Three Hearts Under One Crown

What it is

This is an engraved emblem by Léonard Gaultier, signed and dated 1612, held by the Wellcome Collection. A crown sits above three overlapping hearts, with rays behind them, inside a triangle with letters. Floral and foliage borders surround it, and a Latin dedication and a framed verse appear below. The catalogue record says the hearts represent the royal children of James I, including Prince Charles, who later became King Charles I. The record's date is shown in brackets as uncertain, but the print itself is signed 1612.

Why it matters

Emblems like this used pictures and short mottoes to make a political point. Here the image presents the king's children as a single united family under one crown, and it marks Charles as heir. The print shows how the royal household was promoted to the public in the early 1600s, under King James I.

Look closer

• What do the crown and the three hearts say about the royal children and their place in the kingdom?
• Why might a printmaker add a Latin dedication and a verse, and who would have been able to read them?
• What does the emblem leave out about the children themselves as real people?