16th Century South Italian Stone Carved Coat of Arms, circa 1540

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16th Century South Italian Stone Carved Coat of Arms, circa 1540

About the Item

A large 16th century coat of arms finely carved from a thick slate of sandstone and very well preserved. On the back are still visible traces of the material used to set it into the wall. This coat of arms comes from the medieval South Italian town of " Viggianello", near Lecce. The first written document attesting the presence of Viggianello is the Bull of Alfano, Archbishop of Salerno, dated 1079, in which is mentioned Vineanellum; The name Vinea-Nellum would indicate the particular dedication of the area to farmland and the lack, at the time, of vineyards. Nowadays the town still uses the 16th century coat of arms depicting the union of the two ruling families: Sanseverino della Rotonda (whose insignia is a crenelated tower on a three pointed hill). Chiaromonte (whose insignia are two stars). Underneath the motto, in shortened latin, meaning either: Ius Fero - to bring justice, Ius Fert - the right to bear, Tu Si fero - you bear. Originally it would have hung over the main entrance of a palace or, because of its size, more likely above one of the civic gates of the fortified town. The "Pietra Arenaria," sandstone, has been extensively used since ancient times for buildings, sculpture and carvings because it is easy to work and handsome, with tones differing from grey/light blue to yellow. The town of Alghero, in the north-west of Sardinia, was built entirely from sandstone coming from the coast, including the walls and all the fortifications; The Romans used it in the last quarter of the second century A.D. for the construction of the Porta Nigra (Trier, Germany); Another Example is the well known town of Lecce (not distant from where our coat of arms comes from) where, in the 17th century, literally every building was covered in exuberant carved figures and ornaments.

Dimensions:
Height: 24.02 in (61 cm)Width: 15.75 in (40 cm)Depth: 3.55 in (9 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Stone
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
16th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1540
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: f97351606104886043fs