Vaibhu at 00:41, 17 March 2026

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{{short description|Pictorial image that epitomizes a concept or that represents a person}}
{{About||the album by Matt Pond PA|Emblems (album)|the community in the United States|Emblem, Wyoming}}
{{Too short|date=September 2024}}
[[File:The Wilton Diptych (Right).jpg|thumb|The [[Wilton Diptych]] ({{Circa|1395}}–1399) features [[angel]]s wearing the [[White Hart]] badge, the personal emblem of King [[Richard II of England]]]]
[[File:Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg|thumb|The [[Emblem of Uzbekistan|national emblem of Uzbekistan]]]]
[[File:Superman S symbol.svg|thumb|The family emblem of the fictional [[Superman dynasty|House of El]]]]

An '''emblem''' is an [[abstract art|abstract]] or [[Depiction|representational]] pictorial [[image]] that represents a [[concept]], such as [[moral]] [[truth]], [[allegory]], or person, such as a monarch or [[saint]].<ref name="OED">{{Cite book |url=http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/symbol |title=symbol |publisher=AskOxford - Compact Oxford English Dictionary |year=1989 |isbn=0-19-861186-2 |place=United Kingdom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223041647/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/symbol |archive-date=February 23, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Emblems vs. symbols==
[[File:House of the Prince of Naples in Pompeii Plate 147 Triclinium Emblem on North Wall MH.jpg|thumb|left|[[House of the Prince of Naples]] in Pompeii Triclinium Emblem on North Wall]]
Although the words ''emblem'' and ''[[symbol]]'' are often used interchangeably, an emblem is a pattern that is used to represent an [[idea]] or an individual. An emblem develops in concrete, visual terms some abstraction: a [[deity]], a [[tribe]] or [[nation]], or a [[virtue]] or [[vice]].{{Clarify| reason=In which discipline is this distinction done? Is it an elementary notion in such field? As the previous sentence says (as everyone knows) emblem and symbols are interchangeable casually.| date=January 2013}}

An emblem may be worn or otherwise used as an identifying [[badge]] or [[Embroidered patch|patch]]. For example, in America, police officers' badges refer to their personal metal emblem whereas their woven emblems on uniforms identify members of a particular unit. A real or metal [[Cockle (bivalve)|cockle]] shell, the emblem of [[St James the Great|James the Great]], sewn onto the hat or clothes, identified a medieval pilgrim to his shrine at [[Santiago de Compostela]]. In the Middle Ages, many saints were given emblems, which served to identify them in paintings and other images: [[Catherine of Alexandria|St. Catherine of Alexandria]] had a wheel, or a sword, [[St Anthony the Great|St. Anthony the Abbot]], a pig and a small bell. These are also called '''attributes''', especially when shown carried by or close to [[Saint_symbolism|the saint in art]]. Monarchs and other grand persons increasingly adopted [[personal device]]s or emblems that were distinct from their family [[heraldry]]. The most famous include [[Louis XIV of France]]'s sun, the [[Salamander (legendary creature)|salamander]] of [[Francis I of France]], the [[boar]] of [[Richard III of England]] and the [[armillary sphere]] of [[Manuel I of Portugal]]. In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, there was a fashion, started in Italy, for making large [[medal]]s with a portrait head on the [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]] and the emblem on the reverse; these would be given to friends and as [[diplomatic gift]]s. [[Pisanello]] produced many of the earliest and finest of these.

A symbol, on the other hand, substitutes one thing for another, in a more concrete fashion:<ref name="OED"/>
* The [[Christian cross]] is a symbol of the [[crucifixion of Jesus]]; it is an emblem of [[sacrifice]].
* The [[Emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement#Red Cross|Red Cross]] is one of three symbols representing the [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|International Red Cross]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2006-03-14 |title=The History of the Emblems |url=http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/emblem-history |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120803090304/http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/emblem-history.htm |archive-date=3 August 2012 |access-date=2009-05-29 |website=International Committee of the Red Cross}} History of the emblems of the International Red Cross: An account of this organisation's need to adopt an emblem to represent itself, and the factors which led to it eventually adopting a second (the red crescent) and third (the red crystal).</ref> A red cross on a white background is the emblem of [[humanitarian spirit]].
* The [[crescent]] shape is a symbol of the moon; it is an [[Symbols of Islam|emblem of Islam]].
* The [[Skull and crossbones (poison)|skull and crossbones]] is a symbol identifying a [[poison]].<ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=skull and crossbones |url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/skull-and-crossbones |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008153956/https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/skull-and-crossbones |archive-date=Oct 8, 2009 |access-date=2009-05-29 |website=Macmillan Dictionary |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]]}} macmillandictionary.com entry for "skull and crossbones"</ref> The [[Skull (symbolism)|skull]] is an [[Memento mori|emblem of the transitory nature of human life]].

[[File:Emblemata_Politica-Minor_esca_maioris.jpg|thumb|left|"The big eat the small", a political emblem from an [[emblem book]], 1617]]

==Other terminology==
[[File:Coat of arms of Estonia.svg|thumb|upright=0.9|The [[coat of arms of Estonia]] with the national emblem of three [[lion passant|lions passant]].]]
A [[totem]] is specifically an animal emblem that expresses the spirit of a [[clan]]. Emblems in [[heraldry]] are known as [[Charge (heraldry)|charge]]s. The [[lion passant]] serves as the emblem of England, the lion rampant as the emblem of [[Scotland]].

An [[icon]] consists of an image (originally a religious image), that has become standardized by convention. A [[logo]] is an impersonal, secular icon, usually of a [[corporation|corporate entity]].

== Emblems in history ==
Since the 15th century, the terms of emblem (''emblema''; from {{langx|el|ἔμβλημα}}, meaning "embossed ornament") and emblematura belong to the ''termini technici'' of [[architecture]]. They mean an iconic painted, drawn, or sculptural representation of a concept affixed to houses and belong—like the inscriptions—to the architectural ornaments (ornamenta). Since the publication of
{{Lang|la|[[De re aedificatoria]]}} (1452) by [[Leon Battista Alberti]] (1404–1472), patterned after the {{Lang|la|[[De architectura]]}} by the Roman architect and engineer [[Vitruvius]], ''emblema'' are related to [[Egyptian hieroglyphics]] and are considered as being the lost universal language.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} Therefore, the emblems belong to the [[Renaissance]] knowledge of antiquity which comprises not only Greek and Roman antiquity but also Egyptian antiquity as proven by the numerous [[obelisk]]s built in 16th and 17th century Rome.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/skull-and-crossboneshttp://www.romeartlover.it/Obelisks.html |title=Obelisks of Rome |access-date=2009-05-29 |last=Piperno |first=Roberto |editor=Rosamie Moore}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Historical information, a map, photographs, and descriptions of Egyptian obelisks in Rome.</ref>{{Clarify|date=March 2026}}
[[File:Glifo emblema de Copán.svg|thumb|Glyph emblem of the Mayan city of [[Copán]] in [[Honduras]], installed by the [[Yax Kuk Mo Dynasty]].]]
Evidence of the use of emblems in [[Pre-Columbian era|pre-Columbian]] America has also been found, such as those used in Mayan city states, kingdoms, and even empires such as the [[Aztec Empire|Aztec]] or [[Inca Empire|Inca]]. The use of these in the American context does not differ much from the contexts of other regions of the world, being even the equivalent of the coats of arms of their respective territorial entities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sánchez Huaringa |first=Carlos D. |date=2015-07-13 |title=Los Primeros Instrumentos Musicales Precolombinos: La Flauta de Pan Andina O la "Antara" |journal=Arqueología y Sociedad |issue=29 |pages=461–494 |doi=10.15381/arqueolsoc.2015n29.e12241 |issn=0254-8062|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The 1531 publication in Augsburg of the first [[emblem book]], the ''[[Emblemata]]'' of the Italian jurist [[Andrea Alciato]] launched a fascination with emblems that lasted two centuries and touched most of the countries of western Europe.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barker |first=William |author2=Mark Feltham |author3=Jean Guthrie |date=1995-10-26 |title=Alciato's Book of Emblems: The Memorial Web Edition in Latin and English |url=https://www.mun.ca/alciato/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122020406/https://www.mun.ca/alciato/ |archive-date=Jan 22, 2009 |access-date=2009-05-29 |website=Memorial University of Newfoundland}} This page states that "Andrea Alciato's [Emblemata] had enormous influence and popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries".</ref> "Emblem" in this sense refers to a didactic or moralizing combination of picture and text intended to draw the reader into a self-reflective examination of their own [[personal life|life]]. Complicated associations of emblems could transmit information to the culturally-informed viewer, a characteristic of the 16th-century artistic movement called [[Mannerism]].

A popular collection of emblems, which ran to many editions, was presented by [[Francis Quarles]] in 1635. Each of the emblems consisted of a paraphrase from a passage of Scripture, expressed in ornate and metaphorical language, followed by passages from the Christian Fathers, and concluding with an [[epigram]] of four lines. These were accompanied by an emblem that presented the symbols displayed in the accompanying passage.

== Emblems in speech ==
Emblems are certain gestures which have a specific meaning attached to them. These meanings are usually associated with the culture they are established in. Using emblems creates a way for humans to communicate with one another in a non-verbal way. An individual waving their hand at a friend, for example, would communicate "hello" without having to verbally say anything.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KaZYCwAAQBAJ|title=Nonverbal Communication|publisher=Pearson Education, Inc.|isbn=9780205525003|edition=1st|pages=432|last1=Burgoon |first1=Judee K. |last2=Guerrero |first2=Laura K. |last3=Floyd |first3=Kory |date=8 January 2016|access-date=12 April 2017}}</ref>

=== Emblems vs. sign language ===
Although [[sign language]] uses hand gestures to communicate words in a non-verbal way, it should not be confused with emblems. Sign language contains linguistic properties, similar to those used in verbal languages, and is used to communicate entire conversations.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Distinguishing the Processing of Gestures from Signs in Deaf Individuals: An fMRI Study|first1=Fatima T.|last1=Husain |first2=Debra J.|last2=Patkin |first3=Hung|last3=Thai-Van |first4=Allen R.|last4=Braun |first5=Barry|last5=Horwitz|pmc=2693477|pmid=19397900|doi=10.1016/j.brainres.2009.04.034|volume=1276|journal=Brain Res|year=2009|pages=140–50}}</ref> Linguistic properties are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, etc..<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.pnas.org/content/113/7/1766.full.pdf|title=On the Universal Structure of Human Lexical Semantics|last1=Youn|first1=Hyejin|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |year=2016 |volume=113 |issue=7 |pages=1766–1771 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1520752113 |pmid=26831113|pmc=4763760 |arxiv=1504.07843 |bibcode=2016PNAS..113.1766Y |access-date=May 4, 2017|doi-access=free }}</ref> In contrast with sign language, emblems are a non-linguistic form of communication. Emblems are single gestures which are meant to get a short non-verbal message to another individual.

== Emblems in culture ==
Emblems are associated with the culture they are established in and are subjective to that culture. For example, the [[OK gesture|sign made by forming a circle with the thumb and forefinger]] is used in America to communicate "OK" in a non-verbal way, in Japan to mean "money", and in some southern European countries to mean something sexual.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwhZOxI11QMC&q=Academic+Encounters+Level+4+Student%27s+Book+Reading+and+Writing%3A+Human+Behavior|title=Academic Encounters Level 4 Student's Book Reading and Writing: Human Behavior|publisher=Cambridge University Press|last1=Seal|first1=Bernard|date=20 August 2012|isbn=9781107602977|access-date=May 4, 2017}}</ref> Furthermore, the [[Thumb signal|thumbs up sign]] in America means "good job ", but in some parts of the Middle East the thumbs up sign means something highly offensive.<ref>{{cite web |title=What Hand Gestures Mean In Different Countries |url=https://blog.busuu.com/what-hand-gestures-mean-in-different-countries/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909234457/https://blog.busuu.com/what-hand-gestures-mean-in-different-countries/ |archive-date=Sep 9, 2017 |access-date=5 May 2017 |website=Busuu}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Coat of arms]]
* [[Crest (heraldry)|Crest]]
* [[Emblem book]]
* [[Logo]]
* [[Meme]]
* [[Mission patch]]
* [[National emblem]]
* [[Saint symbology]]
* [[Seal (emblem)]]
* [[Symbol]]
* [[Badge]]
* [[Icon]]

==References==

{{cite web
| first = Denis
| last = Drysdall
| title = Claude Mignault of Dijon: "Theoretical Writings on the Emblem: a Critical Edition, with apparatus and notes (1577).
| year = 2005
| url = http://www.emblems.arts.gla.ac.uk/Mignault_intro.html
| access-date = 2009-05-29}}

=== Further reading ===
*[http://emblematica.library.illinois.edu/ Emblematica Online.] University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Libraries. 1,388 facsimiles of emblem books.
* [[Charles Moseley (writer)|Moseley, Charles]], ''A Century of Emblems: An Introduction to the Renaissance Emblem'' (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1989)

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*Camerarius, Joachim (1605) [http://lhldigital.lindahall.org/cdm/ref/collection/emblematic/id/442 ''Symbolorum & emblematum''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731033713/http://lhldigital.lindahall.org/cdm/ref/collection/emblematic/id/442 |date=2020-07-31 }} - digital facsimile of book of emblems, from the website of the [[Linda Hall Library]]
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Symbols|*]]

Emblem - Revision history

Vaibhu at 00:41, 17 March 2026