This month, we are featuring John’s “Heart in Hand” motif, available as a plate, a switch plate cover, a jigsaw puzzle and a pack of 10 notecards and more.
The image comes from a larger “Friendship, Love, and Truth” print from John's archives by Currier and Ives, published in 1874.
The heart, now a common symbol of romantic love, can be traced to an illustration accompanying a love poem by Thibault, a mid-13th-century French poet, which describes a person offering his heart to a lover.
By 1400, the heart had developed its scalloped shape, as seen in an illustration of Francesco Barberino’s poem “Documenti d’amore”, in which a naked Cupid shoots arrows and roses while standing on the back of a horse adorned with a heart garland.
As the provocative image circulated, hearts appeared on tapestries, playing cards, and other works of art. “Le don du Coeur” (“The Gift of the Heart”), an early 15th-century tapestry, portrays a man presenting a small red heart to a woman elegantly perched amid lush greenery. The fanciful tableau spread widely in aristocratic circles.
Meanwhile, Gutenberg’s printing press sparked a revolution by making print accessible to the masses. The press launched society into literacy, communication flourished, and when love was expressed, hearts were plentiful.
Our "In the Drawer" series, takes you inside John Derian's studio drawers to uncover his collection of 18th and 19th-century collection of books, ephemera, artifacts, and more.
As a life-long collector, John shares his favorite discoveries, offering the stories behind each unique item and how he has brought them back to life today.
