The first recorded example of the heart shape dates back to 3000 B.C. and can be found on a baked clay goblet housed at the Museum of Kabul in Afghanistan. The decorations on the goblet were green, not red, and were fashioned after fig leaves, and later ivy leaves.
These symbols appeared 1000 years later on Cretan clay vessels, adorned in tendrils of ivy, flowers, and heart shaped leaves and continued into the 8th century when they appeared as ornate decorations on the handles of Corinthian vases.
This type of decoration was often described in Christian teachings, depicting Jesus as a vine with an unselfish, heavenly heart. This theme continued throughout history often appearing on Roman tombstones and Christian graves, symbolizing eternal love beyond the grave. It was during this period that the heart began the transformation into its current design.
The red heart first appeared in Roman paintings of the 12th and 13th centuries, the ivy leaves now the color of warm blood, signifying good luck, health, and love. The red heart then quickly spread across Europe, led in part by the Catholic Church with the adoption of the image into the Sacred Heart.
The heart first appeared on playing cards in the 15th century, replacing the goblets found on Italian tarot cards. Interestingly enough, the modern day heart was also evolving in the Eastern culture, independent of the European version, from the fig tree. It is said that Gautama found enlightenment while mediating under a fig tree and became Buddha, the difference being that the heart represented spiritual enlightenment, rather than love.
This is just a brief overview of the unique transformation of a simple leaf to the universally accepted symbol of love, evolving over thousands of years.
Today’s heart tattoo design has grown from the unpretentious symbol on the sailor’s arm, a tribute to his mother, into one of the most complex designs imaginable, limited only by the imagination. Heart tattoo designs are common on both men and women and can be incorporated into any type and style, and can be placed on any area of the body.