Marilyn Yalom, The Mysterious Origins of Our Most Enduring Symbol of Love; The heart icon is everywhere, but why does it look nothing like the beating organ in our chests? Wall Street Journal, Jan 27, 2018.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the ... article_email_share
http://www.cetusnews.com/life/Th ... mbol.HJyr3qYSz.html
two consecutive paragraphs:
"We finally find a clear instance of of our contemporary heart icon in a French manuscript titled 'The Romance of Alexander,' circa 1340. In the bottom border of one page, on the left-hand side, a woman raises a symmetrical heart with two clearly defined lobes that she has received from the man facing her. She accepts the gift of his heart, while he touches his breast to indicate the place from which it has come. Another couple in the same border, on the right-hand side, shows a very different scene: A lady turns away from a suitor who offers her a purse.
"The two couples present a graphic vision of how men and women should and should not relate to each other. One is pure and inspired by feelings from the heart, the other is venal and based on material rewards.
NoteL The report is NOT locked behind paywall. |