The artwork “Combined Coat of Arms of the Tucher and Rieter Families” was created by the artist Albrecht Dürer in 1499. This oil on panel painting belongs to the Northern Renaissance movement and falls under the genre of design. It is an ornamental piece that depicts the merging of two family crests.
In the painting, you can see a shield in the center flanked by fantastical figures. The shield is split into two halves, each representing the heraldic symbols of the Tucher and Rieter families. One side shows a black silhouette of a head on a white background, and the other half is divided by diagonal stripes. Above the shield, there is a helmet with mantling that turns into curling, organic forms, which may represent acanthus leaves, a common decorative motif in Renaissance art. A human figure with what seems to be wings is emerging from the top of the helmet, while the bottom of the shield is supported by a darker, possibly aquatic figure with a tail, which could represent a mermaid or a mythical siren-like creature. Overall, the design is symmetrical, richly detailed, and highly stylized, reflecting the intricate heraldry of the time.
