Gustaf von Numers (31 July 1912 – 21 May 1978) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish civil servant and leading heraldic artist.

Life

Gustaf von Numers studied

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

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 on communal

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its wh ...

in 1949. Von Numers designed several communal coats of arms (including Jakobstad, Porvoo and Varpaisjärvi), 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)'' from its founding in 1949. The playwright Gustaf von Numers was a distant cousin.

Prix Gustaf von Numers

In 1982, the international award ''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