Anemblem is anabstract or representational pictorialimage that represents aconcept, like amoraltruth, or anallegory, or a person, like a monarch orsaint.^[1]

Although the wordsemblem andsymbol are often used interchangeably, an emblem is a pattern that is used to represent anidea or an individual. An emblem develops in concrete, visual terms some abstraction: adeity, atribe ornation, or avirtue orvice.^{[clarification needed]}

An emblem may be worn or otherwise used as an identifyingbadge orpatch. 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 metalcockle shell, the emblem ofJames the Great, sewn onto the hat or clothes, identified a medieval pilgrim to his shrine atSantiago de Compostela. In the Middle Ages, many saints were given emblems, which served to identify them in paintings and other images:St. Catherine of Alexandria had a wheel, or a sword,St. Anthony the Abbot, a pig and a small bell. These are also calledattributes, especially when shown carried by or close tothe saint in art. Monarchs and other grand persons increasingly adoptedpersonal devices or emblems that were distinct from their familyheraldry. The most famous includeLouis XIV of France's sun, thesalamander ofFrancis I of France, theboar ofRichard III of England and thearmillary sphere ofManuel I of Portugal. In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, there was a fashion, started in Italy, for making largemedals with a portrait head on theobverse and the emblem on the reverse; these would be given to friends and asdiplomatic gifts.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:^[1]

• TheChristian cross is a symbol of thecrucifixion of Jesus; it is an emblem ofsacrifice.
• TheRed Cross is one of three symbols representing theInternational Red Cross.^[2] A red cross on a white background is the emblem ofhumanitarian spirit.
• Thecrescent shape is a symbol of the moon; it is anemblem of Islam.
• Theskull and crossbones is a symbol identifying apoison.^[3] Theskull is anemblem of the transitory nature of human life.

Atotem is specifically an animal emblem that expresses the spirit of aclan. Emblems inheraldry are known ascharges. Thelion passant serves as the emblem of England, the lion rampant as the emblem ofScotland.

Anicon consists of an image (originally a religious image), that has become standardized by convention. Alogo is an impersonal, secular icon, usually of acorporate entity.

Since the 15th century, the terms of emblem (emblema; fromGreek:ἔμβλημα, meaning "embossed ornament") and emblematura belong to thetermini technici ofarchitecture. 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 ofDe re aedificatoria (1452) byLeon Battista Alberti (1404–1472), patterned after theDe architectura by the Roman architect and engineerVitruvius,emblema are related toEgyptian hieroglyphics and are considered as being the lost universal language.^{[citation needed]} Therefore, the emblems belong to theRenaissance knowledge of antiquity which comprises not only Greek and Roman antiquity but also Egyptian antiquity as proven by the numerousobelisks built in 16th and 17th century Rome.^[4]

Evidence of the use of emblems inpre-Columbian America has also been found, such as those used in Mayan city states, kingdoms, and even empires such as theAztec orInca. 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.^[5]

The 1531 publication in Augsburg of the firstemblem book, theEmblemata of the Italian juristAndrea Alciato launched a fascination with emblems that lasted two centuries and touched most of the countries of western Europe.^[6] "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 ownlife. Complicated associations of emblems could transmit information to the culturally-informed viewer, a characteristic of the 16th-century artistic movement calledMannerism.

A popular collection of emblems, which ran to many editions, was presented byFrancis 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 anepigram of four lines. These were accompanied by an emblem that presented the symbols displayed in the accompanying passage.

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.^[7]

Althoughsign 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.^[8] Linguistic properties are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, etc..^[9] 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 are associated with the culture they are established in and are subjective to that culture. For example, thesign 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.^[10] Furthermore, thethumbs up sign in America means "good job ", but in some parts of the Middle East the thumbs up sign means something highly offensive.^[11]

• Coat of arms
• Crest
• Emblem book
• Logo
• Meme
• Mission patch
• National emblem
• Saint symbology
• Seal (emblem)
• Symbol
• Badge
• Icon

Drysdall, Denis (2005)."Claude Mignault of Dijon: "Theoretical Writings on the Emblem: a Critical Edition, with apparatus and notes (1577)". Retrieved2009-05-29.

• Emblematica Online. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Libraries. 1,388 facsimiles of emblem books.
• Moseley, Charles,A Century of Emblems: An Introduction to the Renaissance Emblem (Aldershot: Scolar Press, 1989)

• Camerarius, Joachim (1605)Symbolorum & emblematumArchived 2020-07-31 at theWayback Machine - digital facsimile of book of emblems, from the website of theLinda Hall Library