Solomon's knot: an ancient interlace of eternity and union

Two closed loops interlacing, passing over and under each other, with no starting point and no end: this is the design known in Italian as the knot of Solomon. It is one of the most widespread decorative motifs in history, found in cultures very far apart. Its link with love is more recent than one might think, but it rests on an ancient meaning of unity, continuity and protection.

A motif of Roman mosaics

The knot appears very frequently in mosaic floors of the Roman imperial age, both in Italy and in the provinces. One of the best places to admire it is Aquileia, in Friuli, where the mosaics of the early Christian basilica, dating from the fourth century, include knots of this kind together with marine scenes and symbolic figures. In mosaics the motif could serve an ornamental purpose, but also a protective one, as a sign of good fortune for those crossing the threshold.

From the Roman world the knot passed into early Christian, Byzantine and early medieval art. We find it in Lombard sculpture, in the screens and capitals of Romanesque churches and in illuminated manuscripts. The motif of a two-loop interlace is also present in the Islamic world and in various African cultures, a sign of a form that, through its simplicity and balance, has been invented and reinvented in different places.

A legendary name

The name used in Italian does not derive from any documented historical origin, but from the reputation for wisdom attributed to King Solomon. In the Middle Ages and the early modern period the name of the biblical king was associated with many signs believed to be mysterious or powerful, and the knot shared this reputation. It should be distinguished from the so-called Seal of Solomon, which in tradition refers instead to a six- or five-pointed star.

The fact that the knot is not, strictly speaking, a true knot has added to its fascination. In modern terms it consists of two closed loops linked together: neither can be separated from the other without being broken. This feature, which anyone who tries to draw it can observe, explains why it has been read as an image of something that cannot be divided.

From emblem of eternity to symbol of the couple

The very inseparability of the two loops suggested a romantic reading in modern times. In contemporary popular symbolism Solomon's knot is often interpreted as the union of two people who remain distinct but can no longer be parted, and it appears on wedding rings, pendants and wedding invitations. This interpretation is not documented in antiquity, but it fits coherently into the long history of the motif.

In many traditions the knot was already linked to the idea of eternity, because the path of its lines never breaks. Joining this idea to that of the couple was a natural step. The knot thus shares the fate of other ancient symbols, which have preserved their form through the millennia while changing the meaning given to them by those who looked at them.

From the floors of Aquileia to Romanesque capitals, from the legendary name of the wise king to the jewellery of today, Solomon's knot shows how long-lived a simple form can be. Its interlace continues to speak of unity and continuity, and whoever chooses it as a symbol of love inherits, knowingly or not, a visual legacy of almost two thousand years.