Seal of California
Seal of California | |
---|---|
Details | |
Introduced | 1849 |
Heraldic shield | Minerva |
Motto (motto) | Eureka |
The seal of the US state of California was designed by Robert S. Garnett and engraved by Albert Kuner . It was adopted by the California Constitutional Assembly in 1849 before becoming a state in 1850.
It was revised in 1937 without any changes in content.
description
The main character of the seal represents Minerva , the Roman goddess of wisdom. Since Minerva emerged directly from the brain of Jupiter as an adult, this is an indication that California was not territory until it became a state.
In front of Minerva is a grizzly bear , the official state animal and a symbol of strength and independence. He eats from an grapevine that the wine production is in California, while a bunch of cereal and a spade , the agriculture represent the country.
A gold prospector works with a pickaxe as a sign of the gold deposits on the left edge . Next to him are a gold pan and a seesaw, a construction that was common at the time for extracting gold from large amounts of sand during the Californian gold rush .
In the background you can see the Sacramento River and the snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada . Various ships operate on the river since at the time the seal was created all export and import was by water.
The state motto Eureka ( Greek εὕρηκα, I have found ) is emblazoned above the mountains .
There are 31 stars around the curve of the inner ring. This is the number of states at the time California became a state ( 1850 ).
On the outer ring of the seal is the writing:
- " The Great Seal of the State of California "
- ( The Great Seal of the State of California )
Web links
- The Great Seal of California (English description)
- The Official California State Seal (English description)