Upside Down Heart

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The heart shape we all recognize, and use originated back to an ancient plant known as the silphium. It was a species of giant fennel grown on the North African coastline near the Greek city of Cyrene. It was used as medicine, a flavoring spice, but more importantly as birth control. Because of this it was linked with sex and of course love.

There is also speculation of it being modeled after human anatomy of the breasts or buttocks, as well as that of the water lily leaf or ivy.

The first depiction known was in the 1250’s. It showed up in a French romance called Roman de la Poire (Romance of the pear). But others question if that wasn’t just an upside-down pear…

Interestingly, until the later 1400s the heart was usually shown upside down. At the beginning of the 1500s it flipped in images to the heart we see today point at the bottom.

The series, Upside Down Heart was featured as a solo exhibit in Nice’s Gallery, Universe Photo.

Cha in front of her images, Upside Down Heart, NICE France.
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