Speech Scroll. A speech scroll or banderole is an illustrative device denoting speech, song, or other types of sound.
It is portrayed in art as a curling ribbon or scroll that extends from the mouth of a figure, used to indicate speech or thought, particularly in medieval and early Renaissance works. Often inscribed with text or symbols, these scrolls provide a visual representation of spoken words, prayers, or proclamations, making them an early form of speech bubble.
Typically seen in religious and narrative art, speech scrolls enhance storytelling by guiding the viewer’s eye and clarifying dialogue or divine messages, especially in illuminated manuscripts and frescoes. Their decorative, flowing style contributes to the visual dynamism of the artwork, blending language with imagery in a way that reflects the symbolic and illustrative traditions of the period.
Developed independently on two continents, the device was in use by artists within Mesoamerican cultures from as early as 650 BC until after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, and 13th and 14th European painters. While European speech scrolls were drawn as if they were an actual unfurled scroll or strip of parchment, Mesoamerican speech scrolls are scroll-shaped, looking much like a question mark.
It is used in heraldry for mottos or slogans and war-cries. A Teotihuacan stick-ball player with a bi-color speech scroll. Speech s
It is portrayed in art as a curling ribbon or scroll that extends from the mouth of a figure, used to indicate speech or thought, particularly in medieval and early Renaissance works. Often inscribed with text or symbols, these scrolls provide a visual representation of spoken words, prayers, or proclamations, making them an early form of speech bubble.
Typically seen in religious and narrative art, speech scrolls enhance storytelling by guiding the viewer’s eye and clarifying dialogue or divine messages, especially in illuminated manuscripts and frescoes. Their decorative, flowing style contributes to the visual dynamism of the artwork, blending language with imagery in a way that reflects the symbolic and illustrative traditions of the period.
Developed independently on two continents, the device was in use by artists within Mesoamerican cultures from as early as 650 BC until after the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, and 13th and 14th European painters. While European speech scrolls were drawn as if they were an actual unfurled scroll or strip of parchment, Mesoamerican speech scrolls are scroll-shaped, looking much like a question mark.
It is used in heraldry for mottos or slogans and war-cries. A Teotihuacan stick-ball player with a bi-color speech scroll. Speech s
Wikipedia ...