Emblem

An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. The use of emblems is first recorded in 10th and 11th-century Spain, appearing on stone carvings, ivories, and textiles. Motifs featuring combatant animals were particularly prevalent on artifacts commissioned by Vizier al-Mansur and his son Abd al-Malik, such as marble troughs.