Our office and paint studio are closed this
week while we visit colleagues at an out-of-state Renaissance Festival. We
will reopen on Monday, June 16th.
The Art of Heraldry
Celebrating our 12th year, we proudly offer the finest hand painted metal shields
and framed custom prints of your family coat of arms. All artwork is drawn by
our heraldic artist--no computer clip art here! We have listings for nearly
a half-million names from over 50 European nations, including ancient kingdoms
that no longer exist. We can match any artwork you may already have including
drawings, signet rings, tattoos, crafts and even that printout you got from
the guy at the mall. We can even render a custom designed coat of arms just
for you!
If you would like us to conduct a search for your coat of arms, simply fill out this research form. There is no fee and no obligation.
What is a Coat of Arms?
Quite simply put, a "coat of arms" is just the elements that appear on the shield itself. The grant of arms includes the coat of arms (shield), the helm (above the shield), the torse (wreath on top of the helm), the crest (design above the torse) and the mantling (the flowing ribbons to either side of the shield). Some grants of arms include supporters (figures on either side of the shield or coat of arms), a compartment (some type of ground or footing for the supporters) and/or a motto.
Although we do get requests for the full grant of arms to be painted on the shields, the vast majority of our customers simply have just the coat of arms itself painted on their shields, as this matches what the knights would have carried.
Research and References
The majority of our reference materials are antique books with text only, no pictures. These books are written in heraldic text and need to be deciphered to determine the colours and designs that appear on each coat of arms.
In order for us to search for a coat of arms we need both the family name and the European country of origin. Heraldry is patriarchal, which means it is based on the origin of the family's MALE line. If you do not know the exact country of origin, then please choose the one which you feel would be most appropriate. Whenever possible, please give us any "old world" or alternate spellings of the family name. (i.e. Littell, Little, Litell, Lytle, Littel, etc.).
If you would like us to conduct a search for your coat of arms, simply fill out this research form. There is no fee and no obligation. Once we find the coat of arms requested, we will send an e-mail containing a quick ten-second sketch along with a description of those arms and prices for rendering them on the hand painted metal shields and watercolours and the framed custom prints.
Family Heirlooms for the Future
Hand Painted Metal Shields
Our metal shields (Half, Full and Battle) are handcrafted from 18-gauge, cold-rolled steel and then powder coated to help prevent rust. Every design element is then painted by hand following the original heraldic designs and images, using modern sign enamels that prevent colour fading. (Thicker guage steel and metal grips and handles are also available.)
Framed Custom Prints
Framed
custom prints of your family coat of arms are available in a variety of styles
and sizes, many with different framing and matting options. All of the images
are hand drawn in pen and ink by our heraldic artists — no computer
clip art. These images are then scanned in and carefully placed to create
your individual coat of arms design and printed out on a 100% cotton rag 32
lb. paper stock using archival quality inks so they will last. Scottish clan
badges are also available. See our NEW SCOTTISH HERALDRY
Page for info on the Scottish Clan Crests.)
Framed
Combo Print
Our BEST SELLING Framed Print, the Framed Combo contains both the 5" x 7" Miniature Coat of Arms Print and the 10" x 8" Blazon of Arms certificate together in a beautiful solid oak frame with an off-white linen double-cut mat with gold foil edges. The Blazon of Arms certificate provides a complete description of your coat of arms as well as a breakdown of the heraldic images and their meanings. Now you have real answers to the question, "My Coat of Arms looks great, but what does it all mean?"
Framed 16" x 20" Prints
We have FOUR Extra-Large
16" x 20" framed custom prints, including the Double Coat of Arms pictured
here. As with our smaller prints, all of the images are hand drawn in pen
and ink by our heraldic artist -- no computer clip art. These images are then
scanned in and carefully placed to create your individual coat of arms design,
including the Full Scottish Arms. (See our NEW SCOTTISH
HERALDRY Page for info on Scottish Clan Crests.)
NOTE: Current completion time for Prints is 4 to 6 weeks.
To receive our sales brochure, send $3.00 (U.S.) along with your name, mailing address and e-mail address to:
Rampant Lion Designs, LLC
1290 Bay Dale Drive
#220 Dept. W
Arnold, Maryland 21012 USA
Please fill out this research form if you would like us to conduct a search for your coat of arms and provide pricing information. There is no fee and no obligation.
E-mail Rampant Lion Designs, LLC or call 410.349.9620 for questions other than research or pricing.