Study for a Stained Glass Window with the Coat of
(5000-1016)

The inscription that wraps around this design for a stained-glass window identifies the arms as those of Marcus Belidorus de Casnio, an ancestor of the noble von Paar family. A bare-breasted woman supports the bottom of the family's coat of arms, which is tied to a leafless tree. From its branches hang other elements of their emblems. The crowned bull on the left carries the initials MB on the end of a sword. The motto hanging from the tree reads Stemmata virtuti et munificentie ad avcta. Herov[m] propria (The family trees of heroes grow greater through virtue and munificence), suggesting the continuation of the glory of de Casnio's descendants. A small turreted palace beside a lake in the background displays a specifically Northern European style. To give this scene depth and volume, Georg Pencz combined delicate line drawing with carefully applied washes.

Pen and brown ink with gray wash (recto); black chalk (verso) (about 1540)

by Georg Pencz (German, 1484/1485-1545)