Groups of weapons used in war and hunting have been employed in a decorative manner. This can be traced to the Greek custom of hanging the weapons abandoned by a fleeing enemy on trees, and to the spoils of victory carried in the Roman triumphal processions.
Such trophies of arms and armour appear in sculptured form as decoration to the Roman arches and military monuments. A custom which was emulated in later times in arsenals, public buildings and tombs.
Heraldry
Heraldry, which probably had its origin in Totemism, was practised chiefly for purposes of identification, and was essential in the period of complete armour, which rendered recognition in the ordinary way difficult.
Originally expressed on shields, surcoats and banners, it was employed later on tombs, and became a feature in decorative work. Indeed the display of heraldic devices on gates and entrances, and in chimney-pieces, is quite justified as indicative of ownership. Such details were eventually introduced into ornament for the sake of mass effect and variety.
Heraldry in Design
A very early example of this decorative employment is that of the Lion gate at Mycenæ. Heraldic designs also appear in the later Byzantine and Sicilian tapestries and entered largely into Renaissance ornament. The shield is particularly conspicuous, with its development into the strapwork frame and cartouche forms of the Jacobean and French Renaissance.
It will be gathered from the foregoing that the latter day designers, especially those of the Renaissance, borrowed freely from the past, to which there could be little objection if the employment of such details were justified by conditions.
Symbolism in Modern Art
Unintelligent reproduction is not only retrogressive but a confession of incapacity, and it is desirable to create an interest in the present and to invest modern art—wherever possible—with meaning.