and gilded, some letters on which read PLUS ULTRA." The name of the armourer-artist who produced this shield is unknown. Many experts have agreed that the style and composition are very similar to what one finds in the designs of Giulio dei Giannuzzi (Romano), in support of which theory it must be remembered that this celebrated pupil of the great Raphael worked in Mantua for Federigo Gonzaga when the Duke, out of gratitude to the Emperor for investing him with the Principality of Monferrato, presented Charles with many and rich arms worked by Mondrone, Serafino, and other armourers of equal renown. We may add that the rivet holes round the edge of the shield retain small portions of material, which show that it was lined in accordance with the account given in the Relación de Valladolid.
Accepting the deduction that this shield belonged to the great Emperor Charles V, we must refer to history, failing other data, in order to discover with reasonable certainty what it was that gave rise to the allegory represented. The subject chosen and carried out by the artist for the adornment of the buckler appears to be connected with two of the most celebrated events of the reign of Charles V, the voyages of Cortés and Pizarro to the Indies, whereby vast dominions beyond the seas were acquired by the Crown of Spain; and the victorious expedition to Tunis commanded by the monarch in person. Within a wide border enriched with fruits and amorini, and surmounted by the emblems of the Golden Fleece, the figure of Charles V occupies the centre of the composition, clad in classical armour, and standing on a galley propelled by two tiers of rowers. The Emperor supports the standard with the two-headed eagle, preceded by the figure of Fame, who is on the prow, carrying the shield with the famous inscription PLUS ULTRA,[1] and followed by Victory, who floats in the air, ready to place a crown of laurels on the Emperor's brow, while she indicates the devastation that must follow in the track of the ship as it sails ever onwards (PLUS ULTRA) to unknown seas. Hercules obeys the thought and seconds the efforts of the Emperor, pulling up the columns which he planted on the mountains of Calpe and Abyla, so as to create new boundaries for the ocean; while Neptune, supported on his trident, looks on astonished at the immense addition to his dominions. A woman is represented, kneeling and tied by the braids of her hair to the trunk of a palm tree, upon which a turban is
- ↑ Flórez, España Sagrada, vol. xxiii, page 13, quoting Paolo Giovio, connects the famous legend Plus Ultra with the Milanese physician, Luigi Marliano, medical attendant on the Emperor, who rewarded him with the Bishopric of Tuy, adding: "I will give you more, for the Plus Ultra which you gave me merits much."
