We all know the symbol of the broken heart, but where did it come from? Art history has some answers
/ By Mary McGillivrayThe heartbreak emoji is a near-universal symbol for the despair and desperation of those thwarted by Cupid's sometimes cruel arrow. But where does it come from?
The 'love heart' itself is a symbol shrouded in speculation and lore — much of which is amplified by well-meaning but factually-deficient online articles and Reddit posts.
A common tale of the history of the heart symbol has it originating in Ancient Greece and Rome, as a motif representing the heart-shaped seeds of the now-extinct herb from North Africa, silphium.
This "wonder plant" was used by the Ancients for both culinary and medical purposes, and reportedly also as both an aphrodisiac and contraceptive. Roman author and naturalist, Pliny the Elder, recorded that the last stalk of this over-harvested botanical treasure was presented to Emperor Nero as a curiosity in the first century CE, after which it disappears from nature entirely.
Redditors have naturally latched on to the idea of a lost miracle contraceptive plant, however we must take the Ancients' word on its effectiveness with a grain of salt (they also recommended women insert a lead-soaked sponge into their vaginas as a morning-after contraceptive solution).
The heart as an organ, blood and all
As an organ, the heart is most often represented in European art from the Middle Ages onwards in a more anatomically correct manner than the symbol we have come to know and love.
Many pre-modern hearts feature a prominent artery (superior vena cava, pulmonary, or aorta — you decide!), detailed veining and a fair bit of blood, reminding us that these images come from a culture where many people would have been used to seeing or partaking in the butchering of animals for food — if not also the dissection of the human body in scientific research.
Most of these images are, of course, found in religious art. The sacred heart was, and is, a significant symbol in Christianity and its pre-modern depictions are as diverse as they are numerous.
Linking the heart with romance
However, the pre-modern "wounded heart" eventually broke out of the religious realm into a more secular space. In this week's episode of The Art Of, I take a look at a curious fifteenth-century woodcut print from Germany that may be a contender for the title of earliest depiction of a broken heart.
This print shows a desperate lover kneeling before Frau Minne — the goddess of love — with the banner around her translating to: "my heart suffers pain".
Expressing the inexpressible
It is unclear how the shattered heart symbol became the most popular way to signify heartbreak. After all, the historic record is full of creative and evocative illustrations of love and loss (and syphilis).
Although "fox eating through heart" probably wouldn't make a good emoji, this sketch is nonetheless a charming reminder of the long history of creative ways we have tried to express the inexpressible feeling of a broken heart.
You can watch The Art Of...Heartbreak on ABC iview now.