Gustaf von Numers (31 July 1912 – 21 May 1978) was a Swedish-speaking

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

civil servant and leading heraldic artist.

Life

Gustaf von Numers studied heraldry in the 1930s under Arvid Berghman and was considered one of the leading Finnish experts in the area. He was a tireless writer on all heraldic matters. Together with colleagues in the field, he contributed to the initiation of the parliamentary

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

on communal coats of arms in 1949. Von Numers designed several communal coats of arms (including

Jakobstad Jakobstad (; fi, Pietarsaari) is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of () and covers a land area of . The population density is . Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The ...

Porvoo Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieval to ...

and

Varpaisjärvi Varpaisjärvi is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with the municipality of Lapinlahti on January 1, 2011. The municipality was located in the Northern Savonia region in the province of Eastern Finland. It had a population of ...

), military banners and personal and family heraldic signs. Von Numers was a founding member of th
Finnish Heraldic Society
and its first chairman (1957 – 1964), as well as a member of the International Heraldic Academy ''(

Académie Internationale d'Héraldique L'Académie Internationale d'Héraldique (known in English as the International Academy Of Heraldry) was founded in Paris in 1949 to bring together experts in heraldry representing the various areas of the world. Admission is by election, and the ...

)'' from its founding in 1949. The playwright Gustaf von Numers was a distant cousin.

Prix Gustaf von Numers

In 1982, the international

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

''Gustav von Numers Prize for heraldic art and design'' was created in memory of Gustaf von Numers. It is awarded to individuals for their merits in heraldic design and art. 1912 births 1978 deaths People from Kangasala People from Häme Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Swedish-speaking Finns Finnish people of German descent Finnish designers Heraldic artists Finnish heraldists {{heraldry-stub