Parchment Cover with Coat of Arms
Dateca. 1550
Mediumvellum (processed animal material)
Dimensions25 x 18 in. (63.5 x 45.7 cm)
ClassificationsDocumentary Artifact
Credit LineAlbuquerque Museum, museum purchase, 1979 General Obligation Bonds
Object numberPC1982.16.1
DescriptionParchment document cover including a Spanish coat of arms in red containing Latin text and animal imagery. Altered during the reign of Carlos I, the royal coat of arms illustrated Spanish dominion in Europe and the Americas. Every element of the border and shield has a specific symbolic meaning tied to colonial ambitions. An example of this can been seen in the meaning behind the Pillars of Hercules which were associated in Roman times with the Straits of Gibraltar. Prior to the European discover of lands in the Western Hemisphere, they carried the motto "Ne Plus Ultra," "No more Beyond," a reference to the new discoveries. Carlos I had the word "ne" removed as an indication of his ambition to expand the Spanish Empire beyond its European possessions.On View
Not on viewTerms
ca. 1880
