Coat of Arms & Family Crest Details
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Ar. a cross gu. betw. four eagles displ. sa”
A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Mantha family of Italy.
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Blazon (the actual original written record)“Ar. a cross gu. betw. four eagles displ. sa”

The Mantha arms were recorded in Italy, c. 1775.
Arms such as these were typically recorded in Venice.
Venice ran on trade, and its great families were merchants before they were anything else. The city kept a formal list of its noble houses, and a name on that list carried arms as a matter of record.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
In the Italian states, coats of arms were often used by noble families to show their status and history. These symbols were passed down through the generations to all legitimate male descendants. Younger branches of a family usually kept the original design but sometimes added small changes to distinguish their specific line from the main branch.
The family name Mantha has deep roots connected to the vibrant social and commercial landscape of eighteenth-century Venice. By 1775, members of the family were established residents of this historic city, which served as a major crossroads for trade and culture between Europe and the East. During this period, Venice was transitioning from its status as a powerful maritime republic into a center of art and intellectual life. Families like the Manthas often participated in the city's complex guild systems or maritime commerce, contributing to the unique urban identity of the Venetian lagoon. As the family navigated the changing political tides of the late 1700s, their presence in such a significant European hub suggests they were well-integrated into the local community and the broader Mediterranean economy.
Latin term meaning loved or beloved.
