| Great Seal of the State of Colorado | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Armiger | State of Colorado[1] |
| Adopted | March 15, 1877 |
| Motto | Nil sine numine[2] "Nothing without providence"[3] |
TheSeal of theState of Colorado is an adaptation of the territorial seal which was adopted by the First Territorial Assembly on November 6, 1861.[1][2] The only changes made to the territorial seal design being the substitution of the words "State of Colorado" and the figures "1876" for the corresponding inscriptions on the territorial seal.[2] The first General Assembly of the State ofColorado approved the adoption of the state seal on March 15, 1877.[2] TheColorado Secretary of State alone is authorized to affix the Great Seal of Colorado to any document whatsoever.
By statute, the seal of the state is two and one-half inches in diameter with the following devices inscribed thereon: At the top is theEye of Providence or "All Seeing Eye" within a triangle, from which golden rays radiate on two sides. Below the eye is a Romanfasces, a bundle of birch or elm rods with a battle axe bound together with a ribbon of red, white and blue with the words,Union and Constitution. The bundle of rods bound together symbolizes strength which is lacking in the single rod. The axe symbolizes authority and leadership. Below the fasces is aheraldic shield bearing across the top a red sky behind three snow-capped mountains and clouds above them. The lower half of the shield has two miner's tools, thepick and sledge hammer, crossed on a golden ground. Below the shield, on a scroll, is the motto "Nil Sine Numine", Latin words meaning "Nothing without providence" or "nothing without the Deity",[3] and at the bottom the figures 1876, the year Colorado came into statehood.[2]
The design for the territorial seal which served as a model for the state seal or Great Seal of Colorado has been variously credited, but the individual primarily responsible wasLewis Ledyard Weld, the territorial secretary, appointed by PresidentAbraham Lincoln in July 1861. There is also evidence that Territorial GovernorWilliam Gilpin was also at least partially responsible for the design. Both Weld and Gilpin were knowledgeable in the art and symbolism of heraldry. Elements of design from both the Weld and Gilpin families’ coats of arms are incorporated in the territorial seal.
Nil sine numine is thestate motto of Colorado. The Latin phrase appears to be an adaptation fromVirgil'sAeneid where in Book II, line 777 the words "...non haec sine numine devum eveniunt" are found.
The Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration said about the translation of the motto:
The motto appeared when Colorado's first territorial governor, Gilpin, asked Secretary of the Territory L. L. Weld for a suitable motto for the state seal. According to the story, Weld said: "Well, Governor, what would you suggest?" Gilpin is said to have paused in thought for a moment and then responded "Nil Sine Numine".[citation needed] On November 6, 1861 by joint resolution the First Territorial Assembly adopted the motto with the territorial seal.
Nil sine numine is the motto of theWeld family ofLulworth Castle inDorset,England.[5] The family are descended fromSir Humphrey Weld,Lord Mayor of London in 1601 and were notable as arecusant family prior toCatholic Emancipation in the 19th century. TheLuttrell Psalter, a famous medieval manuscript dated to the 14th century, contains inside its binding an armorial bookplate ofThomas Weld (1750–1810), one of the book's owners,[6] and the motto on the plate's ribbon reads "nil sine numine".
The motto is also used by theColorado School of Mines, an engineering university in Golden, Colorado,High Point University, a small liberal arts university in High Point, North Carolina, and byVirginia Intermont College, a liberal arts college in Bristol, Virginia.
TheCoat of Arms of the State of Colorado was implicitly defined by the legislation creating theSeal of the Territory of Colorado on November 11, 1861, and theGreat Seal of the State of Colorado on March 15, 1877. It is seldom used, but maintained for historical interest.[citation needed]
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38°59′50″N105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W /38.9972; -105.5478 (State of Colorado)
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