[MR] History Blog: Nazi-looted Renaissance Shield Returned to Czech Repblic

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

A few days back, The History Blog offered an interesting piece on a
ceremonial shield that dates from the 16th century.

The shield was made by Girolamo di Tommaso in 1535, probably to commemorate
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V's capture of Tunis from the Barbary Pirates.
The shield depicts a scene from a now-lost tapestry showing the Romans
trashing what is now Carthegena during the Second Punic War. The shield was
never presented to Charles, but passed through various noble families. It
finally came to rest in Czechoslovakia at Konopiště Castle in the
collection of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria (yes, the guy whose 1914
assassination started WWI). During WWII the castle was stripped of its
treasures by the Nazis, and the shield disappeared from history.

The di Tommaso shield finally resurfaced in the Philadelphia Museum of
Art's collection. After working with Czech authorities to verify the
shield's provenance, a decision was made by the Museum in June to return it
to the Czech Republic. Hopefully it will rejoin the Konopiště arms
collection.

The History Blog article is at http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/62239
.

Another take on the story was in the NEW YORK TIMES:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/13/arts/design/philadelphia-museum-franz-ferdinand-shield.html

More on Konopiště Castle is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konopiště .
This castle was used as a set in the marvelous 2006 film THE ILLUSIONIST.
More photos of this fantastic castle can be seen at
https://www.zamek-konopiste.cz/en/photogalleries .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆