Marco Foppoli
I am very happy and proud to be able to publish a biographic article on one of my favorite heraldic artists; signor Marco Foppoli AIH.
Arms of the Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati, Henry Benedict Stuart (+1807) as Duke of York. After the death of his brother Charles he was known as Henry IX of England and Ireland and I of Scotland by the Jacobites.
Mr. Foppoli’s first contact with heraldry was when family told him, at age five, about his own coat of arms as a member of the Foppoli family; a golden lion with a red tail holding a hat in its forepaws.
The arms of the Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Order of Malta, Fra' Gherardo Hercolani Fava Simonetti.
As an adult still interested in heraldry Mr. Foppoli focused his career on graphical art, was educated at an art university and worked with an advertising agency. He initially took a few heraldic free lance commissions but his interest in heraldry grew more and more resulting in even more commissions – and that’s when he found himself working full time as an heraldic artist (although Mr. Foppoli’s wife usually points out that it is more of an hobby than a full time job…) that among other things led to his knighthood (Knight Jure Sanguinis) in the Constantinian Order of St. George as well as memberships in the very highly regarded Academie Internationale d’Heraldique (academician) and Schweizerische Heraldische Gesellschaft (beisitzer).
Arms of a German Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Mr. Foppoli’s country of employment – Italy – might be one of the most interesting countries when it comes to heraldry and its various and many artistic approaches. Italy has always been a very regionalised country, and not least when it comes to heraldic art and style. Piedmont (north-west) has always been strongly influenced by the French style and the energetic Lombardic (central north) style was very much affected by Visconti, Sforza and the Spaniards that also made an impression on the Neapolitan (south and south-east) heraldry. The Alpi region of Italy has off course been much influenced by the German and Central European styles. Only in the Venetian Republic, Tuscany and the Vatican has the style been allowed to develop freely and independently in terms of figures and shield shapes.
Ex Libris of Mr. Audun Lem, a Norwegian, featuring Saint Olaf.
If anything Mr. Foppoli must be said to find his influence in the Gothic style, especially in the Trivulzian armorial and the collection of arms in Palazzo del Bargello in Florence as well as the style found in the Italian alps. As a Swede myself I am very happy to hear Mr. Foppoli also praise Scandinavian heraldry as a clean and unconventional style.
A page from Mr. Foppoli's private armorial Liber Amicorum ("coats of arms of friends") featuring the arms of Dr. Günther Mattern AIH, senior member of the Swiss heraldic council.
A part from the artistics of heraldry, Mr. Foppoli is also interested in heraldry as an historical phenomenon.
I strongly recommend a visit to Marco Foppoli’s homepage found here!
The author's version of the Foppoli arms - the shield will be completed with a crest coronet of an untitled noble.
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