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#REDIRECT ] |
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{{Infobox flag |
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| Name = Commonwealth of Virginia |
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{{Redirect category shell|1= |
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| Article = |
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| Image = Flag of Virginia.svg |
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{{R from merge|Flag and seal of Virginia}} |
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| Nickname = |
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| Use = 110000 |
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| Symbol = |
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| Proportion = |
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| Adoption = January 31, 1861 |
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| Design = Seal of Virginia on an azure field |
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| Designer = |
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| Type = State |
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}} |
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}} |
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The '''] of the ]''' consists of the '''seal of Virginia''' against a blue background. The current version of the flag was adopted at the beginning of the ] in 1861. The flag may be decorated with a white fringe along the fly.<ref></ref> |
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In 2001, the ] (NAVA) surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 ], ] and ] flags. NAVA's members ranked Virginia's flag 54th out of the 72.<ref>http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/State&Provincial%20Survey%202001/surveyresults.htm</ref> |
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==Salute to the flag== |
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The General Assembly of Virginia adopted an official salute to the flag of Virginia in 1954. It reads: |
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{{cquote|I salute the flag of Virginia, |
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with reverence and patriotic devotion<br /> |
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to the ‘Mother of States and Statesmen,’<br /> |
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which it represents—the ‘Old Dominion,’<br /> |
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where liberty and independence were born.<ref></ref>}} |
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==History== |
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In May 1776 the Virginia ] declared its independence from ]. On July 1, 1776, a committee of four was appointed to make a proper ] for the Commonwealth of Virginia. The four men were ], ], ], and ]. Four days later the committee's report for a design of the seal was read, and George Mason presented it to the Virginia ]. 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 ]. |
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The seal makers did not want a design which in any way resembled the style of ] used in ]. Because of the strong admiration for the ] felt by the Virginia leaders, the design of the new seal was taken from the mythology of ]. They also chose a two-sided design, as shown above. |
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==Design== |
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===Obverse=== |
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] and carried by ] to give to ] allies of ]. Early variant of the official state seal with partially disrobed Virtus. 1780]] |
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The ] of the seal is ''the'' official seal of ] and is used on all the official papers and documents of the Commonwealth's ], as well as on its ]. On this side, a ] personifying the Roman virtue of ] was selected to represent the genius of the new Commonwealth. Virginia's Virtus is a figure of ], standing in a pose which indicates a battle already won. She rests on her long ], its point turned downward to the ground. Her other ], a ], is ]ed; it is the ] of ] rather than that of ]. Virtus is typically shown with a bare left breast; this is commonly recognized as the only use of nudity among the ]. |
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] lies prostrate beneath the foot of Virtus, symbolizing ] defeat by ]. The royal ] which has fallen to the ground beside him symbolizes the new ]'s release from the monarchical control of ]; Virginia and ] are the only U.S. states with a flag or seal displaying a crown. The broken ] in Tyranny's left hand represents Virginia's freedom from ] restriction of colonial ] and westward expansion. The useless whip in his right hand signifies Virginia's relief from the torturing whip of acts of ] such as the ]. His robe is purple, a reference to ] and the ] king of ], ]. |
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The ] selected for the ] of the Virginia seal is '']'', or in ], ''Thus always to tyrants''. This is a derived quote from the famous events in ], attributed to ] upon his participation in the ] of ]. (Caesar had been named ] of Rome in the same year, and some Senators believed had ambitions to abolish the ] and establish himself as a ].) |
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===Reverse=== |
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The ] of the seal pictures the ]s of ] and ], as represented by three Roman ]es. In the center is the matron ] the goddess of individual liberties. In her hand she holds a ] showing her magical gifts, at the top of the wand hangs a ], also called a Liberty Cap — later made popular by French revolutionaries. |
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To the left of ] stands ], the Roman goddess of ]. In her left hand is a ] overflowing with the abundance of Virginia's ]s, while in her right hand is an enormous stalk of ], representing one of Virginia's leading ]. ], representing Virginia's ], stands at the right of ]. In her right hand is a golden ball, an ] of ], and atop the ball is a ], symbolizing ]. On the Virginia seal, the phoenix represents effective ]. |
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The ] gracing the reverse with its trio of Libertas, Ceres, and Aeternitas is ''Perseverando'', or in ], ''Persevering'', a reminder to future generations of the need to persist in maintaining the blessings of ]. The ornamental border on both sides of the seal consists of sprigs of '']'', 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 the Capitol in Richmond were designed by Charles Keck. What the committee approved was basically adopting the 1776 seal as the standard. In 1949, another standard was implemented, when Virginia's Art Commission defined the official color scheme for the seal. The ] 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. |
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A common joke in Virginia, referencing the image on the seal and dating at least as far back as the ], is that "''Sic semper tyrannis''" actually means "Get your foot off my neck."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=von Borcke |first=Heros |authorlink=Heros von Borcke |year=1866 |month=April |title=Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence |journal=] |volume=99 |version=American edition, vol. 62 |issue=606 |page=462 |publisher=Leonard Scott & Co. |location=New York |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=HqrZODfwUIIC&dq=sic%20semper%20tyrannis&pg=PA462#v=onepage&q&f=false |accessdate=21 August 2010 |quote=...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.}}</ref> |
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In 2010, ], ], gave to his staff ]s with Virtus’ bosom covered by an armored ]. His ], Brian Gottstein, said the pin was paid for by Cuccinelli’s ], not with ].<ref></ref> |
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==Legality== |
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] |
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The Seal of Virginia, as defined in the ], §1-500:<ref></ref> |
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{{cquote|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, ], 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 of ], holding a wand and pileus in her right hand; on her right, ], with a globe and phoenix in her right hand; on the left of Libertas, ], 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."}} |
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Under Virginia ], the ] is the Keeper of the Seals of the ]. |
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==Government Seals of Virginia== |
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<gallery> |
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File:Seal of the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.gif|Seal of the ] of Virginia |
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File:Virginia Department of Corrections Logo.png|Seal of the ] |
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</gallery> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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* ] |
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{{Reflist|1}} |
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==Sources== |
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*Adapted from ]; Jones, Spotswood Hunnicutt; & Poole, Sidman P. (1964). ''Virginia: History, Government, Geography (Revised Edition)''. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp 673–675. |
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* The Virginia Legislative Information System: http://lis.virginia.gov/000/src.htm |
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==See also== |
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{{Portal|Virginia}} |
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==External links== |
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* |
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{{US_state_flags}} |
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{{US state seals}} |
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{{Virginia}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Seal Of Virginia}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia, Flag of}} |
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