Seal of the United States Senate with a shield on its breast, olive branches in its left talon, and arrows in its right. Above the eagle were rays of light emanating from clouds, representing the emergence of the new nation. Encircling the design was the legend . While the design was clearly based on the Great Seal of the United States, the engraving was distinctly different. It had a spade shield instead of the more familiar shape on the Great Seal, and the eagle had no scroll in its beak. The design of the clouds and light rays was also different, and the inscription showed it
Great Seal of the United States turn were based on Lossing's 1856 version. [[File:Pontormo - Cena in Emmaus - Google Art Project.jpg|130px|thumb|"Supper at Emmaus", a 1525 [[Jacopo Pontormo]] painting, contains the Eye of Providence in a triangle]] Some [[Masonic conspiracy theories|conspiracy theories]] state that the Great Seal shows a sinister influence by [[Freemasonry]] in the founding of the United States. Such theories usually claim that the [[Eye of Providence]] (found, in the Seal, above the pyramid) is a common Masonic emblem, and that the Great Seal was created by Freemasons. These claims, however, misstate the facts. While the [[Eye of Providence]] is today a common Masonic