yabob
February 1, 2005, 10:32pm
13
Another interesting tidbit from a page about the Roycroft Community, a late 19th centery artisan’s guild which also used the colophon:
What is the meaning of the circle and cross that are on many Roycroft items and the pages of this site?
The mark is commonly referred to as the Roycroft orb or simply ‘the Orb.’ The basic shape, minus the inserted “R,” is a medieval colophon with which monks ended their manuscripts in order to signify they had done the work to the best of their ability. Hubbard used the mark with an inserted “R” to signify Roycroft, as both a shop mark and as part of the general medieval craftsman ambiance he was trying to engender. It should also be pointed out the Italian papermaking firm, Cartiera Magnani, one of the most respected paper mills in Europe dating its origins back to the 15th century, used and uses today, a very similar ‘orb’ as their mark. Did Elbert first learn of and lift the symbol from Cartiera Magnani, then slightly modify it to avoid trademark infringement, since he probably would have been aware of Magnani due to his ‘involvement’ in the book arts? That answer is buried at the bottom of the Irish Sea. As to the supposed spiritual significance of the Orb, Elbert gave various explanations. (Some “authority” on Antiques Roadshow said it signified the hand of God over the world. Pick an explanantion…any explanation.) Interesting to note, Nabisco also used the same mark, but substituted an “N” for the Roycroft “R.” (And does to this day, check any Oreos cookie.) A lawsuit resulted over the mark which ended with an out-of-court settlement in which Nabisco promised never to publish books and Roycroft promised never to make biscuits. Roycroft did, however, later make and sell Maple Pecan Patties.
Bolding mine. I would hazard a guess than one of the founders of Nabisco was aware of the derivation of the symbol from the middle ages as some sort of a mark of quality, and it simply appealed to him.