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…
hard to tell for sure, as they are so small, but it looks like Portugal to me.
8)
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 VÃtor LuÃs and António Martins, from Flags of the World, http://www.fotw.net/flags/pt).html