I’ve uploaded some of my Malta pictures to my Photobucket album at http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/. Here are a few of them.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/GrandMasterdeVilhenaandhisarmsonMus.jpg
The fine gentleman above is Grand Master Manuel de Vilhena (GM 1722-1736). He and his arms are above the entrance to the Natural History Museum in Mdina which was originally his residence.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/CloseupofArmsofGrandMasterdeVilhena.jpg
This is a close up of another rendition of his arms, on the Mdina Gate next to the museum.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/ArmsofGrandMasterdeRohan1775-97inPa.jpg
The arms above are those of Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan (GM 1775-1797) on a building in Palace Square Valletta, opposite the Palace.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/ArmsofGrandMasterPintoonAubergeofCa.jpg
This is the top of the Auberge of Castille (now the Prime Minister’s Office) and the arms are those of Grand Master Manuel Pinto (GM 1741-1773).
James
Here are a few more pictures of arms in Malta
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/ArmsofGrandMasterCotonerinStJohnsCo.jpg
A common sight in Valletta are the canting arms of one of the two Grand Masters Cotoner - Rafel Cotoner (GM 1660-1663) and Nicholas Cotoner (GM 1663-1680). These are inside St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/ArmsofGrandMasterCotonerinStPaulsGr.jpg
and these are in St Paul’s Grotto in Rabat.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/ArmsofGrandMasterPerellosinFortStEl.jpg
Another set of canting arms are those of Grand Master Ramon Perellos (GM 1697-1720), here seen in Fort St Elmo in Valletta.
His arms also feature below on the facade of St Paul’s Co-Cathedral in Mdina (on the left). I’d be interested if anyone can identify the arms on the right and the arms lower centre.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/ArmsabovedoorofStPaulsCathedralMdin.jpg
Those on the right appear to be a palm tree with a chief of the arms of Grand Master Gregorio Carafa (GM 1680-1690) and those in the lower centre I would blazon as
Per Pale, dexter Per fess Azure and bendy sinister Argent and Azure in chief a bird Sable(?) below three six pointed stars Or, sinister Gules a lion rampant Or surmounted by a bend Argent charged with three stars of six points Or. Over all a pall Argent
The style of these arms makes me thik that they are either Maltese or Italian but I haven’t found them in my limited resources on either country.
James
Finally a couple of coats of arms from the floor of St John’s Co-Cathedral that look Grand Magisterial but don’t appear on my reference which shows all the arms of the Grand Masters from Philippe Villiers de l’Isle Adam to Ferdinand de Hompesch. Can anyone identify them? Is there some other rank in the Order that would be quartering the arms of the order in this way?
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/PossibleGrandMagisterialArmsfrom-1.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c317/Talksinsentences/Malta Heraldry/PossibleGrandMagisterialArmsfromStJ.jpg
Apologies for the blurry photos - St John’s Co-Cathedral isn’t the easiest place to take photos and it was very crowded on the one day I spent there due to two liners being in Grand Harbour and a bomb scare closing the GM’s Palace (parliament and two major tourist locations). I would need to spend a week even to make a slight dent in the heraldry in the Co-Cathedral and I’m seriously considering it.
James
James ... THANKS!!!!!!
I love this application of heraldry! Simply awesome!!
Neat pictures. Do you belong to the Soverign Military Order of Malta?
James Dempster wrote:
... Is there some other rank in the Order that would be quartering the arms of the order in this way?
James, thanks for the photographs. I’m not aware of any other rank that would allow quarters. Isn’t that an herzog’s crown?
http://www.excurs.ru/atlas/crowns/Austrerzherzog.gif
or maybe a Styrian crown?
http://www.1uptravel.com/flag/images/a/at)6.gif
http://www.1uptravel.com/flag/flags/at-st.html
Hmmmm…. the 2nd & 3rd quarters have Austria as a shield of pretense .... If not Grandmaster, perhaps a grand prior?
If I’m not mistaken, the crown in your photo is the same as this image taken on 13 Dec 2006:
THE FUNERAL OF THE GRAND PRIOR OF AUSTRIA
http://www.orderofmalta.org/img/notizie/g_foto358.jpg
http://www.orderofmalta.org/notizia.asp?IDNotizia=358&idlingua=5
