Seal of Massachusetts

Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Versions
Armiger	Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Adopted	December 13, 1780
Motto	Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem

Coat of arms of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Versions
The simplified coat of arms used in the state flag and larger signage[1]
Historical coat of arms (1876)
Armiger	Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Adopted	1775
Shield	Azure, a Native American passant. Holding in his dexter hand a bow, holding in his sinister hand an arrow. All Or. In dexter chief a mullet of 5 Argent.
Motto	Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem

The Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts contains the coat of arms of Massachusetts. The coat of arms is encircled by the Latin text "Sigillum Reipublicæ Massachusettensis" (literally, The Seal of the Republic of Massachusetts). The Massachusetts Constitution designates the form of government a "commonwealth", for which respublica is the correct Latin term. The seal uses the coat of arms of Massachusetts as its central element.^[2]

An official emblem of the state, the coat of arms was adopted by the Legislature in 1775 and then reaffirmed by Governor John Hancock and his Council in 1780. The present rendition of the seal was drawn by resident-artist Edmund H. Garrett and was adopted by the state in 1900.^[2] While the inscription around the seal is officially in Latin, a variant with "Commonwealth of Massachusetts" in English is also sometimes used.^[3]