Set of Six 19th Century Hand Coloured Heraldic Engravings Depicting the Arms of Esquires and Gentlemen of England

£1,650

SOLD

A set of six hand coloured heraldic engravings depicting the arms of Esquires and Gentlemen of England. Circa 1815

For the last thousand years, European nobles and gentlemen have borne arms: lavishly colourful shields emblazoned with stylised beasts, birds and geometric designs. These were used to distinguish families from one another in battle, at tournaments and for the signing of legal documents.

Royalty, the nobility and gentry families have been granted arms in England for many hundreds of years and since the Visitations of the 17th century, Heralds at the College of Arms in London have kept carefully maintained documentation pertaining to armigerous families.

These six engravings, which date from the Regency Period are taken from a publication which provided a complete record of the armigerous families of Great Britain and Ireland at the turn of the nineteenth century. Every sheet has been correctly hand-coloured. The simpler designs represent the oldest families with grants of arms dating back to the sixteenth century and earlier.

Reference: 1136 Categories: ,
Share this item on