Giuseppe Barberi, Italian, 1746–1809 - Coat of arms of Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Altieri - 1789–1793 - T-Shirt

A pen-and-brown-ink heraldic drawing by Giuseppe Barberi, showing the coat of arms made for Cardinal Vincenzo Maria Altieri between 1789 and 1793.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is built in sepia and dark ink brown, with parchment cream filling the open paper around the motifs. A heraldic shield sits at the centre of a tall, vertical composition, framed by an oval garland of laurel swags. Six eight-pointed stars fill the shield, and tassels hang from its lower edge. Winged putti flank the design, one holding a trumpet and another an hourglass, so the layout reads top to bottom with the shield as its anchor.

Meaning & Symbolism

Barberi was a draftsman and architect working in Rome, and this commission reflects the heraldic conventions of the late eighteenth century. The shield identifies the Altieri family, while the clerical tassels and rank markers signal the cardinal's ecclesiastical office. The laurel garland points to honour and achievement, and the putti with trumpet and hourglass add a reference to fame and the passing of time. Together the elements state lineage, papal connection and authority during a period of political change in the Papal States.

Crafted for the Wearer

Heraldry was designed to be read at close range, and this drawing rewards a closer look: the fine hatching and stars of the shield show clearly when the design sits on the chest. The vertical layout suits the centre of a tee, keeping the shield and its garland in view as you move. Printed on a t-shirt, Barberi's ink drawing becomes a wearable record of Roman heraldry from the 1790s.