From antiquity to modern times, the trophy
has long been seen
as a symbol of triumph or success. Beginning
as mementos of victory
in battle, they were found primarily on monuments and palace
walls.
Soon, however, trophies came to adorn guildhalls, family crests, and
even tapestries, serving to ensure the memory of
the significant
event. Thus the victory celebrated
by the trophy would become a
legacy to be passed down through the lineage of the family.
A trophy consists of several components
or images, each of
which represents something specific. Individually the images seem
vague or insignificant but when they are assembled together
in a single
"panel", they tell a vivid interpretive story. The whole of the panel is
truly greater than the sum of its parts.
