Society for Creative Anachronism College of Arms 15910 Val Verde Drive Houston TX, 77083-4921 713-918-2947 herald@sca.org July 20, 2002 To all the College of Arms from Master Fran{c,}ois la Flamme, Laurel Principal King of Arms, greetings. It is my intent to protect the following item: 1. Visconti, Duke of Milan. New device and possible release of previously protected item (important non-SCA armory). Argent, a serpent glissant palewise azure (sometimes crowned Or) vorant an infant (sometimes a demi-man) gules. The SCA currently protects the arms of the Visconti Dukes of Milan as Argent, a serpent glissant palewise vert (sometimes crowned Or) vorant an infant (sometimes a demi-man) gules. While there is evidence that the Visconti used a vert serpent, there is also strong evidence indicating that the Visconti used an azure serpent. Many books on heraldry refer to the serpent of the Visconti without giving details, assuming that we are so familiar with it that it is not necessary to give us a formal blazon or to tell us the tincture of the serpent. Woodward, in A Treatise on Heraldry, blazons the Visconti arms on p. 274 as Argent, a serpent ondoyant in pale azure crowned with a ducal crown or, and vorant a child gules. Neubecker, in Heraldry, Sources Symbols and Meanings, depicts the Visconti arms on p. 212 (from 1390) with the serpent azure, uncrowned, and vorant of a demi-person of indeterminate age gules. The crest shows a demi-serpent azure crowned Or devouring a red demi-person. On p. 130 (undated) the arms of the Visconti are shown in the dexter half of a banner impaled. Here the snake is vert, crowned Or, vorant a demi-person of indeterminate age gules. The arms of the Visconti figure prominently in the Visconti Hours in the National Library of Florence, written before 1395. The book(as can be seen in the 1972 George Braziller edition) depicts the arms on BR22v, 23, 104v,115, 124v, 128, 136, LF4v, 17, 25v, 41, 46v, and many more examples throughout the manuscript. The serpent and child (or the serpent and child crest) are used as a decorative element on BR76, 108v, 117v, LF64, and many more examples throughout the manuscript. The serpent is always azure. The serpent does not seem to be crowned in the arms, although it is occasionally crowned in the crest, or there is a crown at the base of the serpent's neck in the crest. The heraldic exposition catalog Blu Rosso et Oro (1998, Electa) gives two examples of sealed documents from the dukes of Milan on pp. 95-97, item 79a-b dated 1427 from Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, and item 80a-b dated 1469 from Galeazzo Maria Sforza (the Sforzas used the same arms when they became dukes of Milan). While the seals and seal cases are, of necessity, tinctureless, each document begins with an illuminated letter which incorporates an azure serpent vorant of a demi-person gules. The seal cases and illuminations all depict the serpent as crowned Or. On p. 168, this catalog gives an example of a shield quartering the arms of the Sfondrati and Visconti, from the second part of the 16th C or the beginning of the 17th C. The snake is azure, crowned Or and vorant of a demi-person gules. Francois Velde, on his web page http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/italy2.htm#lombardia, indicates that the snake of the Visconti is vert. The web page cites one bibliographic reference: Bascap{'e}, Giacomo and Marcello del Piazzo, Insegne e Simboli, Araldica Pubblica e Privata Medievale e Moderna. The questions before the College are: (a) Should the Visconti be protected in a form with the serpent tinctured azure? (b) Should the currently protected form, with the serpent tinctured vert, be retained? (c) How should we blazon the serpent? Should we continue with the current blazon of glissant palewise, or substitute another term such as erect or ondoyant palewise? As with any July Letter of Intent, primary comments are due by September 30, 2002, and comments on comments are due by October 31, 2002, for a decsion at the November 2002 Wreath meeting. In service Fran{c,}ois la Flamme Laurel Principal King of Arms