Seal of Colorado

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Seal of Colorado
Seal of Colorado.svg
Details
Introduced November 6, 1861
Motto (motto) Nile Sine Numine

The Great Seal of the US state of Colorado is an adaptation of the Territorial Seal , which was established by the first Territorial Assembly on November 6, 1861 .

description

The only changes made to this seal from the current version are the addition of the words "State of Colorado" and " 1876 " for the appropriate places on the Territory Seal . The first general assembly of Colorado adopted this altered seal on March 15, 1877 . Only the Colorado minister responsible for foreign affairs is authorized to affix the seal to any document.

The seal is specified to be two and a half inches in diameter and includes the following elements:

At the top, within a triangle, is the Eye of Providence or "All-Seeing Eye", from which stylized rays of light extend to the left and right. Below the eye is a scroll, the Liktorenbündel , a bundle of birch or elm wood together with a battle ax. This is held together by ribbons.

The words "Union and Constitution" can be found on a red, white and blue ribbon.

The bundle of sticks symbolizes the strength that the individual stick lacks. The ax represents authority and leadership.

Below is a heraldry shield , the upper half of which depicts three mountains with snow-capped peaks and clouds on a red background. The lower half shows two typical miner's tools , the pick and the sledgehammer , which are arranged crossed on a gold background.

The Latin motto "Nil Sine Numine", in German "Nothing without God", is located in a semicircle below the sign. At the bottom is the year 1876, the year Colorado became a fully fledged state.

The design of the Territorial Seal, which served as the template for the State Seal, was attributed to various people, but the individual primarily responsible for it was Territory Chief Lewis Ledyard Weld, who was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln in July 1861 . There is also evidence that Territorial Governor William Gilpin was at least partially involved in the design. Both Weld and Gilpin were well versed in the arts and heraldry. Elements of the Weld and Gilpin family crests can be found in the seal.

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