OMG that Artifact!

Shield of Henry II of France

France, 1555

The Metropolitan Museum of Art 

“The battle scene at the center depicts the victory of Hannibal and the Carthaginians over the Romans at Cannae in 216 B.C., an allusion to the struggle of France against the armies of the Holy Roman Empire during the sixteenth century. In the strapwork borders are the intertwined letters “H” for Henry II (r. 1547–59); “C” for Catherine de Médicis, his queen; and “D” for Diane de Poitiers, his mistress. Interspersed with the initials are crescents, the king’s personal badge and a reference to the moon goddess Diana and her namesake Diane de Poitiers.”