EMBLEMS

Emblems: translation

   Symbols and emblems of various kinds take a foremost place in sacred Art. Some of these are here given:

   THE CROSS is the special symbol of Christianity. It appears in a variety of shapes, the most familiar being the Latin Cross, the Passion Cross, the Greek Cross, St. Andrew's Cross and the Maltese Cross.

   THE TRIANGLE is the emblem of the Holy Trinity, as is also the Trefoil (which see).

   THE CIRCLE is the ancient emblem of Eternity, being without beginning or end; enclosing a triangle it means Three in One or the Blessed Trinity; enclosing a cross it symbolizes Eternal Life.

   THE CROWN is used as the symbol of Victory and sovereignty.

   THE LAMB

   Agnus Dei -- is the chief emblem of our Blessed Lord.Bearing a banner it signifies Victory and is an emblem of the Resurrection.

   THE STAR is a Christmas emblem, commemorating the Star of Bethlehem. It has generally five points, but sometimes seven, the number of perfection.

   THE FISH was a very early symbol of our Lord. The letters which form the Greek word for fish, viz.: ICHTHUS are the initials in Greek of the words Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Saviour.

   THE ANCHOR is the emblem of the Christian's hope.

   THE SHIP is a symbol of the Church as the Ark of Salvation, in which we are saved, as Noah was saved by the Ark.

   THE LION is the symbol of our Lord who is called in Revelation 5:5, the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah."

   THE DOVE is used as the emblem of the Holy Ghost.

   The emblems of the four Evangelists are as follows: ST. MATTHEW, a winged Man; ST. MARK, a winged Lion; ST. LUKE, a winged Ox, and ST. JOHN, an Eagle.

Emblems: translation

   Collections of woodcut illustrations, each accompanied by a title and an epigrammatic verse, usually with a more or less obvious allegorical meaning. The fashion for these books goes back to the popularity of the Emblemata /Emblems published by Andrea Alciati in 1531. The genre first became popular in France but soon spread to the Netherlands, Germany, England, Italy, and Spain. Editions of Alciati's collection, often revised to meet local tastes, appeared in all of those countries, both in the original Latin and in the vernacular. Imitations by other compilers began being published from about 1540. Later in the 16th century, there were specifically Catholic and Protestant books of emblems. Although the accompanying texts were rarely distinguished examples of poetry, the engraved illustrations were often done with great care. The emblem-book probably derived from manuscript collections of pictures, each with its associated motto, known in 15th-century Italy as Imprese and in France as devises. Emblems also influenced the development of court masques, and there are many references to emblems in other genres of Renaissance literature.