Shield of the Discovery of America, Madrid Armory, Antique Print, 1851

This is an original antique chromolithograph, printed in gold, silver gray and steel, showing a round parade shield with four spurs at the corners. In the center, on a silver gray ground, an armored commander holding a banner stands on a ship, with winged figures flying and kneeling beside him, gods holding a trident and a column at the left, and reclining figures of a bearded river god and a woman in the foreground. The broad gilt border is a garland of fruit and leaves set with silver putti, with a ram's head at the top. Three of the spurs are steel and one is gilt, all with star shaped rowels.

The running head reads "LE MOYEN-ÂGE ET LA RENAISSANCE." at the left and "ARMURERIE. Pl. XVIII" at the right. Below the image are the credits "Rivaud del.", "Chromolith. Lemercier." and "H. Moulin lith.". The caption reads "BOUCLIER dit de la découverte de l'Amérique (XVIe Siècle) Armeria real de Madrid." and "ÉPERONS du XVIe Siècle. (Musée National de Cluny.)" (shield called that of the discovery of America, sixteenth century, Royal Armory of Madrid; spurs of the sixteenth century, Musée de Cluny), followed by "F. Séré direxit."

Le Moyen Âge et la Renaissance was edited by Paul Lacroix, who also wrote as the Bibliophile Jacob, with Ferdinand Séré directing the illustrations, and was published in Paris in five volumes between 1848 and 1851. Its chapters, written by a range of specialists, survey the arts, crafts, sciences and customs of Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and its plates reproduce objects, manuscripts and buildings in public and private collections of the day. This plate comes from the fourth volume, of 1851, where it accompanies the section headed "Armurerie" (armor). The shield and the spurs come from different collections, as the caption records.

The plate can be framed on its own or hung with other plates from the work.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.