The circular panel, divided into two concentric registers, shows a well preserved and meticulously rendered shield of the Canton of Zurich and its affiliated localities. An inner circle is framed by a green laurel wreath over a blue border. In the center, in a pyramid form, are two shields of the Canton of Zurich surmounted by that of the Holy Roman Empire. They are flanked by lions standing on their hind legs, their paws resting on the imperial crown. On the right one carries an imperial orb and on the left the lion carries a sword. They stand in front of a low balustrade on a black and white checkered floor. Behind them is a blue arch draped with blue fabric. Below are three shields. Encircling the scene is a ring consisting of 32 shields. The outer circle carries the place names.

The panel has almost no breakage except for mending leads on its outer border and three cracks in the shields. All leading is modern. The crisp black grisaille outlines on the vault and draperies in the central image may suggest that it has been retouched

The panel suggests the compositional style of the Zurich artist Hans Jakob Nüscheler II (1614–1658), who followed the vocation of his grandfather, Heinrich Nüscheler (1550–1616) and his well-known father, Hans Jakob Nüscheler the Elder (1583–1654). Hans Jakob the Younger was trained in Zurich, where he produced a variety of Standesscheiben and heraldic and allegorical panels; he achieved his Meisterrecht (Master craftsman) as a glasspainter in 1540. Nüscheler the Elder’s work is exemplified by a heraldic panel of Zurich, dated by inscription to 1616, containing the shields of thirty-five dependent cities (Nuremberg, Germanisches National Museum, MM916: Hess, & Hirschfelder, 2010, pp. 180, 397, fig. 142). The Los Angeles panel, however, adds a distinctive architectural setting behind the lions. That setting appears in the Arms of the Canton of Zurich with 35 dependent shields, dated 1645 and attributed to Hans Jakob the Younger (Krefeld, Bremen Collection; Bremen, 1964, pp. 106–107, no. 55). The design of architectural details, as well as the lions’ positions, gestures, and their relationship to the background correspond the circular panel in Los Angeles. The lions' furry aspect, their bushy flowing manes, and their square jaws are derived from his father's style, whereas Nüscheler II faces both lions frontally and exaggerates their claws gripping the crown and regalia. Most characteristic of the LACMA panel and Krefeld example is the stage-like design of the background and drapery, and its relationship to the golden balustrade and checkered pavement below. The similarities that argue for an attribution to Nüscheler II are strong. It is vexing to see an absence of date in the LACMA example, which was an important element of the commission and normally included between the two Zurich shields. On stylistic grounds, however, the work can be dated from 1640 to the artist's death in 1658, within which time the artist produced more than forty cantonal commissions.

Cited in:
Hayward, 1989, p. 78.
Raguin, 2024, vol. 1, pp. 38–39, 225–30.