I ran across a picture of this in a book today and then was able to hunt down a high resolution photograph on the National Archives website. These are the royal arms of France, the provincial arms of Louisiana (originally the arms of the French Compagnie des Indes), and, by process of elimination, of Louis de Billouart, Chevalier de Kerlérec (1704-1770), who was governor of the province 1753-63. The arms are painted on a 1761 commission issued by Kerlérec to the Cherokee chief Okana-Stoté for service against the British in the French and Indian War.
The arms of Billouart de Kerlérec are Or a cross couped and in chief two mullets of six points pierced Azure. The cross of the Royal Military Order of St. Louis is suspended beneath the shield.
I will add this to the REAA when I get a chance.
[IMG]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8566/16105523014_30c3fea45b_o.jpg
The full document is at http://media.nara.gov/dc-metro/rg-059/gallery/HD1-99295046_001.jpg.
What a great find!
Is that not a border Azure also?
EDIT: oh, duh, I see, that’s supposed to be what the order is suspended from, not a border, I see.
Jeffrey Boyd Garrison;102813 wrote:
What a great find!
Is that not a border Azure also?
EDIT: oh, duh, I see, that’s supposed to be what the order is suspended from, not a border, I see.
I wondered the same thing, but then I noticed that both the royal and provincial arms were similarly outlined in a way that I know for a fact aren’t bordures.
Excellent! Nice addition to our roll
The Order of St Louis had a crimson ribbon (which you can see tied in a bow). That said, I agree with Joseph that it’s just an artistic border. The Royal arms have a green one, the territorial arms a red one, and the knights arms a blue one.
Gov Kerlerec’s arms are now up on the REAA.
http://www.americanheraldry.org/pages/uploads/Roll/kerlerec1.gif
Are you positive the mullets are supposed to be blue? In the picture at the top of this thread they appear to be another color—such as a faded black
arriano;102829 wrote:
Are you positive the mullets are supposed to be blue? In the picture at the top of this thread they appear to be another color—such as a faded black
Yes. Thanks to Francois Velde, I’ve seen the entry for Kerlerec’s father in the Armorial General de France. Definitely blue. (I also think they’re definitely blue on the commission, but absolutely in the AGF.)