Gilded copper and champlevé enamel, Spain, 1420-1500.

Copper- gilt and champlevé enamel. Raised border in the form of a six pointed star within a sexfoil.The left-hand side of this coat of arms incorporates the arms of the Kingdoms of Aragon and Navarre; the right-hand side represents a stag, probably a pun on a family name. The enamelled plaque depicting the arms is set in an elaborate frame that would originally have had a suspension loop at the top (now missing).

Given by Dr W.L. Hildburgh

This harness ornament exemplifies the growth of interest in heraldry and heraldic ornament from the thirteenth century onwards. The developing interest in heraldry coincided with the increasing use of enamel on metalwork. Enamel was the only means of permanently colouring metal and was thus a crucial technique in the expression of heraldic language.
Heraldic devices such as this one were used as symbols of identity. Coats of arms also conveyed a sense of status. In England only certain individuals were given the right to bear arms by the King. Individuals often incorporated the arms of their ancestors into their heraldic devices in order to promote their position as part of an important family or dynasty.
The elaborate metal frame surrounding the arms might suggest this plaque was originally attached to a larger object, such as a casket. However, other fifteenth-century harness pendants from Spain are surrounded by similar frames (for example the badge or harness pendant now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession no. 04.3.388). The V&A example has lost its original suspension loop. We are grateful to M. François-Xavier Bon for bringing this to our attention.
The plaque was lent to the Museum by Walter Leo Hildburgh, who subsequently donated it to the V&A. He almost certainly acquired it in Spain, where he spent extended periods of time in the 1910s and 1920s.

Walter Leo Hildburgh, who presented the plaque to the Museum, was probably responsible for identifying the arms as those of Timbor de Cabrera, wife of Juan de Fernandez, Lord of Hijar (whom she married in 1418). The identification rests on the interpretation of the beast depicted as a goat (in Spanish, 'cabra'), which could be interpreted as a reference to Timbor's family name, Cabrera. Timbor and Juan also had family connections with the royal houses of Aragon and Navarre, the arms of which also appear on the plaque. However, in a recent communication, French heraldry expert M. François-Xavier Bon has observed that the horns on the beast are compatible with a deer (Spanish, 'ciervo'), not a goat, and that the arms may correspond to a member of the Cervellón family instead. For the moment, a definitive identification is not possible, as the particular member of the Cervellón family with the Aragonese / Navarrese royal families remains to be established, however his suggestion is compelling. That said, the Cervellón deer should be depicted as azure (blue) on a field or (gold) - and the one on the V&A plaque is sable (black) on a field or (gold).

The arms upon this harness ornament reveal the identity of the original owner, but their identity is now unknown. The left-hand side of this coat of arms incorporates those of Aragon, indicating that the family came from this region. The right-hand side shows a stag, perhaps a family badge, and possibly a visual pun on the family name. The enamelled arms on the plaque are set in an elaborate frame, which would originally have had a suspension loop (now lost).

M.25-1954