Wapenschild van Duits keizer Karel VI en wapentuig 1724

Bernard Picart created this print of the coat of arms of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, in the early 18th century. The print presents us with an idealised and symbolic representation of imperial power, rather than a literal depiction of warfare. It’s important to understand the visual language of the time. The trophy of arms isn’t just about military strength. It's a statement about the right to rule, a visual claim to authority in a world of competing powers. We see not just European arms, but also a severed head with a turban, and a crescent, visual signifiers of the Ottoman Empire, which then bordered the Holy Roman Empire. What might seem like a simple piece of heraldry is loaded with political meaning about the balance of power in Europe at the time. Understanding this artwork requires research into the history of the Holy Roman Empire, its conflicts, and the symbolic language it employed.