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The
arms carry layered
meanings. First, the
tinctures of the field,
which is tierced per
fess, represent the sky
at dawn: Sable at the
top for the lingering
darkness of night high
above, Azure across the
horizon for the first
blueish light of
morning, and Sanguine
below for the moment
when the sun begins to
rise.
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A
second layer of
meaning draws from
the life and works
of Dante
Alighieri, whose
writings—particularly
La Divina Commedia
and Vita Nuova,
hold central
importance for the
bearer of the
arms. In this
context, the
choice of
Sanguine, both for
the sunlit sky and
for the scroll and
mantling, is also
a reference to
Beatrice
Portinari, whose
dress, as
described by Dante
in Vita Nuova,
bore this very hue
when he first
beheld her at the
age of nine, and
instantly fell in
love with her. The
demi-sun in base,
Or upon Sanguine,
marks the moment
of emotional
awakening, the
dawn of love.
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Above,
the seven stars of the
Ursa Major
constellation, in
their traditional
arrangement, evoke
guidance in life,
reflecting their
navigational role in
the night sky.They
are also a Dantesque
reference, as this
constellation appears in
La Divina Commedia. The
stars are rendered in
Argent, signifying the
purity of Dante’s love.
The Azure field
expresses the eternal
loyalty of the poet for
Beatrice, while the
Sable above symbolizes
the constancy of this
love throughout the span
of his life.
The
crest, a raven,
symbolizes
intelligence. It also
represents the
inclination to collect
and preserve, traits
embodied by the
armiger’s own passion
for gathering and
cherishing books,
forming a personal
library that reflects
a rich and
contemplative inner
world.
The
badge features a
“vieira” (a
scallop in
Portuguese and
Spanish), alluding
to the surname
Vieira. It also
includes ribbons,
since the surname
Nastri means
“ribbons” in
Italian.
Finally, the motto
Incipit Vita Nova
(“A New Life
Begins”),
inscribed upon the
scroll, is drawn
directly from the
opening lines of
Vita Nuova, a work
devoted to Dante’s
love for Beatrice,
and reflects the
spiritual
transformation he
experienced upon
first encountering
her, when love
signaled the
beginning of a new
existence.
Therefore, the
arms as a whole
evoke the sky at
dawn and symbolise
the beginning of a
new life, marked
by love, much like
the dawn itself
marks the
beginning of a new
day. As night
gives way to day,
one life is
transformed into a
new one, inspired
by love. All of
the above holds a
parallel with the
armiger’s personal
life, which gives
this composition
multiple forms of
significance:
literary,
philosophical and
deeply intimate. |
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Standard:
Upon a Standard three
and a half meters in
length split at the end,
having the Arms in the
hoist, the fly of three
compartments Azure, Or,
and Azure, charged with
the Badge in the first
and third compartments
and the Crest in the
centre compartment, with
the motto 'Incipit Vita
Nova' Or upon two
transverse bands
Sanguine.
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