The earliest known heraldic sunflower was granted in 1614 by William Segar, Garter King of Arms, to Aurelia Florio, daughter of author John Florio: Azure, “an Heliotrope or Turnsol” Or slipped and leaved vert, in chief a sun in his splendour Or. The arms are almost certainly a reference to her father: John displayed and sealed documents with a sun in his splendour, John’s “sun” arms plus the surname “Florio” make for an obvious cant, and at least one author believes the character “Elitropio” in Gordano Bruno’s play ‘De la causa, principio e uno’ (1584) is an avatar of John (1).
British Library, “A miscellany of arms and grants of arms” (Harley MS 6140), f. 79r
In 1637, Silvestro Pietrasanta records a couple examples in his ‘Tesserae gentilitiae’ (2): the arms of Brinon, D’azure a trois soucis, ou tournesols d’or (“marigolds, or sunflowers”); and the arms of the Breton family Quinault, D’azure au chevron d’argent accompagne de trois soucis d’or fouilles de sinople. In his Latin descriptions Pietrasanta calls the flowers “Heliotropium”.
The arms of Brinon. Tesserae gentilitiae, p. 503
The arms of Quinault. Tesserae gentilitiae, p. 503
I’m trying to make this site self-sustaining. If you’ve found it useful at all, and have a little bit to spare, there’s a donate button to the right.
- (1) Yates, Frances Amelia. John Florio: The Life of an Italian in Shakespeare’s England. United Kingdom, The University Press, 1934, https://www.google.ca/books/edition/John_Florio/Ju48AAAAIAAJ. Accessed 19 May 2023.
- (2) Pietrasanta, Silvestro. Tesserae gentilitiae a Siluestro Petra Sancta Romano Societatis Iesu ex legibus Fecialium descriptae. Italy, Typis haered. Francisci Corbelletti, 1637, https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Tesserae_gentilitiae_a_Siluestro_Petra_S/n0rEg8w8-vAC. Accessed 19 May 2023.
