Arms on Map

 
ESmith
 
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ESmith
Total Posts:  550
Joined  15-11-2005
 
 
 
12 July 2006 01:35
 

Does anyone know about the coat of arms in the upper left corner of this map:

http://classicmaps.com/images/mapC.jpg.

 

I first saw it on a giant map of the world at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon.  This is a lousy example but not knowing what it is called it is difficult to find a better one…

 
Donnchadh
 
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Donnchadh
Total Posts:  4101
Joined  13-07-2005
 
 
 
12 July 2006 01:39
 

hard to tell for sure, as they are so small, but it looks like Portugal to me.

8)

 
Joseph McMillan
 
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Joseph McMillan
Total Posts:  7658
Joined  08-06-2004
 
 
 
12 July 2006 08:50
 

Yes, Portugal is correct.  Here’s a better image of the version used by the Portuguese Republic; the shield is the same as shown on the map, but placed on the armillary sphere functioning as a supporter and minus the royal crown.  The basic design of the arms hasn’t changed appreciably since the 13th century, although the number of plates on the small blue shields and the number of castles on the bordure were definitively set at five and seven respectively only in 1557.

http://www.fotw.net/images/p/pt).gif

 

(Image by Vítor Luís and António Martins, from Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/pt).html