Visual motifs

thumb|right|A barnstar

thumb|A sebka motif on Hassan Tower in [[Rabat, Morocco, (late 12th century)]] Sebka () refers to a type of decorative motif used in western Islamic ("Moorish") architecture and Mudéjar architecture.

Jewish and Christian motif signifying divine intervention

thumb|Seeblatt bendwise sinister '''''' (, German for 'lake leaf', plural ''''; ; ; East Frisian: Pupkeblad) is the term for the stylized leaf of a water lily, used as a charge in heraldry.

motif in ancient art showing a human between and grasping two confronted animals

an ornament placed above the text matter of a page or at the beginning of a chapter

fantastic or mythical figure used as architectural element

art motif

artistic motif of a urinating boy

traditional motif showing three hares sharing ears

thumb|upright|Moresque ornament print by Peter Flötner. thumb|upright|Mannerist grotesque ornament drawing by the Dutch painter and architect [[Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527–1609), of around 1604. The figures of the fauns at bottom, and almost the dragons at top, are moresques in the figure sense.]] Moresque is an obsolete alternative term to "Moorish" in English, and in the arts has some specific meanings. By itself, the word is used to describe the stylized plant-based forms of tendrils and leaves found in ornament and decoration in the applied arts in Renaissance Europe that are derived fro

thumb|right|250px|Pin striping on a motorcycle fuel tank.

thumb|Dog-tooth ornament In architecture, a dog-tooth or dogtooth pattern is an ornament found in the mouldings of medieval work of the commencement of the 12th century, which is thought to have been introduced by the Crusaders. The earliest example is found in the hall at Rabbath Ammon in Moab in Jordan (c. 614) built by the Sassanians, where it decorates the arch moulding of the blind arcades and the string courses. The pattern consists of four flower petals forming a square or diamond shape with central elements. The petals have the form of the pointed conical canine tooth, eye tooth or cus

right|thumb|Arabesque (European art)|Arabesque-like diapering on the field of the shield of the See of Worcester: Argent, ten torteaux four, three, two, and one thumb|Detail of Chinese carved lacquer snuff bottle with Children at Play, and three types of diaper backgrounds, representing ground, water and sky. 18th century Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, and silverwork. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces.

thumb|300px|Typical early English strapwork of 1589, detail from the Peter Carew (died 1580)#Commemoration|monument to Sir Gawen Carew in [[Exeter Cathedral]] thumb|French stucco, scrollwork and strapwork by Rosso Fiorentino in the [[Palace of Fontainebleau, 1530s]] In the history of art and design, strapwork is the use of stylised representations in ornament of ribbon-like forms. These may loosely imitate leather straps, parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings, and often interwoven in a geometric pattern. In early examples there may or may not be three-dimensionality, eit

thumb|right|An unfurling Cyathea dealbata|silver fern frond thumb|right|Koru kōwhaiwhai patterns on a rafter from the Ngāti Maru (Hauraki)|Ngāti Maru [[wharenui Hotunui]] thumb|right|The koru flag

ancient Greek anecdote parable attributed to Prodicus and known from Xenophon, concerning the young Heracles/Hercules who is offered a choice between Vice and Virtue

architectural element; artistic representation of circular petals

motif of a three- or four-petaled flower enclosing a ball

Heraldic figure

The fylfot or fylfot cross ( ) and its mirror image, the gammadion, are types of truncated swastika, associated with medieval Anglo-Saxon culture. It is a cross with perpendicular extensions, usually at 90° or close angles, radiating in the same direction. However at least in modern heraldry texts, such as Friar and Woodcock & Robinson (see ) the fylfot differs somewhat from the archetypal form of the swastika: always upright and typically with truncated limbs, as shown in the figure at right.

heraldic knot

gold wreath found in the royal Macedonian tombs at Vergina, Greece

attributes in Mesopotamian art

Presence of rabbits and hares in the visual arts

thumb|upright|One example of various sunburst designs

thumb|An example of a cartellino, a detail from Holbein's portrait of Georg Giese (below) thumb|Hans Holbein the Younger, [[Portrait of Georg Giese, 1532]]

term for a recurring motif in Assyrian and Near Eastern sculptures

scroll pattern used in architectural decoration

symbol of an arm holding a hammer

technique of polishing a pattern of circles on a piece of metal

thumb|Relief with leaf-and-dart Leaf-and-dart (also known as rais-de-cœur and heart-and-dart) is an ornamental motif made up of heart-shaped leaves (or waterleaves inside hearts) alternating with spearheads (or darts). This motif was used in Ancient Greek and Roman architecture. It was taken up again during the Renaissance, abundantly in the 18th century, being used in the Louis XVI style.

design element found in kilim woven rugs

medallion-like motif, often octagonal, typical of traditional hand-woven carpets from Central and West Asia