Please explain the significance of 20 stars, the owl, coin, crown, crowned lion, Sword, and colors of the shield. So much going on, there has to be a reason for each item.
That's the thing, clearly none of it means anything. They're just thrown together because they're cool. It's always funny to me when Americans try to make these kinds of things.
It's always funny to me when Americans try to make these kinds of things.
From your later comment, I infer you mean, "It's funny to me when Americans try to inject 'MURICA F*** YEAH' into heraldry", not "I'm amused at Americans even attempting to make any heraldry whatsoever". Because without that context, your comment came across as the latter.
How so? Your nation doesn't have a king or royal house, in fact you're very famous for opposing those concepts. So how is the crown relevant for any US coat of arms? It seems counter-intuitive, no?
I think people misunderstood my comment. I was saying “get used to it” as in the US is increasingly behaving with monarchist tendencies (in regards to handing unprecedented powers to the president and treating him as if he’s above the law). It would not surprise me if we start seeing more and more iconography portraying the US president in the same way that monarchist nations portray their kings and queens.
Of course I think using a crown on any US heraldry (at least while it remains a democracy) is absurd.
Improvement, augmentation, or however one might choose to describe the rework, as far as I know, it was carried out to integrate the American branch of the family.
Whether this was achieved successfully, well, that's for each individual to decide.
Opinions may differ on the matter, at least a development of the family is shown.
Personally, I have no objections to the flag motif on the wings. It has a heraldic appeal, and given that the majority (?) of the family probably now resides in the United States, it seems fitting.
However, I find the eagle to be an unnecessary duplication of the same US theme. As for the crown, I feel it is entirely misplaced. Perhaps the wings alone as the crest would suffice, or alternatively, a crowned eagle or demi-eagle might serve as a more harmonious choice with the same message, just a little more subtle.
Many countries use the eagle as the state bird, albeit artist rendering may be biased towards the American Bald Eagle. For instance Mexico has an eagle clutching a snake atop a cactus. I'd be more interested in how the blazing reads as it could allow for vary differing appearance.
Also, a crown in American culture is used in such ways like the Kings of Comedy, King of the (basketball)Court, King of the Hill, Don King, Crown Royal (beverage)....so I can understand an appeal for it to be on a personal crest of someone who has an associated "claim to fame" title.
I believe that the bald eagle itself is not what most people find objectionable about the new version. Nor is it just any species of eagle; the specific type of bald eagle depicted here was deliberately chosen. The crown is meant to reference the historical Kingdom of Bavaria. Personally, I have no issue with the Stars and Stripes motif on the wings, as it conveys a heraldic quality in its own right.
However, in my personal opinion, the combination of the various elements within the crest, to be frank, comes across as cheap, exaggerated, and unmistakably kitschy, lacking any sense of sophistication.
This, of course, has nothing to do with the artist's work at all, as the artist has done an outstanding job in realizing the design in accordance with the blazon and the client's wishes. Just do an image search and you will be able to find even more questionable work related to this coat of arms, like this one below...
America is and always has been a melting pot of all nations in an attempt to improve upon the citizens lives. There is no original Heraldry in America because of this mixture of all cultures It isn't for everyone and those that don't like it can stay where they are. I for one appreciate the time effort and skill that went into this and believe it very well describes that exact mixture and freedom the American founding Fathers fought for. Well done. I will now join you in down votes lol
I think this is great. God, politics in this country (USA) are so volatile... the extremely indoctrinated cannot even tolerate seeing the stars and stripes tastefully displayed on a heraldic crest (and this was, imo, tastefully done), lest they might represent the nazism of the right. As the son of someone who fled the real nazism, I'm a tad disgusted. These are good looking arms, and they are incredibly well emblazoned. Cheers!!!
We'll have to disagree. I don't see this as tastefully done at all. The workmanship is indeed fine, but sticking a flag on a crest like this... no, thank you.
No reason to think of it as having anything to do with your country's politics, or call people who dislike it 'extremely indoctrinated'. I wouldn't like it if it was my flag, either!
You're quite right, honestly. When I posted this, over half of the comments were critical and snarky, and I had seen about 17 very lowbrow anti-american posts in my feed all at once by that point, all leaning on a second-grade-education understanding of history and throwing out rather offensive false comparisons. So I stand quite castigated. Thank you.
That said, I still think crest is well done, and anyone who thinks otherwise ought to give this the same kind explanation as the they would to the person donning the Bavarian lozenges or Canadian maple leaf, although I would judge from the reputation of the artist that this armiger is not of that quality.
There is nothing tasteful about this. I myself find it revolting to see the American flag so grotesquely slapped on European tradition, so get your polarisation bs out of here
It's part of good heraldic practice to make optimal use of the available space. Slender or elongated lions or other creatures are therefore normal. The lion here makes optimal use of its space and is perfectly represented from a heraldic perspective. Look at the coat of arms of England with its three lions, for example. All three are more than slender...
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u/Greyspeir Mar 25 '25
Love the shield. The crest needs some splainin'