HERALDIC SHIELD. OIL ON CANVAS. TORRES, A. SPANISH SCHOOL, 1856.

Heraldic shield. Oil on canvas. TORRES, A. Spanish school, 1856. Signed and dated. This work shows a heraldic shield on a blue background with different tones, on an oval and framed support. The central (and only) element of the composition consists of a bell with a helmet with gold bars and four feathers, and a quartered shield. Towards the lower right area, a signature (A. Torres) and a date (1856) appear. First quarter, cut, with a bird (possibly a saber eagle) with wings displayed and expanded on gold, and, below, in chinople, a gold band crossed between the mouths of two azure serpents (recalling the well-known “band of Castile"), on gules. In the second quarter, twelve eight-pointed gold stars in three columns, on a field divided into sable and silver. In the third, on gules, gold chains around three crossed bands of gold. In the fourth, six waning gold on azure. Around both elements, and uniting them, a symmetrical composition of architectural, plant and scroll elements has been placed, with a clear classicist influence and with a certain memory of works from the Spanish Renaissance.

· Size: 46x4,5x58 cms. int: 36x47 cms.