Object ID
2008.37.21
Object Name
Block, Printing
Date Created
1863 – 1973
Material
Lead; Wood
Object Entities
Damianos, John (is related to)
Object Description
Wood and cast lead printing block. The printing block is rectangular with rounded corners. The image on the printing block is of a escutcheon with an equal-armed cross. Above the escutcheon is a crown with a cross on the top.
Origin
Donated by John Damianos. The printing block was used in a linotype printing machine. Linotype presses allowed for the casting of entire lines to be printed at a time. Linotype printing was eventually succeeded by lithograph printing and computer typesetting during the 1960's and 1970's. This printing block was used by the Chicago-based, The Greek Art Printing Company. The image on the printing block is a simplified version of the Greek coat of arms that was used between 1863 and 1973. The more complex coat of arms, which this simplified version is part of, was introduced in 1863 with the beginning of the Glucksburg monarchy in Greece. The coat of arms fell out of use with the founding of the Second Hellenic Republic from 1924-1935, but was brought back with the re-establishment of the monarchy from 1936-1973. The coat of arms is still used by the Greek royal family. An escutcheon in heraldry is a shield that forms the focal point of a coat of achievement. The image of the shield can be a metaphor for the family's honor. The equal-armed cross in the middle of the escutcheon is a symbol of the Greek Orthodox Church and early Christianity. The crown represents the monarchy.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Block, Printing, 1863 – 1973, Greek Art Printing Company Artifact Collection, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/9798. Accessed 03/28/24.