COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 333 



1893, but no detailed description and illustration of the shield has 

 since been published. 



It is a large &quot;adarga.&quot; of the peculiar, rounded, heart-shaped, form 

 that was originally Moorish, but was adopted by the Spaniards in the 

 sixteenth century and generally used by their mounted lancers. It is 

 made of stout leather, with ribs of cane, and may have been manufac 

 tured in Spain and sent to Mexico to be only decorated there. On the 

 other hand, it may be a clever imitation of a Spanish shield made by a 

 native artisan, a fact that would have enhanced its value as a curiosity. 

 The design, executed in the tiniest of feathers and covering the entire 

 face of the shield, shows artistic merit, and is undoubtedly of Spanish 

 origin. A broad and beautiful border of rich arabesque design sur 

 rounds the field, which displays four divisions, each containing an his 

 torical scene. These represent the four memorable victories gained 

 by the Spaniards. The first is the battle of &quot;las Navas,&quot; fought 

 under Alfonso VIII, in 1212; the second, the entry into Granada by 

 Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. In the third, the battle of Muhlberg, 

 which took place in 1547, the Emperor, Charles Y, is represented on 

 horseback, in the foreground, in precisely the same attitude and armor 

 as in his famous equestrian portrait by Titian, a fact proving that the 

 artist who designed the decoration of the shield must have copied from 

 the latter original. 



The fourth scene shows the naval victory of Lepanto, with both fleets 

 in action, and the Spanish conqueror, John of Austria, receiving hom 

 age from the vanquished Moors. As this event transpired in 1571, 

 durin-g the reign of Phillip II, the reputed possessor of the shield, a clue 

 to its age is afforded by this date. 



A curious allegorical group occupies the center of its field and con 

 sists of two herons, wearing royal crowns, one bird in a passive attitude, 

 the other, smaller in size, advancing with outstretched wings and peck 

 ing at a recumbent wounded dragon, near to which is a smaller reptile. 

 This curious group is surmounted by a scroll bearing the device, &quot; Serae. 

 spes. unas. senectae.&quot; I was informed by Count de Valencia that 

 this, translated, signifies &quot;The only hope of declining age,&quot; and that 

 the group represents the Roman Catholic faith (symbolized by one 

 heron), defended by the Spanish Monarch (symbolized by the fighting 

 bird), against infidelity and heresy (represented under the form of the 

 dragon and smaller reptile). 



A close study of the group and the motto 011 the scroll leads me to 

 give the allegorical device a slightly different interpretation, and to 

 conclude that, though made during the lifetime of Phillip II, the shield 

 was destined for his only son and heir, for the latter was the sole 

 person to whom the motto could apply, and therefore be appropriately 

 inscribed on his shield. It should be borne in mind that Phillip II 

 died in 1598, at the age of 71, and was succeeded by the only surviving 

 offspring of his four marriages, Phillip III, aged 21. 



