Getty Museum

Study for a Stained Glass Window with the Coat of Arms of the Barons von Paar (recto); Study for a Sceptre with the Initials MB (verso)

Date

about 1540

Medium

Pen and brown ink with gray wash (recto); black chalk (verso)

Culture

German

Department

Drawings

Institution

Getty Museum

The inscription that wraps around this design for a stained-glass window identifies the arms as those of Marcus Belidorus de Casnio, an ancestor of the noble von Paar family. A bare-breasted woman supports the bottom of the family's coat of arms, which is tied to a leafless tree. From its branches hang other elements of their emblems. The crowned bull on the left carries the initials *MB* on the end of a sword. The motto hanging from the tree reads *Stemmata virtuti et munificentie ad avcta. Herov[m] propria* (The family trees of heroes grow greater through virtue and munificence), suggesting the continuation of the glory of de Casnio's descendants. A small turreted palace beside a lake in the background displays a specifically Northern European style. To give this scene depth and volume, Georg Pencz combined delicate line drawing with carefully applied washes.

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