Coat of arms on tablet

• 1553/64, baked clay, from the former Heilig-Geist hospital in Burg Stargard, length: 62 cm

The multi-piece tablet is bordered by pilasters and ornamental strips. The borders probably come from previously created forms. The heraldic shield and texts are from 1564 and show the coats of arms of Duke Ulrich III. of Mecklenburg and his wife, Elisabeth of Denmark. The origin of the terracotta is unclear and the artist unknown. The only thing that is certain is that comes from a North German workshop.

The crowned bull’s head with fur around the neck (since 1260) and the nose ring added in 1509 can be seen at the top right. Below is an arm with bandage and ring – symbol of the Stargard sovereignty. It relates to the marriage between Henry II. of Mecklenburg (“Henry the Lion”), and Beatrice of Brandenburg in 1292. The state of Stargard became part of Mecklenburg through the marriage. The ascending griffin represents the state of Rostock; the crowned bull’s head without fur around the neck stands for the principality of Wenden. The half shield in the middle relates to the acquisition of the county of Schwerin around 1366.

The right-hand side shows the “Large Danish Coat of Arms” – on the top right three crowned horizontal lions as a symbol for Denmark; on the bottom right three crowns for Sweden as a symbol of the Kalmar union of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. On the top left is an ascending crowned lion with an axe for Norway and below a crowned, forward-looking lion lying above nine hearts as a symbol for the “King of the Goths” title introduced in 1361. The lindworm underneath symbolises the victory of Bishop Absalon over the Slavs on the island of Rügen in 1169 and the title of “King of Wenden”, which was introduced in 1440. The crown symbolises the Oldenburg province of Delmenhorst.

The middle shield has five fields. Following the election of Christian I. as Duke of the provinces of Schleswig and Holstein in 1460, the pair of lions for Schleswig and the nettle leaf for Holstein were added to the Danish imperial coat of arms. At the same time the swan with the crown around its neck was added for the Holstein province of Stormarn and two beams for Oldenburg. The middle field depicts a forward-looking ram’s head as a representation of the Faroe Islands.