Coat of arms of Brown University

The Brown University coat of arms is the assumed heraldic achievement of Brown University. The achievement in its current iteration was adopted in 1834.

Coat of arms of Brown University
Versions
Seal of the Corporation of Brown University
AdoptedSeptember 3, 1833 (1833-09-03)
CrestA demi-sun issuant radiant or through clouds argent
TorseArgent and gules
BlazonArgent, a cross gules between four open books of the first, bound of the second.
MottoIn Deo Speramus

The blazon of the achievement is[1]

Argent, a cross gules between four open books of the first, bound of the second. Crest: a demi-sun issuant radiant or through clouds argent.

History

First Seal (1765-1784)

Brown's first seal was procured in 1765 by Reverend Samuel Stillman following the second meeting of the University Corporation in Newport.[2] This seal, produced in Boston for a cost of ten pounds thirteen shillings sterling, featured busts of George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz—then the British monarchs—in profile. The outer edge of this seal read "Sigillum Collegii in Colonia Ins. Rhod. & Provid. Plant".[3] This seal is featured on Marston Hall and a western-facing pendentive of the Sharpe Refectory.[4]

Second Seal (1784–1805)

In September 1782, the University Corporation resolved to reconcile matters of the charter "inconsistent with our present state of national independence". At this meeting, the Corporation organized a committee, consisting of Jabez Bowen, James Manning, and Henry Ward to break the original seal and produce new heraldry for the college.[5][6]

The second seal was adopted on September 3, 1784, and may have been designed, in part, by Solomon Drowne. This design substituted the word "Colonia" with "Republica" and replaced the monarchs' portraits with an image of a domed temple "sacred to knowledge". The building's five front columns and the spaces between them are inscribed with the names of the seven liberal arts. Above the dome a scroll reads "Virtus magis colenda", meaning "virtue is more to be cultivated." The structure's cornice and base are inscribed respectively with the words "Scientiae S[acrum]" and "Patet Omnibus," referring to a temple of learning that is open to all.[3]

Current Seal

In his September 1833 report to the corporation, President Francis Wayland noted that the seal had not been updated to reflect the university's 1804 renaming from Rhode Island College to Brown University. Accordingly, the corporation organized a committee to design a new seal.[7] The third and current seal was adopted on September 3, 1834.[5]

The coat of arms was modernized by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv.

Significance

The anthropomorphic sun (with eyes and nose visible) and clouds on the crest represent "learning piercing the clouds of ignorance", while the cross is believed to be a Saint George's Cross.[3] The four open books adorning the escutcheon symbolize learning, and are rumored to represent Harvard, Yale, Cambridge and Oxford–four institutional predecessors of the university.[8][9]

Brown's motto In God We Hope (Latin: In Deo Speramus) has been purported to be the predecessor of the national motto of the United States, In God We Trust. Salmon P. Chase, the 25th United States Secretary of the Treasury and man responsible for the motto, was a companion of Sprague family, benefactors of the university.[10]

  • The First Seal, in use between 1765 and 1784
    The First Seal, in use between 1765 and 1784
  • The First Seal on the facade of Marston Hall (1926).
    The First Seal on the facade of Marston Hall (1926).
  • The Second Seal in use between 1784 and 1805
    The Second Seal in use between 1784 and 1805
  • The current seal decorates the pediment above Wayland Arch
    The current seal decorates the pediment above Wayland Arch
  • The current seal above the Van Wickle Gates (1901)
    The current seal above the Van Wickle Gates (1901)
  • A nonstandard rendition of the seal on Lyman Hall (1891).
    A nonstandard rendition of the seal on Lyman Hall (1891).

References
  1. "U.S. Heraldic Registry » Registrations/Brown University". usheraldicregistry.com. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  2. Sears, Barnas (1865). Celebration of the One Hundreth Anniversary of the Founding of Brown University: September 6th, 1864. Sidney S. Rider & bro. p. 93.
  3. "Encyclopedia Brunoniana | Seal". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  4. Harris, Emma (2014-04-03). "Marston endures at center of Science Park". Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  5. University, Brown (1906). Annual Report of the President to the Corporation of Brown University. Hammond, Angell & Company. p. 26.
  6. Phillips, Janet M. (2000). Brown University : A Short History. Office of Public Affairs and University Relations. OCLC 49009123.
  7. Bronson, Walter Cochrane (1914). The History of Brown University, 1764-1914. The University. ISBN 978-0-405-03697-2.
  8. "From the Editors: What Does the Brown University Seal Mean Anyway?". The Bruin Club. 2013-11-13. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  9. "Object Biography: Brown University's Seal – Archaeology of Brown University and College Hill". Retrieved 2021-02-21.
  10. ""In God We Trust" Motto Traced by Historians to University Seal". The Brown Daily Herald. November 5, 1934.
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