The Seal and Funerary Inscription of Mary, Duchess of Bosnia and Countess of Helfenstein. A Contribution to the Heraldry of the Nemanjić and Kotromanić dynasties

Abstract

This paper deals with the heraldic achievements preserved on the seal and funerary inscription of Mary, daughter of Bosnian Ban Stjepan II Kotromanić and wife of German Count Ulrich X von Helfenstein. These exceptional cultural and historical artefacts, which reflect the personality of the bearer contained in the symbols, present different coats-of-arms that can be identified as the dynastic arms of the Nemanjić and Kotromanić dynasties. The author presents a hypothesis that the earliest preserved depiction of the heraldic achievement of the Nemanjić dynasty on an escutcheon – a double headed eagle with spread wings – is to be found on a seal of a Bosnian princess. He also re-visits the issue of the basic colours on the Kotromanić coat-of-arms.