A rare and outstanding 17th century Swedish coat of arms from the reign of Charles X Gustav, King of Sweden from his coronation on June 6,1654 until his death on February 13, 1660. Very rare to see a coat of arms with three shields, one inside the other as on this all hand carved and painted wooden coat of arms. Shield The shield has four elements: The first and fourth fields, top left and bottom right, show the three Royal Crowns of Sweden. They have been a national symbol since the time of King Albert of Mecklenburg in the 14th century. The second and third field, top right and bottom left, are the traditional Lions of the Folkunga Dynasty from the 12th century. The greater Coat of arms of Sweden is divided quarterly by a cross pattee. (A cross pattee is a type of cross that has arms which are narrow at the center, and broader at the perimeter. The name comes from the fact that the shape of each arm of the cross was thought to resemble a paw.) There is another shield in the middle of the larger one: Upper left is for Bavaria ?Upper right is the coat of arms of Juliers or known today as Julich in FranceBottom left is the coat of arms of the Duchy of ClevesBottom right ? Lastly there is a third smaller shield in the very middle which is for Palatinate (of the Rhine). A gold lion on a black field in use from 14th century until the late 18th century. From the number of shields involved this had to do with the way the regions were divided at the time. All in all a very interesting if not outstanding coat of arms. Condition: Wear is consistant with age, chips and cracks to the paint as seen in pictures. Due to age the background color seems to have oxidized since the Swedish colors are azure blue and yellow and the ground here is greenish. Wear to the back as shown but overall an amazing piece. |
