Livro da Nobreza e Perfeiçam das Armas

The Livro da Nobreza e Perfeiçam das Armas or “Book of the Nobility and Perfection of Arms” is a true masterpiece of European heraldry. It contains a magnificent and detailed overview of the coats of arms of the most powerful European and colonial rulers of its time, the Portuguese royal family and the Portuguese nobility. Its author and painter, António Godinho (d. 1562), dedicated the extensive work to King John III of Portugal (1502–1557), at whose court he was active. In addition to the 267 surviving coats of arms, which make the manuscript an important source for Portuguese history, the codex includes a title page designed in the finest calligraphy and a five-page prologue, whose neatly written text is framed by wonderful borders. The illumination of the coats of arms is also extremely artistic and illusionistic, whereby Godinho considered it particularly important to depict the heraldic animals and objects as accurately as possible in order to correct and prevent confusion.