Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 4).djvu/265

 same gift, as they apparently represent the union of the arms of the Gonzaga with two of the emblems that figure in the arms of Charles V. The general opinion held is that all these shields were made in Italy in the first half of the XVIth century.

Italian, about 1540-60 Collection: Mr. George Durlacher

Circular targets of wood devoid of any metal adornments are also to be met with. Many have high artistic value because such shields were frequently the field, both internally and externally, for painted subjects from the hands of artists of the greatest fame. We illustrate an example from the collection of Mr. George Durlacher (Fig. 1309). It came originally from the collection of Sir Adam Hay, Bart., who purchased it in Italy in the first quarter of the XIXth century. It is circular and convex, the surface being painted in grisaille with a representation of an Emperor distributing largesse to his troops. Numerous soldiers stand around, and camps can be seen in the background. All the other parts of the picture, the armour and background,