Hand Cast Ceramic The heart in art and design did not gain a strong connection with love until the thirteenth century. The Medieval concept love led to more illustrations glorifying romance, often using the heart-shape as a symbol for love. The first known depiction of a heart-shape as a symbol of love was in the 1250’s French manuscript the Roman de la poire, in which a young man holds his vaguely pine cone-shaped heart up towards his love. Up until the fourteenth century, the heart was usually depicted upside down. This geometric heart is a contemporary depiction of this ancient symbol.