Journal of the Society of Arts : Volume LI, No. 2623 [‎725v] (8/32)

3°6
JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS.
[February 27, 1903,
Primarily heraldry, no doubt, consisted of
the devices which distinguished leaders in the
field, but its close connection with the person
ality of its bearer, whom it represented in a
very intimate way, also led to its use in every
conceivable form of decoration. In costume,
ornament, and furniture, as well as in the
hangings of tapestry and in other mural adorn
ments, it became a striking and universal
feature of the art work of its time. Owing to
this strong personal and allusive quality, the
employment of heraldic motives in the decora
tion of buildings has continued, even down to
our own time, to show a more marked degree
of excellence than was for a long period
present in other forms of heraldic expression.
Decorative w'ork was also the direction in
which the revival of heraldry, which accom
panied the Gothic revival, first showed itself.
Perhaps the inherent difficulties of the materials
may have suggested the sincerity of the effort
to properly employ them.
It w r ill not be necessary (even if time allowed)
to go very far into the origin of heraldry. For
our purpose it began about the nth century—
that is to say, it began to be used and syste
matised, more or less, as we know it, but in
its essence it must always have existed.
The desire to distinguish himself by some
visible means seems to have characterised man
ever since we know anything about him.
Badges are mentioned as the ornaments of
kings and chiefs from the earliest historic
times, from that of the Chaldean King, 4000
B.C., onwards. Some of these early personal
devices were strangely similar to those with
which we are familiar in later times. The figures
on the sculptures at Persepolis, for example,
have veritable crests on their heads, and these
also occur on the heads of the king and his heir
apparent in contemporary coins. There may
even have been some sort of regulations con
trolling the use of the various devices, but we
may at least be sure that the powers that w r ere
took good care that others did not use their
badges if they could help it.
Artistically, our heraldry from its rise in the
1 ith century quickly developed a high standard
of decorative excellence, flourishing exceed
ingly, with certain changes of style and method,
for three hundred years until the middle of the
16th century, when its period of greatest strength
and beauty ended, and its decadence began.
As a system it seems to have developed in a
natural way on the lines of its own necessities,
as did its artistic expression in a great measure,
but the latter ow r ed much to previous design,
and, mainly through the influence of the
textiles and other importations (sometimes,
brought by returning crusaders), helped to
perpetuate in the Western world the lions,
eagles, and strange and characteristic com
posite animals of the East. Ihese ancient
prototypes of heraldic forms are singularly
interesting, and concern us here because they
sometimes possess in a marked degree qualities
which teach valuable lessons that are applic
able to present use. This will be discussed
presently.
Although at first the mediaeval draughts
man followed the drawing of his imported
or traditional motives with considerable close
ness (as in the lions of one of the 13th
century MSS. in the British Museum), he
soon began to treat them in the way that
came to be considered peculiarly heraldic. In
thus handling his motives he was entirely him
self, and the outcome was the natural result of
that splendid sense of design which distin
guished him. The style is rightly considered
purely heraldic, because it arose from its own
heraldic conditions, and was the result of the very
sane intention that the thing done should be
suited to the use to which it was to be put, viz.,
to serve as a distinctive badge, which could be
seen and easily read at a distance, and, in
many cases, when in motion. To this end the
object w r as drawn as large as the containing-
space would fairly admit, and its form was
attenuated so as to allow the ground colour to
show through in due proportion, and so effect
clearness of definition. Vigorous draughts
manship also contributed to the splendidly
decorative effect that was due to good distri
bution, and the fine balance of colour that
results from it. Thus the treatment which w r as
suggested by reasons of practical convenience,
resulted in an effect of great decorative value
which also afforded opportunity for the use of
expressive line. It is interesting to contrast
this treatment with that of the later renais
sance, such as the naturalistic lion by Della
Robbia, which would have become an undis-
tinguishable blob at a distance at which the
attenuated form would have been quite effective-
In a similar way an eagle drawn in the ancient
way, with the wing-feathers strongly divided,
was at once more distinct and more decorative
than its renaissance successor.
Another practical consideration, the need of
readily repairing the damage caused in actioa
to the actual shield, dictated the flat and
simple treatment of much of the painted
decoration. A similar simplicity occurs in