The Genealogical Study And Cultural Interpretation Of British Heraldry(12^th Century-18^th Century)

The paper focuses on the genealogical study and cultural interpretation of British heraldry(from 12^th to18^th century).Heraldry,also known as “coats of arms” can be traced back to 12^th century in England.It developed itself to the full after the 2nd Crusade but was on the wane at the end of 15 th century.Therefore,history witnessed its influencing the British visual culture for almost 600 years.In the battlefield of mediaeval Britain,it was impossible to identify individual knight because of their helmet,which covered most of their faces,hence coats of arms came into being.As a set of distinctive symbol,heraldry can not only tell friend from enemy but also help to show the owner’s status,distinguished lineage.Therefore,it was welcomed by people from all classes and spread rapidly and widely from noble class to common people.For centuries,it was used not only as a tool to identify people but also as a decoration to memorize the heroic deeds of ancestors and to beautify home etc.However,heraldry became less and less important after the 17 th century since feudalism was replaced by capitalism.Luckily it is not completely fading away in the modern world which is increasingly dominated by iconic culture.On the contrary,it revives and regains people’s attention.Therefore,it is quite worthwhile to convey a research of the genealogy and cultural interpretation of this systematic symbols.By studying the vast details of this subject,the paper tried to build a genealogic basis of heraldry so as to interpret its culture and to stimulate better design in the future.By way of literature study and genealogy,the goal of the paper is to sort out the development of British heraldry(from 12^th century to 18^th century),to clear up the rules of coats of arms,to regulate the design and redesign of heraldry.As is known to all,the function of heraldry varied in different period,that is,as an identity,as a decoration,as a carrier of history and culture.This phenomenon can also find its resonance in other countries as well.To conclude,the paper draws conclusions that coats of arms are visual symbols,symbolic icons,artistic expressions and carriers of history and culture.The genealogical study and cultural interpretation of British heraldry may provide a different and inspiring prospect to deal with some traditional Chinese visual symbols,so as to guide the future graphic design in China.