Coat of Arms of the Klammer von Weydach Family

Hans Maler zu Schwaz painted this Coat of Arms of the Klammer von Weydach Family in 1522. Heraldic painting was an important complement to portrait painting, documenting the family lineages and social status of the patriciate and nobility. The painting is in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. The 1520s were a decade of transition, marked by the deaths of Raphael and Leonardo, the shock of the Reformation, and the beginnings of Mannerist experimentation.

The heraldic composition presents the family arms with the precise, detailed technique characteristic of Maler's work. The rendering of heraldic elements demonstrates the overlap between decorative and fine art painting.