[ANSTHRLD] Question on Animal holding something...

[Tim McDaniel]

Tec wrote:
> It's period to have critters hold things, but fairly rare. The most
> common was the mermaid holding a mirror and possibly a comb.

To continue:

You can argue that a mermaid or a tyger is quite identifiable without
a mirror, and indeed they occur without them in heraldry.  But since
that specific object is the only object associated with them -- the
mermaid is holding a mirror in particular, not a set of car keys or an
oil well -- I see them as being more of an optional part of the
depiction, like a dragon being with or without wings.

So it would be better to find examples without a close association.

The one example that comes to mind immediately is the arms of Finland,
<http://www.intermin.fi/intermin/home.nsf/pages/FF3154C97F0DB400C2256B640064843F?opendocument>

     A crowned lion rampant on a red field holding a raised sword in an
     armoured hand replacing the animal's right front leg, and
     trampling a sabre with its hind legs; the lion, the crown, the
     hilts and the joints of the armour being in gold, and the blades
     of the weapons, and the armour itself being of silver; nine silver
     rosettes being scattered in the field.

Dinky de Linoleum
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com