Grand Prince Constantine 1880

Lev Lagorio painted Grand Prince Constantine, an oil on canvas, sometime in the 19th century. The ship bears the flag of St. Andrew, or Saltire, a blue X on a white field, long a symbol of the Russian Navy. Flags, banners, standards—they are more than mere cloth. Think back to the Roman standards, the vexillum, each a rallying point, a symbol of power and unity. The flag of St. Andrew carries forward that primal human need for emblems. This need evokes loyalty, and a sense of shared destiny. Consider, how the cross itself evolved. From a simple instrument of torture to the ultimate symbol of sacrifice and redemption, the cross transforms. Similarly, the flag, originally a marker on the battlefield, becomes an emblem of national identity, charged with all the hopes and fears of a people. These symbols, ever-evolving, constantly resurface.