proceeds with the colors, using gouache, an opaque watercolor, following the order from light to dark,
  • so the first color he applies is gules, which he tends to make somewhat translucent,
  • then the mid-tones, azure and vert.
  • ending with sable, which he makes warmer with a touch of burnt sienna,
  • after applying the tinctures, he adds shadows to suggest forms, noting that some schools say everything should be in flat inks, without shadows or highlights, and even without delineated edges as can be seen, for example, in Norsk Heraldisk Forening,
  • then he delineates the silhouettes and
  • finishes by adding highlights to bring the composition to life.

The motto or slogan is the last element with which Robert John Parsons completes the creation of a coat of arms.

Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Author: Parsons, Robert John.

The following article cites this bibliographic reference:

External link:

Internal resources: ParsonsRJ1989.TheHeraldPainter.docx.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León Libro abierto, hojas de plata, filo de oro, guardas de gules, tapas de sable.

Nieto y Cortadellas, R.; 1957a

Rafael Nieto y Cortadellas, «La Generala Santander y sus parientes habaneros los Pontón», 35 pages, 25 centimeters, about the family Sáenz del Pontón, National Archive of Cuba, reprinted edition by the National Archive Bulletin, volume LVI, 1957.

Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Classification: Castilian language.

Author: Nieto y Cortadellas, Rafael.

Bibliographical reference mentioned in the following article:

External resources:

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León Libro abierto, hojas de plata, filo de oro, guardas de gules, tapas de sable.

Wade, W. C.; 1898

William Cecil Wade, «The symbolisms of heraldry or A treatise on the meanings and derivations of armorial bearings», 186 pages, 95 black and white pictures, Robert Holmes Collection, published by George Redway, London, 1898.

Although Romanticism sought the symbolism of the heraldic elements, I believe that the meaning of the elements of the coat of arms, if they have it, is provided by its creator or first bearer. In any case, the content of this symbolic book is the following:

William Cecil Wade, 1898, cover and pages 78-79 y 61.
  • The origin of armorial bearings; page 11.
  • The symbolic side of heraldry; page 13.
  • Heraldic colors and metals; page 35.
  • The furs of heraldry; page 38.
  • The meaning of heraldic lines; page 40.
  • The symbolisms of the ordinaries; page 43.
  • The division lines of the shield; page 55.
  • The colors of the common charges not symbolical, chapter with 2 paragraphs only; page 57.
  • Symbolisms of the common charges; page 59.
  • Crowns, mitres, episcopal hats, etc.; page 138.
  • Examples of symbolisms of colors and armorial bearings; page 149.
  • Cadency and differencing; page 154.
  • Alphabetic index; page 162.

Bibliographical reference of century XIX.

Classification: Symbolism, In black and white and English language.

Author: Wade, William Cecil.

Bibliographical reference mentioned in the following article:

External resource:

Internal resources: WadeWC1898.SymbolismsHeraldry.pdf.

Separador heráldico
Escudo de Castilla y León Libro abierto, hojas de plata, filo de oro, guardas de gules, tapas de sable.

Emblemata; 2002

Baron of Valdeolivos Emblematic Chair, of the Fernando el Catolico Institution, of the Centre of Scientific Research (C. S. I. C.) and of the Government of Zaragoza, «Emblemata», Volume 8th, Emblemata Aragonese Magazine about Emblems (E. R. A. E.), 454 pages, 58 pictures, ISSN 1137-1056, Legal deposit Z.3.937 1996, printed by the Cooperativa de Artes Gráficas Librería General, Zaragoza, 2002.

Bibliographical reference of century XXI.

Classification: Magazine and Castilian language.

Author: Cátedra de Emblemática Barón de Valdeolivos.

External links:

Internal resources: Emblemata2002.Volumen08.pdf.

Separador heráldico

Continue with: Artistic technique in Heraldry.

 

Dr. Antonio Salmerón y Cabañas,
,
Paseo de la Castellana 135, 7th floor,
28046 Madrid, Spain.