i wish you luck with this endeavor. i had a friend who's forte was heraldry. a good text is also, "what's in a name?" by 2 authors, i will post the authors when i have it close at hand, as it is not to memory. it may have some information to help you with this hunt.:0)ith:
Quote Originally Posted by artificer View Post
I've run into a bit of a puzzler, and am hoping someone out there can throw me a life-line.

A bit of back-story:
We recently shut down my grandfather's house, as he's in need of some assistance in day to day living. One piece which I came into possession of (and which I've always loved) is the below.



The piece was my grandmother's father's (great-grandfather's) made for him in 1932 (it's inscribed on the back) from hand carved walnut. I know he wasn't one to make things up, as he was a +semi-professional historian (and honorary board member of our local museum).

His direct paternal line was German, but a web search reveals NO hits for the name. None what-so-ever. Not even from the "here's your family crest" trash merchants.

We have some information about the maternal line, -part of it spreads like a weed. This branch of the family were medieval engineers and built castles in what is now northern Italy, and into southern Germany and beyond. This wing of the family spread all over western Europe and has a HUGE 5 year gathering at the family castle. But their crest isn't this one (I've got that recorded as well).

What I'm inquiring about, to be not very succinct, is whether or not there is a database of coat of arms based NOT on family name, but reversed engineered to be based on visual elements.

I know it's a bit of a bugger, with no colouration on the shield... but that's what I've got to go on.

The rampant lion is common enough, I know. But there's always HOPE that somewhere along the way there's a touch of Scots in meith:

Thanks in advance for any assistance that might be rendered.