We enter the Château d'Écouen, National Museum of the Renaissance since Malraux, expecting to discover an educational exhibition on heraldry.
And we come out of it with a taste of poetry and wonder.
Because the coat of arms, this “logo” born in the 12th century, an extension of the shield, which was used to recognize knights on the battlefield, is a language.
And, as such, beyond its primary function of identifying, its users have played with it a lot depending on the circumstances.
“In the 16th century, as in the Middle Ages, everyone, from the craftsman to the corporation or the city, including religious orders, could invent emblematic mottos or formulas.
We simply did not have the right to usurp those of others
, explains Thierry Crépin-Leblond, director of the place and co-curator.
This lasted until Louis XIV, who standardized the coat of arms in order to more effectively levy the size, this tax from which the nobility was freed.
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Until then, the coat of arms has therefore proliferated, evolving...
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