In heraldry, the shield is the escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms. The shield is mapped into areas, described from the perspective of someone holding the shield, and thus opposite to the viewer's perspective. The left side being the sinister side, the right side described as the dexter side. The top of the shield is called the chief and the bottom, or pointed part the base. The middle of the shield is called the fesse point. The front face of an heladic Shield is generally flat; but sometimes the curved edges are made to appear as if they had been slightly rounded off. Some early Shields are represented as bowed - that is hollowed or curved in order to more closely cover the person of the bearer, and as a result having a convex external contour. In early examples of bowed Shields the whole of the armourial blazonry is generally displayed on the face of that portion of the Shield which is shown. Research Shield
Abbreviations
Heraldry
Research Shield