Shield

A Pavaise was a large shield, almost as tall as the Knight who held it back in Medieval England. As part of the Re-enactments i do I am required to have one with my own design painted on it.
I wish i could take credit for the shield itself but alas my woodworking skills are non-existant.
I used normal acrylic paints and a yacht varnish for final protection. The design is from a Pavaise dating back to the late 14th century though i have replaced the three crests with my own

The crest on the left is mine: Top right is a black lion rampant on a white background, this was the shield of my ancestor, Lord John Harpur of Rushall; the bottom left directly below it is my own design and my own crest, a crowned white hind with a golden chain below a blue banner bearing two stars and a cresent moon; next to these and dominating the right side of the shield is the crest of my ancestor Sir William Longespee, a bastard son of Henry II.

The centre crest: Black with a white knot is the shield of the Lord Harrington of Wolfage manor and the banner I live and fight under on our summer campaigns across the country.

The crest on the far right is my partners shield: Three white doves on black is a piece from his step father's family crest and below it the red, yellow, red stripes of his mother's family crest though i have replaced her black lion with his black dragon and placed broken chains and manacles in the red on either side with three swords below. His martial arts black belt name is Tonryu which means "Escaping dragon" and so he can be identified on the field by his coat of arms

The Latin: Et Suavis, et fortis "both gentle and strong" the motto of Sir John Harpur and his decendants there after to this day and Memento Mori "Remember that you will die" my Ninja's contribution, he likes the idea of the enemy reading it as we fall upon them MWAHAHA!!!

I should be taking this on the battlefield but i think i will seriously hurt the first man to hit it with sword or arrow so instead I'm going to paint another one with a less extravagant picture and this one can be a historic example back in the safety of our siege camp