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{{short description|Typographical ornament}}
{{Short description|Typographical ornament (❦ ❧ etc)}}
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[[File:A complex Fleuron with thistle, 1870 American Edition. Facsimile. Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect.jpg|thumb|right|A complex fleuron with thistle from a 1870 edition of ''[[Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Edinburgh Edition)|Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect]]'']]
{{About|the printers' decorations|the digital equivalent|Dingbat}}
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A '''fleuron''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|l|ʊər|ɒ|n|,_|-|ə|n|,_|ˈ|f|l|ɜr|ɒ|n|,_|-|ə|n}}<ref>{{cite dictionary |url = https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fleuron |title= fleuron |dictionary = [[Collins English Dictionary]]}}</ref>), also known as '''printers' flower''', is a [[typography|typographic]] element, or [[glyph]], used either as a punctuation mark or as an ornament for typographic compositions. Fleurons are stylized forms of flowers or leaves; the term derives from the {{lang-fro|floron}} ("flower").<ref>{{cite dictionary|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fleuron |title=Fleuron | dictionary= Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=2013-12-24}}</ref> [[Robert Bringhurst]] in ''[[The Elements of Typographic Style]]'' calls the forms "[[horticulture|horticultural]] [[dingbat]]s".<ref>[[Robert Bringhurst|Bringhurst, Robert]], ''[[The Elements of Typographic Style]]'', Second edition: Hartley and Marks Publishers, 1996. {{ISBN|0-88179-132-6}}</ref> A commonly encountered fleuron is the {{char|❦}}, the '''floral heart''' or '''{{lang|la|[[hedera]]}}''' (ivy leaf). It is also known as an '''aldus leaf''' (after Italian Renaissance printer [[Aldus Manutius]]).
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[[File:A complex Fleuron with thistle, 1870 American Edition. Facsimile. Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect.jpg|thumb|right|A complex fleuron with thistle from a 1870 edition of [[Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (Edinburgh Edition)|Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect]]]]
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A '''fleuron''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|l|ʊər|ɒ|n|,_|-|ə|n|,_|ˈ|f|l|ɜr|ɒ|n|,_|-|ə|n}};<ref>{{cite dictionary |url = https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fleuron |title= fleuron |dictionary = [[Collins English Dictionary]]}}</ref>), also known as '''printers' flower''', is a [[typography|typographic]] element, or [[glyph]], used either as a punctuation mark or as an ornament for typographic compositions. Fleurons are stylized forms of flowers or leaves; the term derives from the {{lang-fro|floron}} ("flower").<ref>{{cite dictionary|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fleuron |title=Fleuron | dictionary= Dictionary.com |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=2013-12-24}}</ref> [[Robert Bringhurst]] in ''[[The Elements of Typographic Style]]'' calls the forms "[[horticulture|horticultural]] [[dingbat]]s".<ref>[[Robert Bringhurst|Bringhurst, Robert]], ''[[The Elements of Typographic Style]]'', Second edition: Hartley and Marks Publishers, 1996. {{ISBN|0-88179-132-6}}</ref> A prominent fleuron is the ''hedera'' {{char|❦}} ([[Latin]] for [[hedera|ivy]], more formally known as an ''aldus leaf'' (after Italian Renaissance printer [[Aldus Manutius]]).


==History==
==History==
[[File:Ph.Kamiros 19.jpg|thumb|Τypographic ornament in ancient city of [[Kamiros]] in [[Rhodes|Rhodes island]], Greece]]
[[File:Ph.Kamiros 19.jpg|thumb|Τypographic ornament in ancient city of [[Kamiros]] in [[Rhodes|Rhodes island]], Greece]]
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Flower decorations are among the oldest typographic ornaments. A fleuron can also be used to fill the white space that results from the [[indentation (typesetting)|indentation]] of the first line of a paragraph,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://retinart.net/typography/marksunknown/ |title=Typographic Marks Unknown – @retinart |publisher=Retinart.net |access-date=2013-12-24}}</ref> on a line by itself to divide paragraphs in a highly stylized way, to divide lists, or for pure ornamentation.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://thewordict.com/2013/05/10/punctuation-graveyard-the-hedera/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191558/http://thewordict.com/2013/05/10/punctuation-graveyard-the-hedera/ |date=May 10, 2013 |archive-date= October 29, 2013 | title = Punctuation graveyard: The Hedera | author = Lisa Ferlazzo | website=theworddict.com}}</ref> The fleuron (as a formal [[glyph]]) is a sixteenth century introduction.<ref>{{cite book |title=Vine Leaf Ornaments in Renaissance Typography: A Survey |last=Vervliet |first=Hendrik D.L. |publisher=Brill {{!}} Hes & De Graaf |date= 2012 |isbn=978-9061945611 |oclc=802183100}} cited in {{cite web |url=https://type.today/en/journal/etc |website=Type Today |title=Manual: *@©™®†‡§¶❦☜ |date=December 23, 2021 |access-date=December 2, 2022 |first= Anya |last=Danilova}}</ref>
Fleurons are among the oldest typographic ornaments. In early Greek and Latin texts, the hedera – a type of fleuron – was used as an inline character to divide [[paragraph]]s, similarly to the [[pilcrow]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mikemichelleapril.blogspot.com/2008/09/rare-books-collection-pilcrow.html
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|title=History of Graphic Design: Rare Books Collection: The Pilcrow |publisher=Mikemichelleapril.blogspot.com |date=2008-09-29 |access-date=2013-12-24}}</ref>{{better source |reason=Per policy [[WP:BLOGS]], this is statement should not be regarded as being reliably sourced.|date=November 2021}} The hedera can also be used to fill the white space that results from the [[indentation (typesetting)|indentation]] of the first line of a paragraph,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://retinart.net/typography/marksunknown/ |title=Typographic Marks Unknown – @retinart |publisher=Retinart.net |access-date=2013-12-24}}</ref> on a line by itself to divide paragraphs in a highly stylized way, to divide lists, or for pure ornamentation.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://thewordict.com/2013/05/10/punctuation-graveyard-the-hedera/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191558/http://thewordict.com/2013/05/10/punctuation-graveyard-the-hedera/ |date=May 10, 2013 |archive-date= October 29, 2013 | title = Punctuation graveyard: The Hedera | author = Lisa Ferlazzo | website=theworddict.com}}</ref>


In more modern historic books, [[Hard return|line breaks]] became more common as paragraph dividers, and fleurons became popular to create ornamented borders. Fleurons were crafted the same way as other typographic elements were: as individual metal [[Sort (typesetting)|sorts]] that could be fit into the printer's compositions alongside letters and numbers. This saved the printer time and effort in producing ornamentation. Because the sorts could be produced in multiples, printers could build up borders with repeating patterns of fleurons.
Fleurons were crafted the same way as other typographic elements were: as individual metal [[Sort (typesetting)|sorts]] that could be fit into the printer's compositions alongside letters and numbers. This saved the printer time and effort in producing ornamentation. Because the sorts could be produced in multiples, printers could build up borders with repeating patterns of fleurons.


== Fleurons in Unicode ==
== Fleurons in Unicode ==
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{{More|Dingbat}}
{{More|Dingbat}}


Thirty forms of fleuron are have [[code point]]s in [[Unicode]] standards. The [[Dingbats (Unicode block)|Dingbats]] and [[Miscellaneous Symbols]] blocks have three fleurons referred to as "floral hearts" and also know as Aldus leaves; twenty-four fleurons originally found in the [[Wingdings]] and Wingdings 2 fonts have been included in Unicode 7.0 under the [[Ornamental Dingbats]] block; and three more fleurons used in archaic languages are also supported.
Thirty forms of fleuron have [[code point]]s in [[Unicode]]. The [[Dingbats (Unicode block)|Dingbats]] and [[Miscellaneous Symbols]] blocks have three fleurons that the standard calls "floral hearts" (also called "aldus leaf", "ivy leaf", "hedera" and "vine leaf");<ref>{{cite web |title= Dingbats |url=https://unicode.org/charts/nameslist/n_2700.html |publisher = Unicode Consortium}}</ref> twenty-four fleurons (from the pre-Unicode [[Wingdings]] and Wingdings 2 fonts) in the [[Ornamental Dingbats]] block; and three more fleurons used in archaic languages are also supported.


* {{unichar|2619|reversed rotated floral heart bullet}} (Miscellaneous Symbols)
* {{unichar|2619|reversed rotated floral heart bullet}} (Miscellaneous Symbols)
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== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="nolines">
{{gallery
|width=120
File:Wife-of-Bath-ms.jpg|Early printers sought to use fleurons to replicate the style of manuscripts like this one.{{cn|date=November 2016}}
|noborder=yes
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File:Michael Praetorius Missodia Sionia (1611).jpg|The [[arabesque]] title page of a 1611 book.
|whitebg=no
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Arabesque border University of Amsterdam book.jpg|Detail of a printed [[arabesque]] border in a 1616 book.
|mode=nolines
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File:Specimens of printed borders.jpg|Specimens of printed floral borders from an 1897 [[type foundry]] specimen book.
|File:Wife-of-Bath-ms.jpg|Decorated page from [[Chaucer]]'s [[Canterbury Tales]]: ''[[The Wife of Bath's Tale]]''
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ATF 1923 Garamond specimen page 22b.jpg|Ornamented borders by [[Thomas Maitland Cleland]], 1923.
|File:Wycliffe John Gospel.jpg| [[John Wycliffe]]'s handwritten Bible, late 14th century
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File:Aldus leaf.svg|Example fleuron glyphs from a digital font.
|Fleuron from Christophe Plantin type specimen, 1567.jpg|Fleuron by [[Robert Granjon]], who pioneered the style, printed 1567
</gallery>
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|File:Michael Praetorius Missodia Sionia (1611).jpg|The [[arabesque]] title page of a 1611 book.
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|file:Arabesque border University of Amsterdam book.jpg|Detail of a printed [[arabesque]] border in a 1616 book.
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|File:Specimens of printed borders.jpg|Specimens of printed floral borders from an 1897 [[type foundry]] specimen book.
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|file:ATF 1923 Garamond specimen page 22b.jpg|Ornamented borders by [[Thomas Maitland Cleland]], 1923.
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|File:Aldus leaf.svg|Example fleuron glyphs from a digital font.
}}


==See also==
==See also==
* {{anli|Asterism (typography)}}
* {{anli|Dingbat}}, a printers' ornament
* {{anli|Dinkus}}, mostly used as a sub-chapter section break. Although a group of asterisks is the most common style, fleurons are also seen fulfilling this role.
* ''[[The Fleuron]]'', a British typography magazine from the early 20th century.
* ''[[The Fleuron]]'', a British typography magazine from the early 20th century.


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{{navbox punctuation}}
{{navbox punctuation}}
[[Category:Typographical symbols]]
[[Category:Typographical symbols]]
[[Category:Flowers]]
[[Category:Flowers in culture]]

Latest revision as of 07:16, 1 January 2024

A complex fleuron with thistle from a 1870 edition of Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect

A fleuron (/ˈflʊərɒn, -ən, ˈflɜːrɒn, -ən/[1]), also known as printers' flower, is a typographic element, or glyph, used either as a punctuation mark or as an ornament for typographic compositions. Fleurons are stylized forms of flowers or leaves; the term derives from the Old French: floron ("flower").[2] Robert Bringhurst in The Elements of Typographic Style calls the forms "horticultural dingbats".[3] A commonly encountered fleuron is the ❦, the floral heart or hedera (ivy leaf). It is also known as an aldus leaf (after Italian Renaissance printer Aldus Manutius).

History[edit]

Τypographic ornament in ancient city of Kamiros in Rhodes island, Greece

Flower decorations are among the oldest typographic ornaments. A fleuron can also be used to fill the white space that results from the indentation of the first line of a paragraph,[4] on a line by itself to divide paragraphs in a highly stylized way, to divide lists, or for pure ornamentation.[5] The fleuron (as a formal glyph) is a sixteenth century introduction.[6]

Fleurons were crafted the same way as other typographic elements were: as individual metal sorts that could be fit into the printer's compositions alongside letters and numbers. This saved the printer time and effort in producing ornamentation. Because the sorts could be produced in multiples, printers could build up borders with repeating patterns of fleurons.

Fleurons in Unicode[edit]

<?>
This section contains uncommon Unicode characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of the intended characters.
Further information: Dingbat

Thirty forms of fleuron have code points in Unicode. The Dingbats and Miscellaneous Symbols blocks have three fleurons that the standard calls "floral hearts" (also called "aldus leaf", "ivy leaf", "hedera" and "vine leaf");[7] twenty-four fleurons (from the pre-Unicode Wingdings and Wingdings 2 fonts) in the Ornamental Dingbats block; and three more fleurons used in archaic languages are also supported.

  • U+2619 ☙ REVERSED ROTATED FLORAL HEART BULLET (Miscellaneous Symbols)
  • U+2766 ❦ FLORAL HEART (Dingbats)
  • U+2767 ❧ ROTATED FLORAL HEART BULLET (Dingbats)
  • U+10877 𐡷 PALMYRENE LEFT-POINTING FLEURON
  • U+10878 𐡸 PALMYRENE RIGHT-POINTING FLEURON
  • U+10AF1 𐫱 MANICHAEAN PUNCTUATION FLEURON
  • U+1F650 🙐 NORTH WEST POINTING LEAF (Ornamental Dingbats)
  • U+1F651 🙑 SOUTH WEST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F652 🙒 NORTH EAST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F653 🙓 SOUTH EAST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F654 🙔 TURNED NORTH WEST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F655 🙕 TURNED SOUTH WEST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F656 🙖 TURNED NORTH EAST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F657 🙗 TURNED SOUTH EAST POINTING LEAF
  • U+1F658 🙘 NORTH WEST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F659 🙙 SOUTH WEST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F65A 🙚 NORTH EAST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F65B 🙛 SOUTH EAST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F65C 🙜 HEAVY NORTH WEST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F65D 🙝 HEAVY SOUTH WEST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F65E 🙞 HEAVY NORTH EAST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F65F 🙟 HEAVY SOUTH EAST POINTING VINE LEAF
  • U+1F660 🙠 NORTH WEST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F661 🙡 SOUTH WEST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F662 🙢 NORTH EAST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F663 🙣 SOUTH EAST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F664 🙤 HEAVY NORTH WEST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F665 🙥 HEAVY SOUTH WEST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F666 🙦 HEAVY NORTH EAST POINTING BUD
  • U+1F667 🙧 HEAVY SOUTH EAST POINTING BUD

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

  • Asterism (typography) – Typographic symbol (⁂)
  • Dingbat – Typographic symbol class, a printers' ornament
  • Dinkus – Typographic symbol ( * * * ), mostly used as a sub-chapter section break. Although a group of asterisks is the most common style, fleurons are also seen fulfilling this role.
  • The Fleuron, a British typography magazine from the early 20th century.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "fleuron". Collins English Dictionary.
  2. ^ "Fleuron". Dictionary.com. Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  3. ^ Bringhurst, Robert, The Elements of Typographic Style, Second edition: Hartley and Marks Publishers, 1996. ISBN 0-88179-132-6
  4. ^ "Typographic Marks Unknown – @retinart". Retinart.net. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  5. ^ Lisa Ferlazzo (May 10, 2013). "Punctuation graveyard: The Hedera". theworddict.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.
  6. ^ Vervliet, Hendrik D.L. (2012). Vine Leaf Ornaments in Renaissance Typography: A Survey. Brill | Hes & De Graaf. ISBN 978-9061945611. OCLC 802183100. cited in Danilova, Anya (December 23, 2021). "Manual: *@©™®†‡§¶❦☜". Type Today. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Dingbats". Unicode Consortium.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fleurons and Aldus leaf.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fleuron_(typography)&oldid=1192953044"