Clément Prinsault
Encyclopedia
Clément Prinsault was a 15th century French heraldist.
Prinsault was strongly influenced by Bartolo de Sassoferrato. His book Traité du blason (1465), was one of the earliest writings on heraldry
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His book consists of two parts – Traité and Armorial. Part I consists of 12 chapters.
Prinsault was strongly influenced by Bartolo de Sassoferrato. His book Traité du blason (1465), was one of the earliest writings on heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
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His book consists of two parts – Traité and Armorial. Part I consists of 12 chapters.
- De ceulx qui premier trouvèrent armes (he names Alexander the Great and HectorHectorIn Greek mythology, Hectōr , or Hektōr, is a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. As the first-born son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, a descendant of Dardanus, who lived under Mount Ida, and of Tros, the founder of Troy, he was a prince of the royal house and the...
as the first armigerArmigerIn heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a coat of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous.-Etymology:The Latin word armiger literally means "armour-bearer". In high and late medieval England, the word referred to an esquire attendant upon a knight, but bearing his own unique...
s) - De quelle maniére on fait armes (all coat of arms have three elements: metals [de métal], colours [de couleur], and furs [de penne])
- Quantes métax, quantes couleurs et quantes pennes il y a en armes et comment on les doit blasonner (how to describe the metals, colours, and furs)
- A quelle vertu, quelle complexion, quelle des sept planettes, quel des XII signes célestes, quelle pierre précieuse, quel jour de la sepmaine, quel des III élémens et quel métal signifie en armes chascun desdits métalxs et coleurs (deals with the relation of metals and colours to virtues, seven planets, 12 celestial signs, gemstones, weekdays, 3 elements)
- (deals with ordinaries)
- Démonstre jusques à quel nombre on doit nombrer toutes choses... et quant on doit dire sans nombre ou semé (deals with field treatments, and their maximal numbers like semé, checkered etc.)
- Fait mention de la disposition des métalx ou couleurs ou blason, et comment on peut discerner les faulses armes des vrayes (deals with the composition of colours and metals in the field, and their unproper manners)
- En quelle partie de l'escu on doit commencer à blasonner (deals with the righ blazonBlazonIn heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
) - De certaines différences d'oyseaux et bestes ou blason d'armes (deals with certain birds and animals in the arms)
- How to blazon the lion and leopard in heraldry
- En quelle façon sont en armes besans, torteaux, cotire etc., et quelle différence il y a entre crois etc. (deals with roundles, crossCrossA cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
es etc.) - Démonstre la maniére de blasonner XV escur difficilles cy aprés contenus avecques la conclusion de ce présent livre (examples of heraldic blazon).