Mirror (heraldry)

In heraldry, the mirror is a common figure in the coat of arms and less often in the upper coat of arms or in the hand of a shield holder figure . The coat of arms has been known since the 16th century.

The representation, also slightly three-dimensional, can be a small round or oval hand mirror with and without a handle in the coat of arms or it can have a rectangular shape and both shapes can be adorned by a striking frame. The mirror surface can have any heraldic color , but should be based on the tinging of the coat of arms . When describing the coat of arms , the color and shape must be clearly reported, as confusion with the rings must be avoided.

The heraldic figure Spiegel can be found in the hand of a (sea) maiden. A special feature is known from Napoleonic heraldry . A snake winds around the handle of a hand mirror, which is shown in the blue upper corner on the right . The part of the coat of arms was the hallmark of the Comtes-sénateurs.

A meaning is ascribed to the figure: in the hand of a mermaid it is considered ebb and in the hand of monkeys or monkeys it is considered vanity.

The mirror is also good for talking coats of arms . Examples are the Spiegel family (Spiegel zum Desenberg and Spiegel zu Peckelsheim) and the Spiegelau municipality .

The term mirror also has a different meaning in heraldry:

• The umbrella board , part of the upper coat of arms, is called the mirror, as an older name .
• The repetition of the coat of arms of the shield in the helmet ornament is also emblazoned with the mirror. This form of description is also considered out of date.

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  Example Napoleonic heraldry

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  Weibersbrunn

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  Vic-en-Bigorre

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  Monkeys with mirror in the von Weichs family coat of arms

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  Monkey with mirror in the coat of arms of the Dahn family

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  François Marie d'Aboville

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  Bertizarana

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  La Glacerie rings with rim as a mirror without a stem

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  Talking coat of arms of the von Spiegel family

literature

• Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984, p. 373.
• Walter Leonhard : The great book of heraldic art. Development, elements, motifs, design. 2nd, revised and expanded edition. Georg DW Callwey, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-7667-0345-5 , p. 173 image 12, p. 221 image 4, p. 240 image 2.
• Maximilian Gritzner : Large and general book of arms. Bauer and Raspe, Nuremberg 1888, p. 134. Reprint Salzwasser Verlag GmbH, Paderborn 2013, ISBN 978-3-8460-3670-9 .

Web links

• Mirror (Heraldry) in the Heraldry Wiki

Commons : Mirrors in Heraldry  - collection of images, videos and audio files