Rather unusually, these Angels wear white hart (deer) badges, with the personal emblem of King Richard II of England, who commissioned this, the Wilton diptych, about 1400. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. Richard II (6 January 1367 &ndash ca 14 February 1400 was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399 The Wilton Diptych (c 1395 - 1399) is a small portable Diptych of two hinged panels painted on both sides

An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e. An image (from Latin imago) or picture is an artifact usually two-dimensional that has a similar appearance to some subject &mdashusually Abstract art uses a Visual language of form color and line to create a composition which exists independently of visual references to the world The term "concept" is traced back to 1554–60 ( l conceptum - something conceived but what is today termed "the classical theory of concepts" is the theory of Aristotle g. , a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint. A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event The meaning of the word truth extends from Honesty, Good faith, and Sincerity in general to agreement with Fact or Reality An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity

Distinction: emblem and symbol

The words emblem and symbol often appear interchangeably in day-to-day conversation without causing undue confusion. The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece A distinction between the two may seem unnecessarily fastidious. Nevertheless, an emblem is a pattern that is used to represent an idea, or an individual. An idea is a form (such as a Thought) formed by Consciousness (including Mind) through the Process of ideation. An emblem crystallizes in concrete, visual terms some abstraction: a deity, a tribe or nation, a virtue or a vice. An emblem is an object or a representation of an object.

An emblem may be worn or otherwise used as an identifying badge. A badge is a device, patch or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service a special accomplishment a symbol of authority granted by taking A real or metal cockle shell, the emblem of St James the Apostle, sewn onto the hat or clothes identified a medieval pilgrim to his shrine at Santiago de Compostela. For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page Santiago de Compostela (also Saint James of Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia and a UNESCO World In the Middle Ages, many saints were given emblems, which served to identify them in paintings and other images: St Catherine had a wheel, or a sword, St Anthony Abbot a pig and a small bell. Saint Anthony the Great (c 251–356 also known as Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, These are also called attributes, especially when shown carried by or in close proximity to the saint in art. Kings and other grand persons increasingly adopted personal devices or emblems that were distinct from their family heraldry. A personal device is closely related to the picture-text combinations called Emblems found in Emblem books Popular from late medieval times the personal device typically Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. The most famous include King Louis XIV of France's sun, the salamander of Francois I, and the boar of King Richard III of England. Early years Birth and ancestry Louis XIV was born in the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye on September 5 1638 and bore the Heir apparent This article is about the legendary creature for the amphibian see Salamander. Francis I (September 12 1494 &ndash March 31 1547 was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547 The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. Richard III ( 2 October 1452 &ndash 22 August 1485) was King of England from 1483 until his death In the fifteenth and sixteenth century there was a fashion, started in Italy, for making large medals with a portrait head on the obverse and the emblem on the reverse; these would be given to friends and as diplomatic gifts. A medal is usually a Coin -like sculpted object of metal or other material that has been engraved with an Insignia, Portrait or other artistic rendering Pisanello produced many of the earliest and finest of these. Pisanello (c 1395 &ndash probably 1455 known professionally as Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore

"The big eat the small": a political emblem from an emblem book of 1617

In current American usage, police officers' badges refer specifically to their personal metal emblem — sometimes with a uniquely identifying number or name on it — while the woven emblems sewn on their uniforms identify all the members of a particular unit. Emblem books are a particular style of illustrated Book developed in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, normally containing about one hundred combinations

A symbol substitutes one thing for another, in a more concrete fashion:

• The Christian cross is a symbol of the Crucifixion; it is an emblem of sacrifice. The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece
• The Red Cross is a symbol of the International Red Cross. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated A red cross on a white flag is the emblem of the humanitarian spirit.
• The crescent shape is a symbol of the moon; it is an emblem of Islam. For things named Crescent see Crescent (disambiguation. In art and symbolism a crescent is generally the shape produced when a
• The skull and crossbones is an symbol identifying a poison. A skull and crossbones is a Symbol consisting of a human Skull and two bones crossed together under the skull The skull is an emblem of the transitory human life. Skull symbolism is the attachment of symbolic meaning to the human Skull.

Other terminology

A totem is specifically an animal emblem that expresses the spirit of a clan. A totem is any supposed entity that watches over or assists a group of people such as a family Clan or tribe ( Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Webster's A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor Heraldry knows its emblems as charges. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. In Heraldry and Vexillology, a charge is an image occupying the field on an escutcheon (or shield 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. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. A logo is an impersonal, secular icon, usually of a corporate entity. A logo ( Greek el λογότυπος = el-Latn logotypos is a graphical element ( Ideogram, Symbol, Emblem, Icon, Sign) A corporation is a separate legal entity usually used to conduct business

Emblems in history

Since the 15th century the terms of emblem (emblema) and emblematura belong to the termini technici of architecture. The Painted Firetail, Emblema pictum, is a common species of Estrildid finch found in Australia. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation 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). An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Since the publication of De architectura libri decem by Leon Battista Alberti (1404–1472) the emblems (emblema) are related to Egyptian hieroglyphics and are considered as being a secret iconic language. Leon Battista Alberti ( February 14, 1404 &ndash April 25, 1472) was an Italian author artist Architect, Poet The Painted Firetail, Emblema pictum, is a common species of Estrildid finch found in Australia. 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 obelisks built in 16th and 17th century Rome.

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. Emblem books are a particular style of illustrated Book developed in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, normally containing about one hundred combinations Usually known simply as the " Emblemata " the first Emblem book appeared in Augsburg (Germany in 1531 under the title Viri Clarissimi D Andrea Alciato, commonly known as Alciati ( Andreas Alciatus) ( January 12, 1492 - 1550 was an Italian Jurist and writer "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 his or her own life. Personal life (or everyday life or human existence) is the course of an individual Human 's life especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices Complicated associations of emblems could transmit information to the culturally-informed viewer, a characteristic of the 16th century artistic movement called Mannerism. Mannerism is a period of European art which emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520.

See also

• National emblem
• Symbol
• Emblem book
• Meme
• Insignia
• Saint symbology
• Coat of Arms