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| Use | Civil andstate flag   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | March 28, 1912; 112 years ago (1912-03-28)[1] (standardized February 1, 1950)[2][N 1] |
| Design | An obverse of the state seal on an azure field. |
| Designed by | Charles Keck[3][4] |
TheSeal of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the official seal of theCommonwealth of Virginia, aU.S. state. Thestate flag of Virginia consists of the obverse of the seal against a blue background. Astate flag was first adopted at the beginning of theAmerican Civil War in April 1861, readopted in 1912,[1] and standardized by theGeneral Assembly in February 1950.[2] The standingallegorical female figure ofvirtue is shown having vanquishedtyranny, symbolized by a fallen king at her feet. She has an exposed breast in the manner of classical depictions ofAmazons. The mottoSic semper tyrannis means "Thus always to tyrants."
It is one of six US state flags (along withFlorida,New York,New Jersey,Wyoming, andIdaho) with a depiction of a woman, and the only state flag in the U.S. depicting nudity.
The flag may be decorated with a white fringe along the fly edge; this is usually done when the flag is displayed indoors.[5][6]
In May 1776 theVirginian colony declared its independence fromGreat Britain. On July 1, 1776, a committee of four was appointed to make a properseal for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The four men wereRichard Henry Lee,George Mason,George Wythe, andRobert Carter Nicholas Sr. Four days later, the committee's report for a design of the seal was read, and Mason presented it to theVirginia government. It was voted on and approved that same day. It is not known for certain which members of the committee were chiefly responsible for the design of the seal, but it is generally believed to be principally the work of Wythe.[9]
The seal makers did not want a design which in any way resembled the style ofcoats of arms used in Great Britain. Because of the admiration for theRoman Republic felt by the Virginian leaders, the design of the new seal was taken from the mythology ofAncient Rome. They also chose a two-sided design, as shown above.
By 1912, many variants of the seal had become propagated, leading to confusion as to which was the actual seal. Thus, Virginia decided to standardize the design of the seal in order to avoid confusion.[1]
As part of theUnited States Bicentennial in 1976, theSanta Barbara Museum of Art held a nationwide contest for new flags for American states, cities and other entities. A panel of judges selected 25 of the best designs to be displayed at various exhibitions around the United States. Among the selected designs was a proposed flag for Virginia, designed by Leslie Robinson ofRichmond. It maintained the blue background of the existing flag, but replaced the seal with four whiteDogwood tree blossoms, the Virginia state flower. Although it was hoped that the winning designs might be considered for adoption by their respective entities, no flags from this contest were ever officially adopted.[10]
In 2001, theNorth American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of 72U.S. state,U.S. territorial,Canadian provincial and Canadian territorial flags. The survey ranked Virginia's flag 54th out of 72.[11]
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Theobverse of the seal is the official seal ofVirginia and is used on all the official papers and documents of the Commonwealth'sgovernment, as well as on its flag. On this side, afemale figure personifying the Roman virtue ofvirtus was selected to represent the genius of the new Commonwealth. Virginia's Virtus is a figure ofpeace, standing in a pose which indicates a battle already won. She rests on her longspear, its point turned downward to the ground. Her otherweapon, aparazonium, issheathed; it is thesword ofauthority rather than that ofcombat. Virtus is typically shown with a bare left breast; this is the only use ofnudity among theseals of the U.S. states.
Tyranny liessupine beneath the foot of Virtus, symbolizingGreat Britain's defeat by Virginia. Theroyal crown which has fallen to the ground beside him symbolizes the newrepublic's release from the monarchical control of Great Britain;Maryland, Virginia andNew York are the only U.S. states with a flag or seal displaying a crown. The brokenchain in Tyranny's left hand represents Virginia's freedom from Britain's restriction of colonialtrade and westward expansion. The useless whip in his right hand signifies Virginia's relief from the torturing whip of acts ofpunishment such as theIntolerable Acts. His robe is purple, a reference toJulius Caesar and theEtruscan king ofRome,Tarquinius Priscus.[citation needed]
Themotto selected for the obverse of the Virginia seal isSic semper tyrannis, or inEnglish,Thus always to tyrants. This is a derived quote from the famous event inRoman history, attributed toBrutus upon his participation in theslaying of Caesar. (Caesar had been namedperpetual dictator of Rome in the same year, and some senators believed he had ambitions to abolish the Roman Republic and establish himself as amonarch.)
A joke referencing the image on the seal that dates as far back as theCivil War, is that "Sic semper tyrannis" actually means "Get your foot off my neck."[12]
In 2010,Ken Cuccinelli,attorney general of Virginia, gave his stafflapel pins with Virtus's bosom covered by an armoredbreastplate. Hisspokesman, Brian Gottstein, said the pin was paid for by Cuccinelli'spolitical action committee, not withtaxpayer funds.[13]
The reverse of the seal pictures theblessings of freedom and peace, as represented by three Romangoddesses. In the center is the matronLibertas, the goddess of individual liberties. In her hand she holds awand showing her magical gifts, and at the top of the wand hangs aPhrygian cap—also called a liberty cap—later made popular by French revolutionaries.
To the left of Libertas standsCeres, the Roman goddess ofagriculture. In her left hand is ahorn of plenty overflowing with the abundance of Virginia'sharvests, while in her right hand is an enormous stalk ofwheat, representing one of Virginia's leading crops.
Aeternitas, representing Virginia'seternity, stands at the right of Libertas. In her right hand is a golden ball, anemblem of authority, and atop the ball is aphoenix, symbolizingimmortality. On the Virginia seal, the phoenix represents effective government.
The motto gracing the reverse with its trio of Libertas, Ceres, and Aeternitas isPerseverando, or in English,Persevering, a reminder to future generations of the need to persist in maintaining the blessings ofliberty. The ornamental border on both sides of the seal consists of sprigs ofParthenocissus quinquefolia, or commonly, Virginia creeper. In 1930 another committee was charged with standardizing the seal's design because of all the variations that came into use over the years. The seals that now adorn the doors of the Southern Portico of theCapitol in Richmond were designed byCharles Keck.[3][4] What the committee approved was basically adopting the 1776 seal as the standard. In 1949, another standard was implemented, whenVirginia's Art Commission defined the official color scheme for the seal.[7]
The Great Seal and the lesser seal are the same except for size. The lesser seal is used on commissions of commonwealth officials and notaries, and on other papers which remain within the boundaries of, or relate only to, Virginia.
| Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia | |
|---|---|
 The seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia | |
| Armiger | Commonwealth of Virginia |
| Adopted | March 28, 1912 (standardized February 1, 1950)[14] |
The Seal of Virginia is officially described in theCode of Virginia (1950), §1-500, as follows:
The great seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia shall consist of two metallic discs, two and one-fourth inches in diameter, with an ornamental border one fourth of an inch wide, with such words and figures engraved thereon as will, when used, produce impressions to be described as follows: On the obverse,Virtus, the genius of the Commonwealth, dressed as an Amazon, resting on a spear in her right hand, point downward, touching the earth; and holding in her left hand, a sheathed sword, or parazonium, pointing upward; her head erect and face upturned; her left foot on the form of Tyranny represented by the prostrate body of a man, with his head to her left, his fallen crown nearby, a broken chain in his left hand, and a scourge in his right. Above the group and within the border conforming therewith, shall be the word "Virginia," and, in the space below, on a curved line, shall be the motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis." On the reverse, shall be placed a group consisting ofLibertas, holding a wand and pileus in her right hand; on her right,Aeternitas, with a globe and phoenix in her right hand; on the left of Libertas,Ceres, with a cornucopia in her left hand, and an ear of wheat in her right; over this device, in a curved line, the word "Perseverando."[14]
Under Virginian state law, thesecretary of the Commonwealth is also theKeeper of the Seals of theCommonwealth.[15]
Banner of arms used as flag ofVirginia Company at the beginning of the 17th century.At theUniversity of Virginia on July 10, 1976, as part of her visit to celebrate the bi-centenary of the United States of America,Queen Elizabeth II presented theGovernor of Virginia the Letters Patent of Garter, Clarenceux and Norroy and Ulster Kings of Arms dated June 3, 1976, which devised arms, crest and supporters for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The blazons were as follows:
Because the design included the royal crown and quarterings of the royal arms, The Queen had to approve the design before the devisal could be made. The design was one used by the Virginia Merchants andColony of Virginia from around 1620 until 1776.[16]
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The flag of the Commonwealth shall be a deep blue field, with a circular white centre of the same material. Upon this circle shall be painted or embroidered, to show on both sides alike, the coat of arms of the Commonwealth, as described in § 1-500 for the obverse of the great seal of the Commonwealth; and there may be a white fringe on the outer edge, furthest from the flagstaff. This shall be known and respected as the flag of the Commonwealth. (Code 1950, § 7-32; 1966, c. 102, § 7.1-32; 2005, c. 839.)
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)...the coat of arms of the state of Virginia, bearing the motto,Sic semper tyrannis, which the soldiers translated, "Take your foot off my neck", from the action of the principal figure ... representing Liberty, who, with a lance in her right hand, is standing over the conquered and prostrate tyrant, and apparently trampling on him with her heel.
The great seal of the Commonwealth shall consist of two metallic discs, two and one-fourth inches in diameter, with an ornamental border one fourth of an inch wide, with such words and figures engraved as follows: On the obverse, Virtus, thegenius of the Commonwealth, dressed as an Amazon, resting on a spear in her right hand, point downward, touching the earth; and holding in her left hand, a sheathed sword, or parazonium, pointing upward; her head erect and face upturned; her left foot on the form of Tyranny represented by the prostrate body of a man, with his head to her left, his fallen crown nearby, a broken chain in his left hand, and a scourge in his right. Above the group and within the border conforming therewith, shall be the word "Virginia," and, in the space below, on a curved line, shall be the motto, "Sic Semper Tyrannis." On the reverse, shall be placed a group consisting of Libertas, holding a wand and pileus in her right hand; on her right, Aeternitas, with a globe and phoenix in her right hand; on the left of Libertas, Ceres, with a cornucopia in her left hand, and an ear of wheat in her right; over this device, in a curved line, the word "Perseverando." (Code 1950, § 7-26; 1966, c. 102, § 7.1-26; 2005, c. 839.)
The seals of the Commonwealth described in §§ 1-500 and 1-501 shall be kept by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and used as provided by law, and at least three clear impressions of the seals shall be kept and displayed by the Librarian of Virginia in some suitable place in The Library of Virginia, for public inspection. (Code 1950, § 7-28; 1966, c. 102, § 7.1-28; 1994, c. 64; 1998, c. 427; 2005, c. 839.)
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