Escutcheon Plate with the Device of Ottheinrich, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1502–1559)

Unknown

ca. 1525 · Steel · Arms and Armor

Initially intended to reinforce the shaffron in the vulnerable forehead region, escutcheon plates became increasingly decorative in the sixteenth century, providing a prominent surface for heraldic display, personal emblems, and devices. This example is etched with an hourglass, and the (abbreviated) motto Mit der Zeit ("with time," in the sense of "all in good time")––the device of Ottheinrich (1502–1559), Count Palatine of the Rhine.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1525

Medium

Steel

Culture

German, Augsburg

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913