Enterprise, set of charges on the field

In Don Quixote, [Cervantes Saavedra, M. de; 1605; volume 1, chapter 18], the coat of arms of the «duke of Nerbia» is described using the word «empresa»~«enterprise», writing «las armas de los veros azules», referring to the fur on his coat of arms, «es el poderoso duque de Nerbia, Espartafilardo del Bosque, que trae por empresa en el escudo una esparraguera, con una letra en castellano que dice así: «Rastrea mi suerte»» ~ «the blue vair arms, is the powerful duke of Nerbia, Espartafilardo del Bosque, who bears as a charge on his shield an asparagus plant, with an inscription in Castilian that says: «Tracks my fate»».

A few lines before, and for the young French knight Pierres Papín, with simple arms Argent without charges or motto, Cervantes writes without «empresa»: «que trae las armas como nieve blancas y el escudo blanco y sin empresa alguna» ~ «who bears arms as white as snow and a shield white and without any charges».

Cervantes uses «empresa» to mean only the charges on the coat of arms, not the field, nor its color, metal or fur, nor the motto, which is clear when he writes: «Y desta manera fue nombrando muchos caballeros del uno y del otro escuadrón que él se imaginaba, y a todos les dio sus armas, colores, empresas y motes...» ~ «And in this way, he went on naming many knights from one and the other squadron that he imagined, and to each of them, he gave arms, colors, charges, and mottos...».

The term is used with the same meaning of «charge on the coar of arms» in the commentary at the end of [Febrer, J.; Siglo XIII; trova 39] which says «y quiso significarle con el puente, que traía por empresa en su escudo» ~ «and wanted to signify with the bridge that he bore as a charge on his shield», where in this case, the charge is the bridge.

The fifth definition of the term «empresa» in the dictionary [Real Academia Española; 2014] is «Símbolo o figura que alude a lo que se intenta conseguir o denota alguna cualidad de la que se hace alarde, acompañada frecuentemente de un lema» ~ «Symbol or figure that alludes to what one intends to achieve or denotes a quality of which one boasts, often accompanied by a motto», which, while not specific to heraldry, aligns with the previous usage and makes it clear that the motto is not part of the «empresa» though it may accompany it.

Then, in Castilian, the term «empresa» refers specifically to the charge or charges on the field of a coat of arms, and it does not include the field tinctures, the motto, or its external ornaments.

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Category: Criterion.

Henri Gourdon de Genouillac, «L'Art Héraldique», part of the series Bibliothèque de l'enseignement des Beaux-arts, published under the direction of M. Jules Comte, Maison Quantin, 290 pages, 21 centimeters, Paris, 1889.

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With some black and white small illustrations, it covers the art of heraldry, its history, rules, and applications, and serves as a comprehensive guide for artists, historians, and those interested in the heraldic art.

Contents

• Chapter I. The blazon - Pieces and figures that compose coats of arms, page 11.
• Chapter II. Repertoire of attributes, page 98.
• Chapter III. External ornaments of the shield, their use, and their misuse, page 145.
• Chapter IV. Municipal arms, page 188.
• Chapter V. The blazon in the arts, page 200.
• Chapter VI. Blazoned garments, page 207.
• Chapter VII. Seals, tokens, méreaux of corporations, communities, page 214.
• Chapter VIII. The fleur-de-lis, the eagle, the lion, the leopard, various figures, page 222.
• Chapter IX. The blazon in England, Germany, and other nations, page 230.
• Chapter X. Explanatory glossary, page 252.
• Chapter XI. Heraldic bibliography, page 275.

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Bibliographical reference of century XIX.

Classification: French language and In black and white.

The author is Gourdon de Genouillac, Henri.

The following article cites this bibliographic reference:

• Portugal

External resource:

• Archive.org.

Internal resources: GourdonDeGenouillacH1889.LArtHeraldique.pdf PDF version..

Enrique de Toral y Fernández de Peñaranda, «The Coat of Arms of the City of Úbeda: Notes for a Historical Study», Boletín del Instituto de Estudios Giennenses, pages 33-38 plus 10 illustrations, total 22 pages, number 66, ISSN 0561-3590, Jaen, 1970.

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Bibliographical reference of century XX.

Classification: Article, Castilian language and In black and white.

The author is Toral y Fernández de Peñaranda, Enrique.

Internal resources: Provincial Council of Jaén https://www.dipujaen.es/boletinieg/pdf.raw?query=id:0000443974&page=38&lang=es&view=bieg and Rioja University https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/2070193.pdf.

Gules, three Leopards faces Or, the whole within a Border Or with two Bars Gules.

Escudo de gules, tres cabezas de leopardo de oro; una bordura de oro con dos burelas de gules.

Interpreted coat of arms: with a pointed shape; illuminated with metal or and color gules; outlined with sable; and a freehand finish.

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Three, Head, Leopard, Or, Ordered, Bordure, Two and Bar.

Style keywords: Freehand, Pointed, Illuminated and Outlined in sable.

Classification: Coat of arms, Interpreted and Personal.

Bearer: Juchter van Bergen Quast, Rudolph Andries Ulrich.

Gules, three Leopards faces Or, the whole within a Border Or with two Bars Gules.

Watercolor finishing

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Three, Head, Leopard, Or, Ordered, Bordure, Two and Bar.

Style keywords: Watercolor, Pointed, Illuminated and Outlined in sable.

Classification: Coat of arms, Interpreted and Personal.

Bearer: Juchter van Bergen Quast, Rudolph Andries Ulrich.

Gules, three Leopards faces Or, the whole within a Border Or with two Bars Gules. Crest: A crest coronet proper. Mantle: Gules doubled Erminois.

Freehand finishing

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Three, Head, Leopard, Or, Ordered, Bordure, Two, Bar, Crest and mantling, Crown of Prince, Crown, Open, Mantle, Erminois and Sable.

Style keywords: Freehand, Pointed, Illuminated and Outlined in sable.

Classification: Coat of arms, Interpreted and Personal.

Bearer: Juchter van Bergen Quast, Rudolph Andries Ulrich.

Gules, three Leopards faces Or, the whole within a Border Or with two Bars Gules. Crest: A crest coronet proper. Mantle: Gules doubled Erminois.

Escudo de gules, tres cabezas de leopardo de oro; una bordura de oro con dos burelas de gules. Timbrado de una corona de príncipe abierta y manto de gules y forro armiñado de oro y sable.

Watercolor finishing

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Blazon keywords: Gules, Three, Head, Leopard, Or, Ordered, Bordure, Two, Bar, Crest and mantling, Crown of Prince, Crown, Open, Mantle, Erminois and Sable.

Style keywords: Watercolor, Pointed, Illuminated and Outlined in sable.

Classification: Coat of arms, Interpreted and Personal.

Bearer: Juchter van Bergen Quast, Rudolph Andries Ulrich.

Sigue por: Rudolph Andries Ulrich Juchter van Bergen Quast, badge.