Arms from the Mendelhausbuch The Mendelhausbuch is a large illuminated manuscript describing the occupants of the Mendelhaus, a charity home for impoverished and elderly craftsmen in the town of ???. While its principal value lies in its numerous illustrations of trademen at their crafts, pictures of the successive patrons of the Mendelhaus are interleaved with pictures of tradesmen. Each picture shows the patron and his wife, emblazons their arms, and gives the dates that the patron ran the Mendelhaus. Since the illustrations are in chronological order it is easy to see changes in fashion, escutcheon shape, and even armorial style, as well as the geneology of the family. There are 11 of these pictures and 23 devices in all. Unfortunately, the copy of the book that I was working from had all the illustrations in black and white, so I had to guess as to possible tinctures. Even so, it is possible to get some interesting insights into Germanic style heraldry. The relevant illustrations are as follows: folio 62 Peter Mendel (c 1414-1423) Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? Wife Gules?, three fleur-de-lys conjoined in pall ??? folio 77 Wilhelm Mendel (c. 1423-1425) Per bend argent and sable, a bend gules? Wife Tierced per pall schneckenwise argent, gules?, and sable. folio 80 Marckhard Mendel, pleger (c. 1425-1438) Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? Wife 1 Gules?, two two-tined forks in saltire ??? Wife 2 Per bend bendy ??? and ??? and sable? folio 98. Peter Mendel (c 1438-1452) Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? Wife Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? folio 98 Peter Mendel (c 1452-1473) Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? Wife Gules?, two two-tined forks in saltire ??? folio 141 Paulus Volckamer (c. 1473-1486, died 1505) Per fess argent? and gules?, a demi-wheel couped fesswise ??? and a fleur-de-lys ???. Wife Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? folio 161 Marquart Mendel (1486-1510, died 1517) Per bend sinister argent? and sable?, a bend sinister gules? (These are the arms of Mendel reversed for symmetry.) Wife Gules?, on a pile issuant from dexter chief argent? another pile sable? folio 194 Kunrad Imhoff (1510-1519, died 1519) ???, a sea-lion uriant tail sufflexed in annulo ???. Wife 1 Gules?, on a pile issuant from dexter chief argent? another pile sable? Wife 2 Gules?, three cloves conjoined in pall argent? folio 203 Hans Volckmeir (Volckamer) (1522-1528, died 1536) Device 1: Per bend argent? and sable?, a bend gules? Device 2: Per fess bendy argent? and sable? and ? in base a moor's head erased sable?. Device 3: Gules?, issuant from a trimount vert? argent? folio 213 Endres Imhoff (1528-1533, died 1579) ???, a sea-lion uriant tail sufflexed in annulo ???. Wife 1 Sable?, an eagle displayed within a bordure compony argent? and gules?. Wife 2 Gules?, two piles issuant from base each terminating in a fleur-de-lys argent? folio 226 Sigmundt Heft (1533-1540, died 1558) Sable?, on a bend argent? and arrow gules? Wife 1 Per pale ??? and ??? a fess, overall issuant from base a plant of six flowers, counterchanged. Wife 2 Gules?, on a trimount vert? a dog sejant argent?