Heraldic Achievement Designs and Devices
late 17th–early 18th century
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-339-14
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Guérard's *Heraldic Achievement Designs and Devices*, created in the late 17 to early 18th, exemplifies the ornate world of French heraldry during the grandeur of the Louis XIV era. As a skilled engraver (ca. 1648–1719), Guérard specialized in intricate prints that captured the symbolic language of nobility—coats of arms, crests, and mottos that signified lineage, alliances, and status. This work, classified as a print in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, reflects the period's fascination with emblematic art, where heraldry blended chivalric tradition with Baroque exube...