DAVID TRUZZI-FRANCONI, SHA

David has an interesting background, being the grandson of William Truzzi, the last of a circus dynas-ty, who having remained in Russia after the rest of the family had fled, surviving famine and revolu-tionary tribunals, eventually being made Artistic Director of all Soviet Circuses, a lot of them confis-cated from the family.

He started work as a Calligrapher (1966-1990) working for the Kings, Heralds, and Pursuivants of Arms at Her Majesty’s College of Arms under the late W.T. Lovegrove, MVO, Clerk of the Records, becom-ing Deputy to his successor K. Evans, MVO, engrossing on vellum and Whatman paper both genea-logical and armorial documents, pedigrees, and Royal Licences, etc. for the College Records and ar-chives, as well as producing the original documents on a freelance basis. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1973.

In 1990 he established Applied Art, broadening his sphere of practice to encompass more armorial work, hatchments, gate shields, coach work, as well as producing pictorial pub signs for Tollemache and Cobbold, Pubmaster. and Greene King, in addition to freelance work for the College of Arms, City Livery Companies, Guildhall, traditional signwriting, renovation and design of village signs, church peal boards, museum displays and sets, marbling/graining/other faux finishes, trompe l’oiel, murals, etc. He contributed to and appeared with presenter Rory McGrath on the BBC TV programme History Fix, discussing the painting and history of pub signs in 1999.