53.18.—Fleur-de-Lysdetails

A printer’s ornament, or, more likely, a calligraphic decoration. The name fleur-de-lys, or fleur-de-lis, may derive from the iris flower found on the banks of the River Lys in France, although the flower itself has had spiritual, religious and heraldic significance for much longer. This is a greatly simplified version, and with three unequal branches may represent the Holy Trinity in Christian mythology.

This image is taken from plate 53.