Painted coat of arms of Prince Eugene (Prinz Eugen) of Savoy, 1663-1736. There is an accompanying handwritten diagram and explanation of the symbols on the coat of arms, which may be in the hand of Philip Annis, formerly on the NMM staff. Eugene was born in Paris of Italian parents and was rejected for military service by Louis XIV on account of his poor physique. He nonethless became one of the most successful generals of his age in Austrian service, and later a skilled diplomat, his military fame being secured by his defeat of the Ottomans at Zenta in 1697. In Britain he is remembered as a stalwart co-adjutor with the Duke of Marlborough at the battles of Blenheim (1704), Oudenarde (1708) and Malplaquet (1709) during the War of the Spanish Succession. The celebrated Second World War German battlecruiser 'Prinz Eugen' was named after him, which may be the connection through which this representation of his arms came to Greenwich, though how remains to be confirmed. [PvdM 3/12].