Heraldry as a Research Topic
R. Sale > 21-05-2021, 08:12 PM
Heraldry clearly has significant relevance to several areas of VMs investigation. Obviously, the cosmic connection shows that a nebuly line indicates a cloud band, which can represent a cosmic boundary in medieval art. Medieval heraldry supplies the name and structure / definition of the nebuly line. Surely the image of the VMs cosmos tells us that this information is contained in that illustration. Heraldry expands the interpretation of the VMs drawing and the use of any other descriptive term for this line, meandering, wobbly, serpentine, etc., provides a connotation that leads in an erroneous direction. That is cultural information derived from medieval heraldry that was known to the VMs artist.
There are various heraldic shield patterns on the tubs of the outer ring of VMs Pisces.
Another heraldic representation is found on VMs White Aries. Though visually conflicted, there are two clear, ideological, heraldic elements: red hats and blue stripes. History reveals the singular situation of the Fieschi popes. The White Aries illustration clearly has a single figure in the inner circle with both attributes. Heraldry defines the attributes and it identifies historical persons. Heraldry is the pictorial language used in the VMs. What more does it tell us about purpose?
As a language, it needs to be read. It needs to be promoted, not ignored - included as a topic of research, not omitted.