Heraldic salamander

Salamander, ink on paper, 26x30cm - The salamander of Francis I of France was a powerful royal emblem symbolizing resilience, wisdom, and mastery over opposing forces. Accompanied by the Latin motto “Nutrisco et extinguo” (“I nourish and extinguish”), it represented the king’s ability to nurture what was good and suppress what was harmful. Inspired by the belief that the salamander could withstand fire, the emblem conveyed an ideal of sovereign strength, self-control, and authority: the power to sustain virtue while extinguishing vice.