A record of documented arms, meaning and origin, researched for the Piven family of Italy.
lionCourage, strength and royaltyJ. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Blazon (the actual original written record)“De gu. au lion d'arg.”
The Piven 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.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Italy in this period.
Reigning in Italy when the Piven arms are first recorded.
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 Piven family name is rooted in the historical landscape of the Venetian Republic during the late 18th century. By 1775, records indicate that members of the family were established within the city of Venice, which was then a major center for trade and cultural exchange in Europe. The name likely evolved from regional linguistic patterns common to the Veneto area, where surnames often reflected a person’s occupation, a specific physical trait, or a connection to a particular location. As Venice served as a bridge between the Mediterranean and the rest of the continent, families living there were frequently part of a diverse urban population that included merchants, artisans, and professionals. The presence of the Piven family in this maritime hub suggests they were integrated into the social and economic life of the city during the final decades of the Venetian Republic.
A pipe or musical wind instrument used by shepherds.
