An impressive original 1638 leaf from John Guillim's celebrated A Display of Heraldry, featuring a magnificent, nearly full-page heraldic woodcut depicting the elaborate armorial achievement of Sir Richard St. George (c. 1550–1635), Clarenceux King of Arms.

The illustration, headed "The Atchievement of a Knight," displays an elaborate quartered shield surmounted by a knight's helmet, richly flowing mantling, and a crowned lion crest. Beneath the shield is the motto FIRMITAS IN COELO ("Strength in Heaven").

Sir Richard St. George was an important English herald and antiquary who served as Clarenceux King of Arms, one of the senior officers of the College of Arms. The accompanying text identifies his heraldic jurisdiction as extending over southern England from the River Trent southward.

The reverse contains a detailed explanation of the six quarterings of St. George's arms, including the heraldic families of St. George, Crowle, Argentine, Avenell, Engaine, and Delahay. It also records his knighthood under King James I on September 28 in the fourteenth year of his reign.

This is an especially desirable example of early English heraldic illustration, combining an exceptionally large and decorative armorial woodcut with a historically significant figure in the development of English heraldry.

John Guillim (1565–1621) was one of England's foremost heraldic writers. His A Display of Heraldry became a standard reference on coats of arms, noble families, heraldic symbolism, and the rules governing armorial bearings.

Pages 413–414, printed in 1638.

Condition: Original seventeenth-century printed leaf, not a reproduction. Good overall impression of the large woodcut, with age-related toning, scattered staining, irregular edges, small marginal tears, and evidence of former binding. Later handwritten pencil notation appears beneath the decorative ornament on the reverse. Please examine photographs for exact condition.

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