[LAUGHING] CORNARO (CORNER), family. Venetian binding to the Cornaro arms and the Kingdoms of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia. Venice, 16th century. Interesting Venetian heraldic ligature bearing the composite weapons of the Cornaro house, associated with the dynastic insignia of the Lusignano and the royal titles of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia, entered the family heralic tradition through Caterina Cornaro (1454-1510). In 1472 he married James II of Lusignano and Queen of Cyprus, Catherine abdicated in 1489 giving the kingdom to the Republic of Venice; however, the memory of royal dignity remained an eminent element of the dynastic self-representation of the Cornaros. The presence of such insignia on the ligature therefore leads the commission back to the Venetian family. evocative, although not demonstrable, is a possible relationship with Cardinal Marco Cornaro (1482-1524), Catherine's nephew, who made use of the same emblem on different ligatures of his library; the absence of ecclesiastical insignia and other elements of origin, however, does not allow to attribute the volume with certainty to his personal collection. Binding of the sixteenth century (250 x 180mm) leather richly embossed in dry and gold, with large central coat of arms painted in polychrome and gold. The shield gathers the insignia of Jerusalem, Lusignano, Armenia and Cyprus next to the weapon Cornaro, party of gold and blue (tracks and falls of polychrome, slight defects to the skin). (1)