New York State Seal

Click on the seal for a larger image YEAR OF ADOPTION 1778/1882 ADOPTION Sections 73–74 of New York’s state code, enacted in 1778, describe the Great Seal of the State of New York. Legislation designating minor modifications to the design occurred several times, most recently in 1882. DESIGN ELEMENTS The 1778 act specifies the appearance of the image on the coat of arms and seal. Typically for the heraldic language used, the description is quite specific. The central element of the seal is a shield bearing a landscape with the sun rising behind three mountains. In the middle ground are "a ship and sloop under sail, passing and about to meet on a river, bordered below by a grassy shore fringed with shrubs." Above the shield, resting on a "wreath" (here, a rope made of blue and gold strands), an eagle rises above a terrestrial globe showing the North Atlantic and its landforms. Beneath the shield is a scroll bearing the word Excelsior ("superior" or "upwards"). Standing on the scroll are the shield’s two supporters, Liberty and Justice personified, their hair "disheveled and decorated with pearls." Liberty carries a staff surmounted with a Phrygian cap. A royal crown lies at her left foot. Justice holds a straight sword in her right hand, a balance in her left. She is blindfolded. The words "The Great Seal of the State of New York" are inscribed in the margin surrounding the coat of arms. SYMBOLISM Within the shield, the ships on the river indicate commerce. A rising sun denotes hope and new beginnings. The motto Excelsior indicates the striving of the people of New York for a better future, while the westward-facing eagle is seen as looking toward new opportunity. The pole and cap carried by Liberty are symbols associated with her, reinforcing her identity. The toppled crown shows the overthrow of tyranny as well as the rejection of monarchy as a system of government. Justice is depicted holding a balance and blindfolded. The blindfold traditionally represents the impartiality of a fair judiciary, which does not look at superficial appearances when weighing the facts. Traditionally, the double edge of the sword of Justice shows that she is ready to mete out punishment to either party in a case, whichever is guilty of wrongdoing. COLORS Typically, naturalistic colors are used for the eagle and for the landscape on the shield. The law is very specific as to the colors of the other elements, from the blue background to each item of clothing worn by Liberty and Justice. The clothing is all in primary colors: red, blue, and yellow. HISTORY The pole in Liberty’s right hand was an important symbol of the American Revolution. In colonial times, proponents of independence from British rule erected "liberty poles," sometimes surmounted with a liberty cap or serving as a flagstaff at critical moments, in prominent places. The red Phrygian cap on the pole is likewise a symbol of liberty and emancipation; it dates to ancient Rome and was used in the 18th century by revolutionaries and populists in France, Ireland, Britain, the United States, and Latin America.                                                                                                    -World Trade Press Source: New York State Budget Office