L o re n z o d a S a n s e v er m o Ph o to H an fs f ang l

THE V I R
GIN IN A S R
T AW BE RRY DE RAT D M
-
CO E AN TLE
o
Bel w are the G ou rd and A p ple , sy m R u to
b ol s of es rrec i n and D th
ea

(Na i to nal G allery)

'

F r o n ti s t ne c e]
 TH E

FLORA L SY M BO LISM O F
TH E G R E A T M A ST E R S

BY

ELIZA BET H H A IG

N EW YO R K
/

E P
. . BU TTON A N D co .

LO N DO N

KEGAN PA U L T RE N C H T R U BN E R
, ,
LT D
.

1 I
9 3
 PR EF A C E

T H I S little b ook has b een writt en for the pleasure

o f thos e am at eurs who are more int erested in

t h e idea which inspires a picture th an in the

’
picture s workmanship N aturally the more
.
,

accomplish ed th e artist th e more clearly and

,

attractively is h e able to set forth his m eaning

but with art criticism this book h as nothing to
do and the attributions are for the most p art
, , ,

simply those of the ofii cial c atalogues of th e

resp ective galleries.

To explain completely even so small a branch

of Christian symbolism as th at of flowers an ,

exh austive knowl edg e is required of th e d ev elop

ment of Christian th eology and of the varying

,

force with which di fferent doctrines app ealed

at di fferent tim es to t he public mind But still
.
,

these notes may b e of some interest to those Wh o

c are to trac e in the W ork sanctioned by the
Church and reverenced by the p eople th e history
o f Western id ealism ,
an d who are som etim es

puz zled by th e conventions employed by the

M asters to illustrat e th e Divine Mysteri es .

ii i
 C O N T EN T S
C HA P . PA G E

I . A N D S YMBOL S
u
EM BLEM S

I I TH E FLO W E R S Y M BOL I S T S
.

I I I T HE LI LY
.

I V T HE I R I S
.

T HE R O S E
V I T H E C A R NA T I O N
.

V I I GA R LA NDS OF R O SES
.

V I I I T H E C OL UM B IN E
.

I X THE O L I V E
.

THOR N S
X I TH E PA LM
.

T H E A C A N TH U S

XIII . TH E FL EU R DE LYS
- -

XIV . T H E LI LY OF T HE A N N U N C I A TI O N

XV . T HE L I LY OF T HE AN GEL GABR I E L
XV I . T HE F LOWE R S OF T HE DI V INI T Y
XV I I . T HE FLOW ER S O TH E V I RG I N
F

XV I I I . T H E LI L Y O F T H E SA I N TS

XIX . TH E V I N E
Vi CONTENTS
C H A P.

XX TH E FR U I T OF TH E TR EE O F KN OW L EDGE
.

XX I THE GOURD
.

XX I I TH E P OM EGR ANATE
.

XX II I THE S RAWBER R Y
. T

XX I V FR U I T I N GARLANDS
.

PARAD I SE G I O VANN I D I P AO LO
.

T H E Q U EE N OF H EAV E N H VA N EY C K
. .

THE A D ORAT I O N OF T H E SHEPHERDS H . .

VA N DER GO ES
LA PU R I S S
I MA M U R I L LO.

T HE GI RLHOO D OF M ARY V I R G IN D G , . . .

R OSSETTI

S F A UT HOR I TI ES
LI T O

I N DE! OF A RTISTS
I N D E! O F F LOW ER S
“
 LIST O F ILLU ST R A T IO N S
PLATE

I . T HE V I R G I N IN A S T RAW B E RR Y DEC ORAT ED

-
M A N TLE
( S S )
'

L
’
orenz o aa an even no

T HE DGE OF T H E O R DE R OF T H E LI LY OF
BA
’
N A V ARR E T f a pag o ce e

T HE FLOW ER S OF H EAV E N (M ai f i k 3 m os c o e 1

C entu ry ) To f ace p age

T HE ‘
EN C LO S E D GAR DEN OF ’
T HE V I RGIN
To face p age 1 00

V GABR I E L C RO W N E D
.
,
L E BR IN GS T HE
W IT H O I V ,

M ESS A GE OF R EC O N C I L I A T I O N (M arti n
To f ace p age
T HE C RO W N OF T HO R N S ( Zarbarc m
)

V I I T HE . A
A C NT H US OF P ARA D I SE (M osaic o f flu

I gi k C en tmy)
I

V I I I TH E. ROSE OF DI V I N E LO V E R ISIN G F R OM

A P R EC I O US VESS EL

T HE R O Y AL LI LY S PR I N G I N G FRO M A H UM B L E
VA SE (Pesello)
X TH E C OLUM B IN E OF T HE SE V EN G I F T S ( j org
.

B rea) T0 f ace p age

SA IN T BA R BA R A W IT H T HE R O Y AL LI L Y ( T/Ie
To f ace page
viii L I ST OF ILLU STR ATI O N S

T HE FRU I T OF DA M NAT I O N E! C H AN G ED F O R
T H E F R U I T O F R E D E M PT I O N ( H ugo oau

T0 f ace p age
XI I I . T HE F RU IT O F H E AV E N R E L I NQ U I S HE D FO R
T H E A PPL E OF ED N E (M )
ai li ng

XIV . A DA M A N D EV E D EL I E R ED F RO M
V HEL L
To f ace p age
XV . H I LD W I T H T HE P O M E GR ANAT E SUR
THE C
'

R O UN D E D BY A N GE LS W I T H LI L I E S A N D
RO SE GA R L A N D S (B otti lli ) T0 f ac p ag
-

ce e e

XV I PA R AD I S E ( Giovanni az Paolo)
.
'
’

To f a p age ce

XVI I T H E Q UEE N O F H EAV E N (H ub t c an

. er

Eyck) To f ace p age

XV I I I . R
TH E A D O AT I O N
‘
O F T HE SHE PH E R D S ( H ugo
’

Goes)
’
c an aer

X IX . TH E I MM A C U L A T E C O N C E PT I O N (M u ri llo)
To f ace p age
TH E G I R L H OO D OF M AR Y, V I R GI N (Danc e

Gabriel Rossez z z)‘‘

To f ace p age
T H E FL O R A L SY M BO LISM
O F T H E G R EA T M A ST ER S

EM B LEMS AND SYM B OLS 1

S I N C E th e earli est days O f ChristIanIty th e

Church has m ade u se of emblems The Early
m
.

Church used the p artly protectively to con

c eal th eir faith from the p agans and p artly ,

b ecaus e it lacked artists c apable of worthily

depicting the Godh ead in human form Even .

when the days of persecution h ad pass ed the ,

Church restrained by reverential tradition b y

, ,

'
1
Dr M arch t t
s a es ve y
y th di fl ence b etween a
r c le arl e er

symb ol an d an emb lem A symb ol stand s for an ab st a t id a :

. r c e

an e mb l m d enotes a con c t thin g an att rib u te ap p ars in

e re e , e

ap po sit ion wi th t h p erso n it qu alifi s ; fo

e amp l e in a p e r ex e, r

sen tm n t o f th e Bless d Virgi n t h

e e lily th at sh e h old s i n h
, e er

h an d or th at flowers b y h r si d is h e att ib u t
e e Wh n t h lil y
r r e . e e

appe ars al on e i t p es
re n t
r t h eQ u esn o f
e H a een an d i s h e:e v

e mb l m b u t i f it in d i at es p u i ty i t is a symb l
’
e ,
c r o .
IO FLOR A L SYM B OL I SM
poverty perh aps and perh aps by th e East ern
,

’
fear O f the graven image continued to re
‘
,

present Chri st as the True Vine and the Apostles

as sheep or as dov es .

But at the beginning of the fourth century

tianity as r ligion
th e
e O f th e st at e N e w a n d.
,

often magni ficent churches were built in each

,

town and the Emperor placed in th e h ands

o f the ecclesi astics a larg e portion of th e roy al

revenues .

In these grand new basilicas the simple

decoration of th e Catacombs and tiny anci ent
ch apels was not sufficient Th e ample walls .

offered a splendid field for the mosaicist an d

Byzantine taste demanded elaborate pictori al
Representations O f the Redeeme r
”

effects .

app eared surrounded by th e Apostles the pro ,

p h et s an d t h e four an d tw-
enty e-
ld ers o f R ev e

lation S aints and martyrs were introduc ed

.
,

a nd l ater we find imp eri al p ersonages J ustini an ,

surrounded by his guards and Th eodora followe d

by the ladi es of her court It became necess ary
.

to distinguish th e figures one from anoth er and

therefore symbolism was largely introduced .
 EM B LEMS AND SYM B OLS II

The D eity was plac ed within th e maud orla ,

symbol of p erfect blessedn ess The prophets .

Were awarded broken wh eels to denot e th eir

imperfect revelation and the apostles books
, ,

to signify their fuller knowledge H aloes were .

carefully di fferenti ated Virgin s aints c arri ed

.

p alms o r l aur el crowns and m,a rtyrs h ad t h e

instruments o f th eir martyrdom placed b eside

them Some figures c arri ed scrolls on which
.

were inscribed texts which gave the clue to th eir

identity others Simply h ad their n ames writt en
,

above th eir heads but both th es e latt er devic es

,

were useless to th e ignorant .

At the Ren aiss ance wh en art had a fuller

,

life and wider aims it was not sufficient to thus

merely label the p ersons represented The
,

traditions of Byzantine art onc e broken the ,

p aint er was fr ee to set upon th e pan el all th e

b eauty th at his mind could conceive and that

his h and could execute H e h ad no longer to
.

paint a Christ or a M adonna correct to a formula ,

but none th e less h e was bound to depict figures

which should b e instantly recogniz able as God
incarn ate and the meek Mother of Christ So .

from his freedom sprang the problem which has ,

12 F LOR A L SYM B OL I SM

occupied th e religious p ainter ever since the ,

painting of a soul s quality th e making v isible

’

to th e world O f the b eauty of holiness .

During the great century of art achievement ,

came . Raph ael Leonardo Michael Angelo

, , ,

Perugino required and used no symbol to ex

press th e maj esty O f Christ or the purity O f the
Virgin Moth er They had th a
. t power to make
visible th e i nt angible which in art is genius , , .

But among the earlier artists of the thirteenth

and fourteenth c enturi es he who was un abl e
,

to show by th e announcing angel s attitude ’

and mi en th at his m ess age was one o f p eac e and

O

goodwill placed a branch of Olive in his h and

, ,

an d h e who desp aired of ade uately depi cting

q
th e imm aculat e purity of th e Virgin emph a ,

siz ed his point by s etting a p ot of spotless lilies

by h er side So was the int ention O f the l east
.

accomplish ed of artists m ade clear even to

‘

th e unlettered
.
.
A

After t e first effervescence o

h f th R e ai s i
’

e n

s ance h ad di ed down the laws of s acred art

,

b ecame once more fix ed though never again

,

a
'

( exc ept in S pam b en e th t h e In q u is i t io n ) w i th

th e strictness of th e Byz antine school Art .
 EM B LEMS AND SYM B OLS I3

as a teach er religion required to b e as con

of

serv ativ e as th e Catholic Church with which

it was alli ed and the symbolism of the four

,

teenth c entury h as rem ain ed with few additions

or modific ations to o ur own d ay Wh en d e .

v otion al pictures multipli ed emblems p ass ed

,

into wh at may b e t ermed th e h eraldry O f th e

Church Though also used in decoration th eir
.
,

primary use upon alt ar vess els an d Church

furniture was to di stinguish the O bj ect as sacred ,

or as the property o f the Church in the s ame ,

way as th e royal arms or a private crest indi c ated

th e ownership of s ecular things They appeared .

on th e b anners us ed in proc essions of th e Church

and on the badges an d insigni a o f religious

orders but were very seldom us ed in pictori al
,

art. Indeed it is in th e early Flemish school

,

alone th at pictures similar to the v an Eycks

’

Adoration Of th e Mystic Lamb or t o th eir

Fountain of Life are found wh ere angels

2
, ,

proph ets s aints and p atri archs bow down

,

before the emblem not the figure of the , ,

S aviour
During th e first twelve c enturi es of Christi
Gh nt C ath dral
e Th Prad o Mad rid
e . e , .
 14 FLOR A L SYM B OLI SM
anity th e emblems an d symbols of th e Church
were drawn from many sourc es ; those th at
w ere introduced at th e Ren aissance were fruits
an d flowers Th e Christ Child holds th e apple
.
-

symbol Of the Fall or a pomegranate showing

,

th e s eeds symbol of th e Church

,
Th e lily typi
.

fi es th e spotl ess purity O f th e Virgin S aint .

Doroth ea is crowned with roses ; S ain t J oseph

holds the flowering rod Th ere were of cours e
.
, ,

oth er symbols used Allegorical figures h eld

.

th e sword O f j ustic e Or th e scales of j udgm ent ;

.

Q t h e m andorla th e h alo th e orb O f sovereignty

, ,

an d th e book of knowledge survived from th e

Byz antine school ; but those sym bols which

first appeared or came into fashion as it were , ,

at th e R enaiss anc e w ere fruits an d flowers .

It was n ot strange th at it should b e so .

Th e n ew interest in th e literatur e of ancient

Greece and Rome h ad revived th e Old classical
love of nature of running brooks and leafy
,

forests and of all th e fresh unspoiled things

,

which Shoot up clean and fragrant from th e

e arth. S aint Francis with his j esters of the
Lord had gone singing through the vineyards
praising God for the li ght of th e sun for the ,
16 FLOR A L SYMBOLI SM
find no higher mblem
e for the Virgi n th an a

And thou that art the flou re of Virgi ns all ;

while Dante who more than any other Single
, , .

writer has i nfluenc ed s acred art uses the same

, ,

Imagery
H ere is the Ro se
Wherein the Wo rd Divine was madeincarnate ,

An d here the lili es by wh o se o rde k no wn

,
r

The way of life was fo llo wed

’
.

The Churchmen of th e d ay caught th e spirit

o f th e Humanists and th ere sprang up a school
,

o f symbolists who conc ern ed th ems elves l arg ely

with plants fruits and flowers The writings

, .

o f th e early symbolists Origen S aint Melitu s, , ,

Bishop Of S ardes S aint J erome Saint Ambrose

, , ,

Walafrid Strabo and Raban Maur Archbishop ,

o f M ayenc e were re studi ed and t h eir allusions

,
-

to th e plant world noted Duran d us Bishop .

,

o f M ende whos e R ati onal e pub lish ed in 1 2 9 5

, , ,

is still considered th e supreme authority on th e

spiritual signific anc e O f C hurch architec ture
and Church orn am ent h eld flowers in general ,

to b e the emblems of goodn ess Th ey repre ‘

.
 EM B LEMS AN D SYM B OLS 17

s ent like the trees those good works which

, ,

have the virtues for roots ’

Growing things
.
,

h e considered could very b eautifully supple

,

ment the ritual of the Church and h e recom ,

mends that on P alm Sunday th e p eople should

l

d eck th ems elves with flowers O live branches ,

and p alms th e flow ers to signify th e virtues o f

,

th e Holy One th e O live branch es His O ffic e as

,

peac e bring er and the p alms His victory over

-

S at an .
’

Th ere were those symbolists who like ,

Durand us o f Mend e and th e Cardinal P etrus

of Capua valued th e symbol entirely as a means
,

of interpreting the doctrines of the Church .

Their d efinition was th at o f Hugues d e S aint

Victor : The symbol is th e allegoric al repre
sentation of a Christi an p r1nc 1ple under a m ate

ri al form and th ey simply search ed for thos e

Obj ects which best suited the ir purpose (T h en .

there were thos e symbolists who li ke S aint ,

H ildeg arde Abbess of Rup ertsb urg mix ed their

, ,

symbolism strangely with h erbalism an d magic .

A p lant of healing virtues was a good plant ,

attribut ed to th e Virgin or a s aint an d typify ,

ing th eir virtues and a h armful plant was evil

, ,
18 FLORA L SYM B OLI SM
beneath the p atronage of the D evil typify ,

ing and inducing envy h atred or perh aps , ,

mali ce .

Lastly th ere were the mystic symbolists and ,

it is th ey who h ave had most influew

pictorial art There were those who li ke Saint
.
,

B ernard O f Clairvaux could disc ern through ,

th e d arkened glass of Old Testament m et a

phor th e di vine facts of N ew Testament revela
tion and those who like S aint Mec tild a Of
, ,

Germ any were favoured by H eaven with clear

,

and d etailed visions in which Christ Hims elf

,

deigned to explain the complic ated symbolism

o f His surroundi ngs His embroidered robes
,

and j ewelled ornaments And there were those

.

mystics who were not in holy orders who did ,

not claim direct communic ation with H eaven ,

y et who h av e n ev erth,el ess by giving shap e ,

and colour to th e vague indic ations of Holy

Writ as to th e future state and by materi al ,

izing as it were the illusive inner vision of

, ,

things invisible profoundly influenced the re

,

ligious sentiment if not th e th eology o f th e

, ,
!

world Chief among th em is th e poet D ante

.
,

th e fri end of Gio tto and th e spiritu al fat her

 EM B LEMS AN D SYM B OLS 19

of both the poets and the artists of th e Itali an

Renaissance In Germany his place was taken
.

by Conrad V on Wii rtz b urg a poet of infinitely

,

less genius but who equally influenced his n ative

art at least as far as devotional representations
,

O f t h e Virgin Mary were concerned H e was .

a minnesi nger who consecrated th e last effort

of a long li fe to praising th e virtues O f h er whom

he t erms The Empress of Heaven About ’

.

th e year 1 2 86 h e wrote
’
The Golden Forge ,

which he describ es as :
A g lden s ng o o
o
F rged in the smi thy of my heart
And b eautifu lly inlaid
With the jewelled th ought s of my heart .
’

It is an eulogy of th e Virgin close p acked with ,

-

allegory simile and me

,
t aphor which are borrowed
,

for th e greater p art from the Fath ers of the

Church but some few are of his Own fin di ng
'

.
,

His work was never to b e compared with

th at O f the great Itali an but it very strongly
,

influenc ed th e hymnology and the pictorial

.

expression of th e cul t o f th e Virgin in both th e

N eth erlands and Germany .

In England th ere was no great svmb olist

ao FLORA L SYM B OLI SM
a mong the early poets Th ey Were plain tales
.

of love an d war that Ch auc er told in Engli sh

u nd efyled But the Church in England pro
’
.

d uced some b eautiful mys tical hymns notably ,

th e one to the Virgin writt en perh aps about

, , ,

1 3 5 0 which b egins
,

Of a r ose a lo vely rose

, ,

O f a ro se is al myn so ng .

Religious pictures are O f two typ es : the

“

historical whi ch aims at depicting a s acred

,

scene exactly as it di d occur ; and th e devotional ,

which presents a divine or holy figure in the

attitude and with th e surroun di ngs b est c alcu

l ated to infl ame the devotion of the worshipper .

TO th e first c ategory b elongs Rubens ’

D escent from the Cross Th e dead Figure

.
,

th e sust ain ed effort O f the men who det ach it

from th e Cross th e grief stricken women are
,
-

all depicted with p erfect realism an d strict

attention t o hi storical det ai l It merely d e .

picts th e scene as it might h ave occurred and ,

no att empt is m ade t o guide or suggest th e

emotions of the beholder .

An tw p Cathed al
er r .
 EM B LEMS AND SYM B OLS 21

To the second c ategory b elong many of the

early Cru cifi x ions Th e figure of th e S aviour
.

is emaci ated to a pai nful degree On each Side .

‘

o f th e Cross hover angels c atching in a ch alic e

th e holy blood as it falls At th e summit a

.

nes ting pelic an tears its breast ; at the foot a

sk ull is pl ac ed within a nich e H ere a distinct .

emotion al app e
’
al is made to m an s pity for
—
,

th e sufferings o f th e Christ ; to his gratitude

'

sinc e th e preciousness O f the holy blood is so

emphasiz ed Th e pelic an in it s piety is the
.

symbol of Christ s dev otion to His Church and

’
,

th e skull invit es m edit ation upon th e etern al

death from which H e s aved us .

In pictures of th e devotional typ e the

spiritual c ause or effec t o f th e i ncident ill ustrated
is usually indic ated by symbols The reason
why th e Godhead SItS as a child upon His
Moth er s knee is indic ated by the apple which
’

H e holds in His h and As th e fruit of the Tree

.

’
o f Knowl edg e of Good and Evil i t is th e Symbol

O f Adam s fault which through His inc arna

’

, ,

tion Christ rep aired a

,
— nd th ereby to instruct ed
, ,

Christi ans it foretells th e tragedy O f th e Cruci

,

fixion . SO in an Annunci ation th e lily in the

, ,
 FLOR A L SYM B OLI SM
a ngel G abriel s h and indic ates th e quality by
’

’
which Mary found favour in God s sight and it ,

foresh adows also the sinless birth O f th e Saviour .

It sho uld b e clearly understood to whi ch

figure in a composition the symbols used refer .

When a personage of mortal birth proph et , ,

apostle martyr or s aint holds a symbol or

, ,
.

attribute it almost invari ably refers to his own

,

history .Arch angels usually hold th eir own

attribute but th e symbols or emblems which
,

angels c arry or which are us ed d ecoratively

, ,

placed against the sky or laid upon the ground ,

are alw ays to b e referred to th e princip al figure

in th e scene represented The sword and lily

.

in a Last J udgment represent th e omni

‘

potence and integrity O f the J udge ; the rose

an d lily in an Assumption th e love and the
purity o f th e M adonna ; the p alm in a martyr
dom th e triumph o f the martyr .
24 FLOR A L SYM B OL I SM
des igns b ased upon its form still frequently
decorate the altar and th e s acred vessels .

Also those plants introduced as metaphors

in th e Song of Solomon th e flower of th e ,

th e lily among
’
fi eld,
’
th e lily of th e v alleys ,

’
thorns th e orch ard of pomegran at es myrrh
’
, ,

and c a mphire spikenard s affron and cinnamon

, , ,

trees of frankincense and th e chief spic es ,

‘ ’
which refer t o the B eloved and th e Spouse
‘ ’
,

are all considered holy pl ants an d by th e ,

Roman Catholic Church are as signed to th e

Virgin M ary .

In th e b eautiful twenty fourth ch apter of -

Ecclesi asticus too Christian symbolists h ave

, ,

recogniz ed th e Virgi n Mary b eneath th e fi gure

o f Wisdom an d hold as s anctifi ed thos e growing
,

things to whi ch sh e is likened .

I was exalted like a p alm tree in Engeddi ,

and as a ros e plant in J ericho as a fair O liv e ,

tree in a pleas ant field and grew up as a plane

,

tree by th e water .

As the turpentine tree I stretch ed ou t my

branch es an d my br anch es are th e branch es of
,

h onour and gr ace .

As th e vin e b rought I forth pleasant s avour ,

 THE FLOWER SYM B OL I STS 25

and my flowers are th e fruit of honour and

’
rich es .

In the s econd plac e those flowers and plants ,

whi ch are beneficial to man as th e wh eat and ,

t h e olive were decided to b e go od and thos e

, ,

th at were h urtful to man as th e tare and the ,

thistle were evil H ere h erb alism and magic

, .

step very clos e to symbolism for healing plants , ,

o r thos e which were us eful as a ch arm against

th e devil were g o od ; those which were poisonous

, ,

o r us ed for evil p urpos e such as raisi n g a spirit , ,

w ere b ad Thus the nettle which wh en us ed

.
, ,

with d ue c erem ony dissipates fear b ecomes a , ,

symbol of courage and myrrh which is an anti , ,

d o te to love philtres an d drives away oluptuous

v
-

thoughts is h eld to b e a plant o f ch astity Of

, .

this p arti cular sp ecies of symbolism Al bertus

M agnus } M aster o f S aint Thomas Aquinas and ,

S aint Hildegarde Abbess of Rupertsb urg were

,
“
,

t h e princip al expon ents .

Also a plant s h abit of growth was taken

’

as an in di c ation of its ch aract er Th e c ed ar .

,

Au th o Li ber aggregati ou i s, seu Li ber

r of mi rabi li u m d e
vi rtuti bu s herbaru ni , lapi d u m et ani mali u m .

A u th orass o f The Gard en of H ealth .

26 FLOR A L SYM B OL I SM
with unbending h ead and grandly spreading -

branches was considered both by S aint Melit us

, ,

an d Petrus of Capu a to typify pride whil e th e

, ,

violet wearing the colour Of mourning and

, ,

keeping timi dl y b eneath its leaves th ey chose ,

as a symbol of humility .

Some symbols were of p agan origi n , for th e

“

p alm of victory and th e olive branch of p eace

were borrowed from the Romans who h ad th em ,

s elves inh erited th em from Older civilizations .

Th eir signific anc e was not ch anged but simply

limited and s anctifi ed ; th e victory for Chris ,

tians was the victory over sin and th e p eace

, , ,

th e p eac e of God .

These various methods O f determining the

v alue O f di fferent plants as symbols did not
always accord .M Huysman in La C athedrale
.
, ,

a v ery c omplet e study in Christi an symbolism ,

inst ances th e sycamore : S aint Melitus pro

claims th at th e sycamore st ands for cupidity .

Raban M aur an d L au ouyme de C lai rvaux qualify

’

it as th e unb elieving Jew ; P etrus of Capua com

p ares it to the Cross S aint Buch er to wisdom
, .
’

Even the sifting of th e text of Scripture did

n ot alw ays lead to identic al C onclusi ons I .
 TH E FLOWER SYM B OLI ST S 27

am th e rose O f Sh aron ( or the flower of the

field and the lily of the valleys sings the lover ,
’

of the Canticles who prefi gures according to

, ,

Orig en J esus Ch ri st But S aint B ernard of Clair

,
.

vaux found th at th e words veiled th e p erson ality

o fth e Vi rgi n M ary an d oth er writ ers consid er th at
,

th ey refer to th e Church of God upon earth .

Th ere were in fact two schools of symbolists

, ,

though th ey di d not di ffer greatly Th ere were .

those who wrote b efore the eleventh c entury

an d whose influenc e is tr ac ed in the mosaics of

Rome Ravenn a and the B aptistery of Florence

,
”

and those l ater ones whos e authority was d c

c ep t ed by th e p aint ers O f th e Itali an Renai s

s anc e and through them spread throughout

th e Chri stian world Durand us standing mid‘

.
,

way b etw een th e two schools O f symbolis m ,

h eld chiefly to the more ancient though h e also ,

recogniz ed th e newer usage , .

But after th e twelfth century the paint ers

of Sien a alone kept to th e anci ent meamng of
th e symbols ; Florenc e an d th e lat er schools i

broke away entirely

As far as flower symbols were concerned -

th e chi ef differenc e was in th e u se of the lily ,

28 FLOR A L SYM B OLI SM
which from b eing th e flower indicative of
h eavenly bliss bec ame th e especi al fl ower O f
th e Virgin typifying h er purity
,
Also th e ros e .
,

th e flow er of m artyrdom b ec am e th e symbol ,

o f di vin e love an d th e p alm tree and th e ac an

,
~

thus dropp ed out O f devotional repres ent atio ns

altog eth er .

'

In the main after th e twelfth century

, ,

symbolists were agreed Th ere were certain .

fruits and flowers about which th ere never h ad

b een any doubt Th e v 1ne h ad b een th e emblem
.

o f J esus Christ from h e b eginning of Christi an

t
t h eology . Th e white lily as a symbol o f ch as tity, ,

c am e p erh aps from th e H ebrews but all Christi an ,

writers were agreed as to its fitness as a symbol

o f purity and as an emblem or attribut e O f th e

Virgm M ary The violet was th e symbol O f

.

humility an d therefore say Petrus of Capua

, , “

an d S aint Mectild a th e emblem o f Christ wh en

,

o n earth. S aint Mectild a and Bishop Durand us ,

for the s ame reason consider it the emblem O f ,

confessors .

The ros e was long in disgrac e as th e flower

o f Venus But even s aints could not exclude
.

it from th eir lives and gradually it crept into

,
 THE FLOWER SYM B OLI STS 29

Christi an h agiology Ros es decorate some of

.

th e most po etical of th e histori es in th e Legend a

A u rea which was compiled b yBJ acob u s d e
,

Voragine Archbishop of Geno a during the last

, ,

h alf O f the thirteenth c entury and th ere are ,

roses in plenty in the pictures O f the fifteenth

century Their meani ng at first sight is not
.
, ,

so clearly defined as is th at of some oth er flowers .

Raban M aur and L au ouyme d o C lai rvaux h ad

f

us ed th em as th e typ e o f ch arity ; Duran d u s

h ad explained th em red an d white as emblems
, ,

of m artyrs and vi rgins

-

Walafrid Strabo also.

considered them th e symbols O f martyrd om i

but in the Golden Legend and in th e pictures

of th e Renaiss ance when plucked and falli ng
, ,

or when sent from H eaven th ey are symbols of

,

di vin e love ; wh en th ey are wov en into wreaths

th ey symboliz e h eavenly joy .

Th e symbolism O f th e less er flowers is not

so clear but the water lily and the s affron as
,

well as th e rose were h eld by Rab an M aur to

b e symbols O f ch arity ; verdure according to ,

Duran d us was the emb lem O f b eginners in the

,
A

faith ; the h eath hyssop convolvulus and

, ,

violet all represent humility ; the lettuce tem

3 0 FLORA L SYM B OL I SM

p eran c e lder z eal ; and the thyme ac

th e e , ,

t ivi ty .Of these however with the exception , ,

o f th e violet Christi an art h as tak en little not e

,
.

Th ere are c ertain flowers which appear

repeatedly in pictures which represent th e
g arden of H eaven ; th ey grow in the Enclos ed
G arden of the M adonn a and surround th e ,

Infant Christ wh en H e is laid upon the ground

to receive adoration Th ey are the rose an d .

th e lily and also th e violet th e pink and th e

, ,

strawb erry the last with fruit and flowers to

,

geth er The symbolists are unanimous in as

.

crib ing humi lity to th e viol et ; th e pink or c arn a

tion whi ch is usually introduced wh en th ere

,

are no ros es is lik e th e ros e th e flower of di vine

, , ,

love ; th e strawberry with fruit and flower re

presents the good works Of th e righteous or the ,

fruits of th e Spirit .

To th ese are sometimes added th e clover an d

th e columbin e According to th e legend S aint
.
,

P atrick was the first to u se the trefoil as an

illustration of the Trinity in Uni ty an d the ,

Sh amrock or clover is th e emblem o f th e Holy

Trinity Th e little doves which m ake up the

.

flower of the columbine wonder fully resemble

32 FLOR AL SYM B OLI SM
It forms the crowns of angels of saints and of , ,

th e M ad onn a h ers elf When it is the attribute .

o f th e Infant Christ it rec alls th e H eaven from

which H e c ame .

Th e English an d Flemish Immaturists add

to th ese th e p ansy which is the old h erb ,

Trinity } bearing the s ame meaning as th e

clover .

In th e N eth erlands and Germ any t h e lil y

o f th e valley was also us ed with meek purity ,

as its signific anc e .

All th ese flowers on account O f some accident ,

o f sh ap e colour or h abit o f growth were con

, ,

sid ered holy flowers while others such as the , ,

buttercup the n arcissus th e forget me not

, ,
- -

were rej ected as meaningless Fruit in general .

represents good works or the fruits o f th e ,

Spirit faith hope and p eace an d is accounted

, , ,

good ; th e vine is th e emblem o f Christ Himself ,

but the fruit usually taken to b e the apple

, ,

t t
Thi s is h a h erb which su ch h
p y si ci an s as are li censed to
b l as p h eme y wi th ou t
b y au th o rit v t t d an ger o f h a i ng h eir ongu es
b u n d thr gh with a h ot i o n all d an h b o f t h T ini ty ;
r e ou r c e er e r

i t i also Call d b y th
s e wh o ar m o mo d at thr fare s in a
, o se e re er e, ee

h oo d and in Su sse w all th em p an i s Cu lpepe s ’ ’

x e c c e . r

H erbal .
 TH E FLOWER SYM B OLI S TS 33

which grew on the Tree of Knowledge of Good

and Evil is an accurs ed thing
, .

Th ere are flowers too which are the flowers , ,

o f evil . Th e poppy is th e em b lem of sloth and f

also dedic ated to Venus ; th e tulip is b elov ed

of n ecromanc ers th e bl ack h ell ebore and th e
mandrake are u sed by witch es in th eir sp ells ,

though strangely enough Conrad V on Wiirtz b urg

, ,

comp ares th e Virgin M ary to the h ealing man

drake root Also the nettle is the symbol o f
.
’

envy ,
th e h ell ebore of scandal an d th e cycla ,

men Oi voluptuousness for according to Th eo , ,

h rastus it was used in th e composition of lov e

p ,

philtres .

As to thorns and bri ars S ain t Thomas ,

Aquinas and S aint Ans elm are agreed th at

thorn b ranch es signify the minor sins and bri ars ,

( or thistl s ) thos m aj or on s a p gn t
‘

e e e qu e u u u

cou sci eu ti am p rop ri um

’
etc , .

Above all th e buckthorn IS blamed for of its ,

branch es s ays R oh ault d e Fleury was formed

, ,

th e Crown of Thorns .

In art however th e flowers of evil sc arcely

, ,

app ear Th e ro se is still som etimes th e flower

‘

of Venus an d symb olizes th e pomps and vaniti es

34 FLOR A L SYM B OLI SM
of the world and th ere a
,
re th e thorns o f sin an d

death Some of th e early Flemish an d German

.

artists p aint ed c ert ain bitt er h erbs not ably th e ,

dandelion in scenes from th e P assion but

, ,

Christi an iconography h as concerned itself chiefly

!

with thos e plants and flowers which with the ,

approv al of th eolo g i ans repres ent th e attributes

,

o f th e Divinity of th e Virgin M ary and O f ang els

, ,

s aints and proph ets .

It may b e notic ed th at while th e s acred

flowers are not unfrequently introduced i nto
pro fane scenes th e non sacred floWers for in
,
-

stance th e daffodils and foxglo ves of th e hunting

scenes on Old Flemish tap estry are n ever intr ,
o
d uc ed as symbols an d rarely as d et ails in d evo
, ,

tional subj ects .

Th e s ame symbolism holds good withi n th e

whole Western Church and thos e Reformed ,

Churches which h ave rej ected p ainted and c arved

images h ave preserv ed a good m any of th e
older symbols in th e det ails of church decoration .

Th e most important symbols of Christianity ,

th e L amb th e Dove the Cross th e Glory the

, , , ,

H alo remain always unch anged

,
It is the .

l esser an d more especi ally th e flower symbols

, ,
 THE FLOWER SYM B OLI S TS 35

whi ch vary in d i fferent countri es and di fferent

schools of p ainting Italy b eing th e h eadquart ers
.

o f th e Church and also th e c entre from which

,

pictori al art spread over Europe most symbols ,

are o f Latin origin ; but th ey were mo di fied and

often ampli fied by inh erit ed tradition climate ,

and the gen eral trend of th e national reli gious

sentiment SO in Itali an art aft er its re birth

.
,
-

we fi nd a love of simple lines of refined typ es

, ,

of flowers ,
and a striving at fi rst unc onsciou

then definite after classical ideals while t e

,

, ,

North ern nations less h appy in th eir tradi tions

, ,

n ever quite c onquered th eir love of b arbaric

splendour ; a rose wrought in pure gold was to
th em more truly a symbol of divine love th an a
fresh ros e of th e fi eld .

Th e most import ant factor in the modification

o f flow er symbolism was climate As the primary
.

u se O f a symbol was to instruct th e unl earn ed ,

th e symbol which was to int erpre t th e hidden

mystery must b e a famili ar obj ect A rare or .

exotic pl ant would rath er h ave compli c at ed than

simplified the teaching So we find the pome

.

gran ate an d th e olive in It ali an pictures but not ,

in those of th e N eth erlands ; th e columbine an d

3 6 FLOR A L SYM B OLI SM
th e lily O f the valley I n G erman b ut n ot in ,

Spanish art .

But it was n ot climate al one th at determined

th e u se or disus e of any p articular plant as a
symbol If the fleur d e lys founded upon th e
.
- -

iris form h ad n ot b een born e by the Hous e o f

,

Burgundy which protected th e early Flemish

,

school it is possible th at th e iris might not h ave

,

appeared in th e early Flemish pictures as a

flower of th e Virgin an d certainly h ad th ere not

.

b een a continual interch ange o f Flemish mer

ch an di se which included p ainted p anels for
, ,

Sp anish gold th e iris would not h ave t aken its

,

place as th e ch aracteristic flower of a Sp anish

’
Imm acul ate Conception .

Also h ad th ere not been c easeless warfare and

,

ev erlasting h atr ed b etween Florenc e and Si en a ,

it is possible th at Sien a would h ave adopt ed th e

lily as an attribute of M ary in an Annunci ation
instead Of using invariably the Olive branch But .

th e lily was th e b adge of Florenc e and the cities

were desperately j ealous of each other both in ,

p ainting and in politics and this seems to b e the

,

r eal reason of the cons ervatism of Sienese art .

On th e whole the symbolism o f the N ether

 TH E FLOWER SYM B OLI STS
‘

37

lan ds is the most careful and j ust and each flower ,

was p aInted also with such exquisite minute

ness th at th ere is no possibility of mistaking
th e v an ety Itali an symbolism was always
.

ap t to b e sup erfi Cial and aft er th e fifteenth

,

century O ften b ec ame confused with decoratio n .

Also the Itali ans p ainted flowers c arelessly and ,

th e less er kinds thos e in th e foreground of an

,

Adoration for instanc e are frequently impossible

, ,

to identi fy In Germany symbolism is at times

.

ex travag ant and far fetch ed though al ways

-

int eresting In Spain it is poor and almost

.

entirely borrow ed A modern writer obs erves

.

o f Sp anish art th at it is m ateri al brut al Rom an , , ,

h aving from its geographic al posi tion esc aped

, ,

th e idealism of Greek or th e mysticism of Celtic

influences ; and th e same cause may also explain
the pros aicness O f its symboli sm .

Th e English love o f flowers very n otic eable ,

in early v erse found pictori al expression chi efly

,

in th e work o f th e miniaturists and in the flower

”
'

work details of a rchitecture The miniatures

.

execut ed by monks usu ally p ay att enti o n to th e

symbolic al value o f each blossom but the c arved ,
3 8 FLOR A L SYM B OLI SM
stone flowers common In both French and Eng
lish Gothic churches were more often simply
those which the fancy O f the architect or the
stone cutter di ctated and only repres ent vaguely
-

good works springing from the root O f vi rtues .

’

The h appi est blooming tim e O f th es e sym

Oli cal flowers W as the fift eenth c entury In the
.

fourteenth c entury artists still timid Of innova

,

tions had li mited th emselves to th e lily a

,
n d th e

rose But with increasing skill they made a

.

wider choice though always under the eye and

,

with the assistanc e of those learned in such

matters for the maj ority of s acred pictures were
,

commissioned directly by the Church or were

ordered as a gift to b e presented to some religious
community .

There were occasionally independent spirits

who in some favourite blossom so far nu
, ,

noticed found b eauty and symbolic fitness

,
.

Thus SanO di Pi etro Of Siena constantly paints

th e bright blue cornflower ( whi ch in It aly sh ares
its name of fiord ali so with the iris the lily and
,

the h eral di c fleur d e lys ) upon th e h eads o f both

- -

ang els and saints meaning p erh aps by the blue

, , ,

st ars to indi c ate th at th es e b eings were deniz ens

,
40 FLOR A L S YM B O LI SM
th e sincerity and earnestness o f those paint ers
who had preceded Raph ael Th e originator of.

th e movement D ante G abri el Ross etti adopted

, ,

in his early work not only the Simplicity of type

and the exc eedi ngly c areful finish o f th e primi

tiv es but borrow

, ed also their syst em o f sym

b olism .His f ollowers however an d in par

, ,

ticular Holm an Hunt broke away fr om th e Old

,

traditions O f religious art p ainting allegoric al

,

subj ects suggested by Christ s p arables and say

’

ings rath er th an th e sc enes of His birth and

Passion on which th e dogmas of the Church were
founded an d with th e traditional Subj ects they
,

left aside also the traditional symbols .

Th e greatest o f modern English mystic al

p ainters George Frederick Watts uses flowers
, ,

as d et ails an d app arently as symbols

,
But their .

ex act m eanings are O bscure and app arently not

those attribut ed to th em by th e great masters Of

p ast c enturi es .
 THE BA D G E O F T H E O RD ER OF T H E L ILY OF N AV A RR E

P oo
h t A l i n ct ri
'

TH E F L O W E RS O F H E AV E N

M o sai c o f t h e 13 th c en t u ry

( B ap tistFy , Fl o re n c e )

T o fa c e page 4 1]
 THE LI LY

GI OA C C H I N O DIFI O RE the mystic al theologi an

,

who founded the community O f The Flower ,

’

and who is h eld by so m e to b e th e spiritu al

fath er O f S aint Francis writing in th e last dec ade

,

o f th e twelfth c entury divid ed th e life O f human

,

ity into three periods In th e first during th e

.
,

reign of the Father men lived und er th e rule of

,

the law ; in the s econd reigned over by th e

‘

Son men li ve b eneath th e rule O f grac e ; in

'

th e third the SpIrit sh all reign an d men sh all

live in th e plenitude of love Th e first saw . .

the Shining O f th o st ars ; th e s econd s ees the

i

whitening O f the dawn ; th e third will behold th e

glory of the d ay The first produc ed nettles
.

th e s econd gi ves ros es ; the third will b e the

Thus as daylight to dawn or starlight and as ,

love to grac e an d fear were lilies to every oth er

,

flower of weed and sinc e t he t welfth c entury in

, ,

4 1
4 2 FLOR A L SYM BOLI SM
Christian art lili es have h ad precedence of every
,

other growing thing .

Th e earli est use of th e 1 i by the artists of the

Christian Church was to indicate the delights of
P aradise Raban Maur Archbishop of M ayenc e
.
,

in 847 writes of lili es as the symbols O f c elestial

,

beatitude and that is apparently what they repre

,

sent in the mos aics O f Rome Ra v enria an d the ,

B aptistery of Florenc e wh ere they spring from

,

the ground in th e sc enes which repr es ent H eaven .

But by the tenth c entury the Church had

commenc ed to adopt th e pre Christian employ -

ment o f the lil y as the symbol of purity and the ,

rose gradually took the lily s plac e as the flower ’

of h eavenly bliss .

Th e li ly of s acred art is th e li li u m candi du m ,

sometimes c alled the M adonna lily or the lily of ,

S aint Catharine It is s aid to b e a native of the

.

Levant but app ears to h ave spread wi th Roman

,

civiliz ation throughout Europe The suggestion .

of abstract purity is arresting and direct Th e .

stalk is straight and upright the leaves narrow , ,

plain almost aust ere At the top of th e long

,
.

stalk th e flowers cluster each chalice shaped and

m
-

, ,

sending to the sky a p erfu e which is singularly

 THE LI LY 43

sweet and piercing Their form is simple but

.

noble and they are above all remark able for the
,

imm aculate and luminous whiteness of their

firm petals .

After the twelfth century the lily is always

used as the symbol o f purity in its p erfection ,

and is most usually associat ed with th e Virgin

Mary and with saints O f the monastic orders .

More rarely it is used as an attribute of the

Persons of the Holy Trinity ; In a large pictur e
representing the Trimty in Glory by an unknown ,

N eapolitan painter of the seventeenth c entury ,

God the Fath er holds a stalk O f lili es in his l eft

J

hand above which hovers th e mystic Dove

, .

Since Christian iconography gives no attributes

to God th e Fath er except th e orb and crown of
omnipotence the lily must b e taken as the attri
,

bute of the Holy Ghost and in a rare subj ect ,

The Adoration of th e Holy Gh ost f ascrib ed

’

by Behrenson to the A mi co di Sandro th e two ,

angels with swinging c ensers and lovely flo ating

d faperies who adore th e hovering Dove c arry

, ,

each a lily The Do ve in conj unction with th e

!
.

l ily is also found upon th e great c entral doors 0

N ap l M us u m
es Stroganofi Co ll ction R o m
e .
2
e , e.
44 F LOR AL SYM B OLI SM
S aint Peter In Rome Th ey are of bronz e and .
,

were executed between 1 43 9 and 1 445 by Antonio

Filarete There are two panels with elaborate
.

borders and much interestn detail On one .

is S aint P eter with the keys and on th e oth er

S ai nt Paul S aint Paul is Of th e traditional
.

typ e bald and b earded an d holds in his right

, ,

h and a drawn sword By hi s side is a large vase

.
"

of lili es and on th e high est flower its b eak

, ,

touchi ng th e sword s hilt is the Dove encircled

’
!2
, ,

by a h alo The lil i es and th e Dove areintroduced

.

app arently to c orrect th e impression O f vi olenc e

given by the uplifted sword th e instrument Of the ,

’
Apostle s martyrdom and togeth er repres ent ,

ing the Holy Spirit th ey recall S aint P aul s O wn

,
’

phras e the sword of the Spirit

, .
’

As an attribute O f God the Son lilies are used ,

in those pictures known as Adorations wh ere the ,

di vine Child is l aid upon th e ground an d the

Mother kneels before Him in worship ; and in
those pictures wh ere she holds Him no longer a ,
"

very young infant on a ledg e or pedest al b efore

,

her . In th ese pictures all th e symbolism refers

to the Child and if H e li e among roses and li li es
,

they signify respectively divine love and p erfect

46 F LORAL SYMBOLISM

but as North ern artists preferred incidents d efi

nitely recounted by th e Scriptures to more im

aginativ e devotional subj ects th ey were trans ,

ferred to N ativities or Adorations by th e

Shepherds .

In Si ena d un ng the fourteenth century an d ,

in the school of Giotto the lily usuall y a single

, ,

lily cup is sometimes placed in the h a

-

,
nds of the
Infant Christ Here it is not the symbol of
.

purity but in accordance with th e older symbol

,

ism it is the flower of P aradi s e Siena was ex .

tremely cons erv ative and for its artists th e Holy

,

Child was still the royal Child of the Byz antine

school richly cloth ed His right h and rais ed in
, ,

blessing or holdi ng th e orb of sovereignty Some .

times H e holds a scroll announcing His h igh ,

3
mission with the words Ego sum lux mundi
,

Ego sum via verit as et vita More stress is ’ ‘

or .

laid upon His divinity th an upon His humanity ,

and th ere is absolut ely nothing to hint at or

forec ast His p assion H e appears simply as the

.

bringer of peace an d blessing and in His h and is ,

still the flower o f P aradi se the same li ly which ,

grows b eside His throne in the mosaics .

Gradually however a fruit replaced the

, ,
 THE LILY 47
’
flower in the Christ Child s h and At first the
-
.

fruit following an artistic tradition as old as the

,

fourth century was also a promis e of h eavenly

,

bliss it was a fruit from th e h eavenly gardens ;

,

but it was soon identified as th e fruit of the tree

of Kn o wledge of Good and Evil smce H e as the , ,

S econd Adam h ad come to rep air th e fault o f the

,

first.

Meanwhile in Florence during th e fi fteenth ,

century th e lily already the flower of the virgin

, ,

s aints was attributed more esp eci ally to the

,

Virgin M ary as th e symbol of spotless purity

, ,

and it b ecame acc ept ed throughout Christ endom

with this signific ance .

Therefore on the rare occ asi ons after th e

,

fourteenth century wh en the lily is placed in the

h atid of the Infant Christ it is the symbol of
p urity o f
,
His p erfect sinl essn ess
(
In t h e .

Enthroned Madonn a of Luc a Signorelli H e ,

I

holds a large stalk of lili um candidum In th e .

great ma] or1ty of repres entations of the M adonn a

with the Child in h er arms only the symbol in
th e Child s own h and refers to Him ; oth er
’

symbols refer to M ary But in this picture to .

,

Cath d al P gi a e r , eru .
4 8 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
th e j ewelled cross of the B aptist is att ach ed a
scroll with the legend E006 A gnu s Dei and all , ,
’

th e symbols are th e attribut es of th e S aviour .

B esides the lily which denotes perfect sinl essness

, ,

th ere are two transparent vases in which are

j asmine violets and ros es The j asmine s starry
,
.
’

blooms recall th e H eaven which H e h as left the ,

violet is a symbol of His humility an d th e rose ,

of His divine love In th e wreath b ehind the .

throne is j asmine again with pendant trails o f ,

White convolvulus which is also an emblem of ,

humility .
‘

Occ asionally the Infant Christ is represented

o ffering a branch of lilies to a S aint and th en th e ,
’

represents th e gift of ch astity which H e ,

bestows .

It is only in modern times th at Christ grown ,

to manhood h as b een represent ed with a lily in

,

His h and An instance is the fresco illustrating

.

th e p ar able of th e Wis ean d th e Foolish Virgi ns ,

painted in 1 864 by Lord Leighton ,

for ,

Lindhurst Church The virgins stand on eith er .

side o f the Celestial Bridegroom wh o holds in ,

J K H u ysmans La C athed i al e
’
1
. . .
,

Attrib u ted to Gi ott o . C

o lle c tio n of A E St reet Esq
. .
, .
 TH E LILY 49

His left hand the lily which emph asizes th e

mystical ch aracter of th e divine nuptials .

It may b e noticed in this connection that

modern and more p articularly Protest ant
, ,

ecclesi astic al art t ak es its subj ects l arg ely from

th e parables o f Christ a us age unknown to th e

,

Roman Catholic Church during th e p eriod wh en

th e gre at mast ers of art were in her s ervic e .

Northern medi aeval art th at is th e art of the

, ,

Flemish and German schools introduced the ,

li ly into representations of the Last J udgment ,

placing the sword and stalk of lilies ray wis e ,

-

behind th e h ead of the j udging Christ In the .

very early repres entati ons of this subj ect Christ

is depicted with a two edged sword issuing from
-

H is mouth in illustration o f th e t ext o f th e

,

R evel ation o f S aint J ohn

And out of his mouth went a sh arp two
’
edg ed sword .

And again
Which sword proceeded out of his m outh .
’

But pictorially it was ugly and th eologic ally it

was h arsh suggesting wrath rat h er th an mercy as
,

th e det ermining impuls e at th e fin al doom Th en .

men r emembered th e promis e t o th e ri ghteous :

D
5 0 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
Th e wilderness and the soli tary pl aces sh all
b e glad for th em ; and th e des ert shall rej oice
and blossom as th e rose .

And in a copy o f the Bi bli a Paupemm of the 2

fifteenth century we find a branch of roses so

placed as to b alance th e sword b oth set di ago ,

n ally like rays one on each side of the h ead o f

,
'

Christ The rose was placed on Ch rist s right

.
’

h and above th e forgiven soul s and clearly ,

typified divine love and mercy ; the sword on th e

left was above the damned and typified divine ,

condemnation .

But almost immedi ately the rose was re

placed by th e lily The lily was in the fifteenth .
,

c entury the one distinctly sacred flower Its

,
.

lance like h abit of growth made it a most sym

-

metrical p endant to the sword and possibly too , , ,

th e Church of th e North st ern both in religious ,

s entiment and in its pictorial expression pre ,

ferred the lil y which typified the integrity of the

,

d
j g g
u l n God to th e ros
,
e symbol of His m ercy ,

Th e N etherlands adopted the symbol It

'

app ears in Memling s most impressive Last

’

I sai ah xx x v . I .

W olfenb ii tt el C o p y, t t
Bib li o h eq u e N a i o n a e l .
 THE LILY 5 1

Judgment and in the Last J udgment Of Luc as

,
‘

v an Leyden The same devic e was us ed by

.
’

Albert D urer and many of the less known

3

German masters ; but Rubens in his magnificent ,

picture now in Munich h as replaced the lily ,

'

by a sceptre .

The lily us ed in this connection is not found

, ,

in Itali an art for though the N etherlands

, ,

Germany and England adopted the symbolism

of Italy Italy though admiring greatly the
, ,

technic al excellence of th e Flemish rarely ,

assimil at ed the North ern conventions for the

expres s ion of th e intangible .

t the lily is usually reserved for virgin

ts and m artyrs and more p articularly for
,

er whom Ch au c er n ames

Floure of Virgins all

— th at is the Virgin M ary

,
.

Th e Venerable B ede writin gin th e early p art ,

of the eighth century declares the great white ,

lily to b e a fit emblem of the resurrection of th e

Virgin th e pure whit e p etals signifying her
M arienp farrkirch en Dan z ig , .

2
To wn Mu seu m Leyden , .

3
The Smaller Passio n British Museu m .
’
.
52 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
body ; the golden anthers h er soul within fshin
ing with c elestial light .

According to P etrus Cantins c antor of the ,

Cath edral School o f Paris in the early part of

th e thirteenth c entury th e lily repres ent ed th e ,

daughter of J o achim h erself by reason of its ,

whiteness its aroma delectable above all oth ers

, ,
,
,

its curative virtues and fin ally b ecause it springs

‘

from uncultivated soil as the Virgin was th e issue

o f J ewish p arents .

As to its curative virtues it may b e added ,

th at an anonymous English monk writing in ,

the thirt eenth c entury prescrib es th e lily as a ,

sovereign remedy for burns and for the reason

that it is a figure of the M adonna who also
‘
,

cures burns that is the vices or burns of th e

, ,

’
soul .

But though th eologians occasionally used

th e lily as a symbol of virginity b efore the _ ,

el eventh c entury we do not find it associ ated

with the Mother of Christ pictorially , eith er as

h er emblem or h er attribute Th ere are no lili es .

in the C atacombs and those in th e early mosaics

,

\
are decorativ e or symbols of the j oy of H eaven
,
.

J . K H uysmans La C atbé d mle

.
, .
54 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
knights chosen out of the princip al ancient
,

famili es in N avarre Biscay and old Castile ,

.

Each of th ese knights wore on his breast a lil y

embroidered in silver an d on all festivals and , ,

holy days h e wore about his neck a coll ar com

,

posed of a double ch ai n of gold interlaced with

Gothic c apital letters and p endent th ere m
unto an oval medal wh ereon was enamell ed , ,

on a white ground a lily o f gold springing out o f

,

a mount supporting a Gothic c apit al lett er £91 9

, 2 ,

’
duc ally crown ed .

Thus the lil y b ec ame the gage o f the Virgin

borne by her knights She was n ow gradually .

moving from the subordinate though glorious

station as Moth er of the Incarnate Word to a
position of her own as Queen o f Heaven S ai nt .

Ferdi nand possibly unwilli ng to confront the

,

Moslem with the Christ whom th ey themselves

revered as a prophet bore upon his s addl e bow ,
-

th e ivory V i rgen d e las Batallas and p erh aps

“
,

Th e efii gies o f th e Kings o f av arre, su ccess rs Garci as , N o to

are st to
ill t t o
b e seen wi h his rd er ab u h eir neck s in t he hurch o tt C
of St M ar at y N
agera, St Sa i ur s d e Layra and St Mar 1a vo ’
y
o
R eal e o f Po mpelo n a, as als in th e church at R o nceneu x , and
at St Joh n s d e la Pi gn a
’

( E d mo n d son )
.
’

N w in Sevill Cath
o e ed ral .
 TH E LI LY 55

wh at sp eci ally endeared h er to the p eople o f

Sp ain was the knowledge th at in th e fealty th ey
paid her th e infid el could h ave neith er p art nor
~

lot The chosen knight of the Imm acul ate

.

Virgin was of cours e Santi ago Saint J ames

, , , ,

the patron s aint of Sp ain but every Sp anish ,

c avalier ack nowledged himself the servitor o f the

Lady of the Lily
Rath er more th an fifty years after the found
ing of the Order of th e Lily of N avarre the poet
s aint B ernard of Clairv aux was preaching his
, ,

famous s eri es of Homili es on th e Song of Solo

mon The s ermons were eighty in number each
.
,

based on th e t ext of the Canticles and each ,

celebrating the perfections of the Virgin Dif .

fering from Orig en h e found th e Virgin

,

M ary not t he Christ to b e the sp eaker of the

, ,

words : I am th e ros e of Sharon and th e lily of

th e valleys Di ffering again from th e Church
.
’

fath er h e furth er identified th e lily among

,

thorns sh e who is addressed as my sister my

,
’
,

’
spous e with the Virgin and not with th e Church
,

of Go d upon E arth .

S aint B ern ard was th e most popular pr eacher

o f his tim e his sermons b ec ame known through
5 6 FLO RAL SYM BOLISM
ou t Christi an world and to his influence may
th e ,

b e traced th e high position which th e Moth er

o f Christ n ow holds in th e Rom an Catholic

Church But so far th e lily had not app eared

.
, ,

in pictorial art in connection with th e Virgin .

In th e twelfth c entury however we fi nd

, ,

ecclesi astic al s eals which b ear th e figure of th e .

Virgin holding by th e left h and ( or right as it ,

would app ear on th e impre ss ) the Child an d in ,

h er right a branch of lili es Two of th es e s eals

.
,

th at of th e Dean and Ch apter of Lincoln and

th at o f Th ornh olm Priory in Lincolnshire are ,

n ow in th e British Mus eum It s eems to h ave

'

b een th e fashion in the eleventh twelfth and ,

thirteenth centuri es to engrave the owner s ’

figure on a s eal with a flower in th e hand On .

th e s eal o f C ap et H enri I h e is shown with a

sceptre in one h and and a fleur d e lys in the - -

oth er and th e figures on th e seals o f th e Queens

,

o f Franc e h av e a flower in eith er h and Th ere .

fore it was only n atural wh en cutting th e Virgin s

,
’

figure on a s eal th at th e craftsman should give

,

h er a flower too an d th e Virgin s own flower

’

, ,

th e lily .

Th e cons erv atism o f churchmen an d the

 TH E LILY 57

traditions o f Byz antine art still kept lili es at the

threshold of th e Church till th e Renaiss ance
came It c am e like the spring unc ert ainly at
.
,

first with puffs and gusts and relaps es but every

, ,

d ay th e atmosph ere grew more geni al more life ,

giving till at last every branch of human thought

,

was alive and growing Th e old early Christi an

.

fear o f b eauty as a devi l s lure was dying fast an d

’

as scholars an d artists studi ed with n ew int erest

th e legac1es of anci ent Greec e an d Rom e th e old ,

p agan j oy of perfec t form in art as in literature

revived once more A representation o f th e
.

climax of th e Christi an tragedy could onl y b e

an awful thing but childhood an d wom anhood
,

h ad the right to b eauty Th e old Byz antin e

.

p anels o f th e Child Christ an d H is Moth er

-

Were little mor e th an a formul a; the lin es

an d colour were not b eautiful though under ,

stood to represent a thing o f b eauty N ow artists .

and p eopl e requi red th at she who on th e word ,

o f Scripture was th e fairest among women

’ I
, ,

should b e adequately presented and the Church ,

.

gave consent But it was understood th at th e

.

loveliness o f th e Virgin should b e strictly the

So l mo n Song v 9
’
o s . .
5 8 FLORA L S Y M BOLIS M
b eauty of h oll ness for S aint Ambrose h ad ,

affirmed th at ,in th e Moth er of God corporeal

‘
,

b eauty had b een as it were th e reflection of th e

, ,

b eauty of the soul and the early artists h am

, ,

pered by lack of technic al skill and c onfused by

monk ish ideals of asceticism too often rendered ,

their Madonnas emaci ated and bloodless even ,

languid and fretful in expression mis taking the ,

outward signs of a subdued flesh for those of a

perfected spirit .

It was at this time th at S aint Dominic c ame

to Ita ly with his fiery zeal his devotion to the ,

Virgin and his Sp anish traditions of th e flower

of Our Lady For him the quality which
.
,

rais ed her so far above all oth er women was her

spotlessness sh e was si n p ecado M ari a ,
’

Puri ssi ma H er oth er ph ases

’
. as Moth er ,

of the Sorrowful Refuge of Sinners or Con

, ,

soler of th e Afflicted were to him of s econdary ,

importance .

Al ready through the preachi ng of Saint

Francis It alian intellect had b een rendered
c apable of appreciating th e b eauty of sim
U t ip sa co rp ori s sp ecies si mu lacru m fu eri t mentis .
’

De V ergz m t lib i i ch ap 2
' '

. . . .
,
 TH E LILY 59

p licity Each artist kn ew th at the tru e beauty

.

of the Queen o f H eaven was no t to b e

express ed by j ewels or wonderfully wrought -

raiment and as the words of S aint Dominic

,

passed from mouth to mouth the p eople o f ,

Italy came to understand th at the most

precious virtue of Christ s Moth er was her ’

purity symbolized very fitly by th e lily Th e

, .

symbol beautiful in its elf and so suggestive

, ,

o f th e quality it repres ented impressed th e ,

imagination clearly and presently th ere was a ,

bloom of pictured lilie s .

The mosaicist C avallini Duccio di Buon

‘

insegnaf Giotto Simon e M artini and Orcagn a

,
3
,
4 5

led the way and th e Christi an artists of the

,

world h ave followed The earli est lilies flowered .

in Rome ; but Siena Umbri a Florenc e Venice , , , ,

and lat er the N eth erlands and G erm any all soon ,

h ad their vot aries of the mystic flower Th e .

French ivory workers of the fourteenth century ,

influenc ed doubtless by th e tradi tion of the s eal

cutters frequently placed flowers in the hand o f
,

1
S M aria Tras ev ere, R
. t om e .
2
Nati onal Gall y er , Lo n d on .

3
o
L wer hu rch , AssisiC .

5 Or San Mi ch ele, Floren ce .

60 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
'

the M adonna Th es e little ivory statuettes are

.

usually very sweet in typ e and often exquisite in

workmanshi p The Child is held on the left
.

arm an d th e right h and holds a large singl e li ly

,

cup ,a pear like fruit or more generally a natu ral

-

, , ,

stalk of lili es with leaves and flowers Always .

wh en plac ed b eside the Virgin or in her h and th e

,
'
,

lily is the symbol of h er purity and a lil y stand ,

ing alon e as do es th e beautiful st em in Metro

,

du m work which decorates th e little oratory of

,

Our Lady o f th e Annunci ation in the Church

of the S antissima Annunzi at a of Florenc e is th e ,

embl em o f th e M adonn a h ers elf th e Lilium ,

inter Spin as .
’

Modern Biblical comment ators are agreed th at

th e lily of the valleys o f the Song o f SO lh mon
is not the white lily of Europe but the scarlet
anemon e . Th e lili u m cand i dum app ears n ever
to h ave grown in Syria In the late spring and
.

early summ er however th e anemones grow

, ,

thickly in every grassy patch around J erus alem

an d throughout P al estin e That the flower men
.

tioned is red s eems indic at ed by th e comp arison

b etween it and the lips of the B eloved and the ,
’

anemon e which responds so readily to the sun

, ,
 THE IRIS

TH E only rival to th e Zili u m candi du m as the li ly

o f th e Virgin is th e I ri s Strictly sp ea king it is .
,

not a lily at all for th e Iri dacea and the Li li acea

,

are di stinct bot anical orders But in Germ any it .

is known as th e sword lily from its sword sh ap ed -

,
-

leaves ; in France it h as al ways been identified

with th e fleur d e lys -
in Sp ain I t is a li rio
-

a lily —
an d Sh akesp ear e writ es

And li li es of all ki n ds
Th e Fl wer d e luce o - -
being o ne .
’

Its first appearance as a reli gious symbol is in the

work of the early Flemish masters where it both ,

ac comp ani es an d replac es th e whit e lily as th e

flower of the Virgin Roger v an d er Weyden .

p aints both flowers in a vase b efore the Virgin an d ,

th e iris al one in anoth er picture o f M ary with

2

th e Holy Child In his Annun ci atio n

. th e vas e 3

1 ot
Frank f r -
ou -
th e -
M aine . l
Be r i n .

3
Al t
e Pin ak o h ek t , Mu ni ch .

62
 THE IRIS 63

holds only white lili es There is iris growing .

among the ros es in Jan van Eyck s Virgin of

’

’
the Fountain but in his Annunciations th ere
,

is only the white lily Memling however .

, ,

places an i ris h alf hidden below the lilies in one

Annunci ation while in a M adonna with th e
,
’

Child th ere is also a smgle iris though in this

3
,

c ase the iris rises above th e lilies .

The M ast er of Flemalle in his fine S aint

B arb ara plac es an iris in a vas e b eside the s aint
4
,

wh ere the white lily of a virgin martyr might

h ave b een expected .

The symbolism of th e iris an d the 1i at first

s ight app ears to b e identic al an d th e sub stitu ,

tion of the iris for the [d awn seems to b e th e result

o f some confusion b e tween lys and fleur d e -

lys accentuated by th e liken ess b etween the iris

’
,

a nd the lili es o f th e French roy al standard with

which the p eople of the N eth erlands were familiar ,

since th ey were emblazoned on the shield of the

Dukes o f Burgundy .

In the mos aics of Ravenn a wh ere the lily is ,

us ed to indic ate the d elights o f H eaven it is ,

I
R oyal Mu u m Antw
se , erp .
2
. Co ll . R ad z iwi ll , Berlin .

3
R oyal G all y B lin
er , er .
4
! Prad o , M ad ri d .
64 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
drawn in silhouette showing three petals and
.
, ,

very closely res embles th e fleur d e lys of - -

h eraldry The same convention born of th e

.

extrem e di ffi culty o f giving modelled form in

utter whiteness particularly in a medium un

,

fi tted to express fin e gradations o f sh ade is ,

found in woven work tooled leath er an d em , ,

broidery an d th e common lik eness of th e imp er

,

fectly rendered lili u m candi du m an d th e iris to

-

th e s acred lily of th e French an d English royal

standards is sufficient to account for any in
,

decision as to which was precisely th e Virgin s ’

lily It is conceivable too th at the artists of the

.
, ,

N eth erlands wh en th ey p ainted a M adonna for

,

th eir church es set h er in the midst of th e iris

,

which grew so thickly round th eir doors rather

th an limit h er patron age to th e white lily which ,

wasstill exotic an d confin ed to som e few convent

gardens For the iris m ade th eir Lady more
.

entirely th eir own — an d so sh e wo ul d app eal more

strongly to th e emotions of th e Si mple .

But in th e N eth erlands in th e fifteenth cen ,

tury, symbolism was usually very precis e an d ,

th ere does seem to b e a slight difference in the

u se o f th e two lili es The [d i am candi du m is
.
 TH E IRIS 65

used exclusively as th e symbol of virginal purity ,

more p articularly in relation to th e fact th at the

Virgin Mary was a moth er but the iris the royal , ,

lily app ears to b e the emblem or attribute of th e

,

inc arn at e Godh ead Though S aint B ern ard of

.

Clairvaux h ad attributed the metaphor I am ,

th e lily of th e v alleys to th e Virgin Orig en

’
, , ,

th e older an d in th e North weightier authority

, , ,

h eld Christ to b e the lily In th e Adoration of .

th e Sh eph erds o f Hugo v an d er Go es wh ere th e

I
,

symbolismall refers to th e Child th ere is no white ,

lily but th e orange lily and th e purple and white

,

iris In the Annunci ation o f Memli ng th e single

.
,

Iri s b elo w th e lili es may b e the emblem of the

Prince of David s house who was to b e born of
’

virginal innocence an d it may h ave the same

—

meaning where it ri s es above th e lilies in th e

picture wh ere the royal Child sits upon His
moth er s knee It may also Indic ate roy al birth
’
.

I n th e S aint B arb ara of the Prado Sh e was .

th e d aughter of a King but in this pa inting h as

,

no Crown or oth er attribut e of royalty It I s ‘

notic eable too th at h ad th ere b een a white lily

, ,

i n th e v as e it wo ul d h ave b een difficult to dis

Ufi z i, F l ore nce .
66 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
tinguish this S aint B arb ara from a figure of th e

Th e idea of royalty in connection with th e

iris rec eived support from th e const ant recur
rence of the fleur d e lys acc epted as an iris
— -

,
’

( though som e cont end th a t t h e form as a symbol ,

o f roy alty c am e ori gin ally from Egypt an d was

,

founded on th e lotus ) on royal crbwns and ,

s ceptres M emling and hi s school used such

.

c rowns as th e symbol of divin e m aj esty pl acing ,

th em upon the h eads of God th e Father o f ,

It

”
God th e Son and al so on th e head of the
,

Virgin M ary .
3

Dante also app ears to use the fleur d e lvs — -

or fi ord aliso as a symbol of honour

Beneat h the sk y
So b eau tiful came f ur and t wen ty elders (sign
, o - -
ori )
By two and two wi th flower d e lu ces crown d 4
’ ’
- -
.
,

Some commentators taking th e four and ,

-

t w enty p erson ag es as th e four an d twenty c a - -

n onic al books o f th e Old Test am ent consider ,

1
Co onati on f th Vi gin h in f Saint U ula B u g
r o e r ,
’
s r e o rs , r es
.

Ch i t
r s ound d b y Ang l R oyal Mu um Antw p
su rr e e s,
’
se , er .

3
M ad nna wi th th Ch ild M a i np fa k i h Dan ig
o e ,
’
r e rr rc e, z .

4
Pu rga , xx ix . 81 .
 TH E mm 67

th e crowns of flowers t o b e symbolic al of the

purity of the doctrine found within th e books ,

holding a fi ord ali so to equal th e whit e lily

as a symbol b u t it is possibl e th at th e po et
,

meant the form al fleur d e lys upon a golden

.
— -

crown or the fresh iris blooms which would also

form a crown of honour .

Th e l I l S 13 som etimes us ed symbolic ally in

’

It aly and th ere is in th e Church of S Spirito

, .

in Florenc e an Annunci ation now usually

ascrib ed to Pesello B etween Mary and the .

ang el s t an ds a vase from which spring three

purple iris This vase on eith er side o f which
.
,

th e figures b end is not m erely a v ari ation of

,

th e vase of whit e lili es in di c ating th e virginity

o f M ary which is s een in so m any early Am nun
c iations but it is th e s am e symbol develop ed
,

a n d enriched till it represents the dogm a of

,

immacul ate birth of Christ The vas e in .

,

transp arent typifi es M ary and the , ,

flower is the emblem of th e inc arnate

Ghirlandaio places th e iris violet and dai sy , ,

ach growing up strongly an d freshly from th e

Sé e Ch ap t er ! IV .
, Th e Lil y of th e Annu nciati on .
’
68 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
bare ground of th e stab leyard in his Adoration ,

an d in a picture of th e six
’ I
of th e Sh eph erds ,

t eenth c entury by Palmez z an o of Forli th e

’
!
,

’
Child seated on His Moth er s knee holds a
, ,

stem of iris as a sc eptre but on the wh ole the , ,

iris was little p ainted in It aly .

In art which is purely German the iris is .

very r arely us ed though Alb ert Durer painted

,

a Madonna of th e Sword lily but in Spain it -

,
’
3

holds an import ant place Sp anish art is poor .

in symbolism though it recogniz ed early an d

,
.

prized highly th e white lili es of th e Annunci a

tion Except p erh aps for th e flame tipp ed
.
, ,
-

dart of di vin e love th ere s eems to b e no symb ol

,

of truly Sp anish origin and those used by ,

Spanish artists were mostly t aken from th e ,

art o f th e N eth erl ands F lemish art was pro .

fou n d ly admired in Sp ain an d th e Sp anish were ,

well acquaint ed with it for there was ,

much intercourse b etween the two

in the days before the N etherlands esta
th eir independence Also Jan v an Eyck .

Portugal and Spain in th e train of his p atro n ,

‘
Accad emi a Florence
, .
3
Th e B rera, M ilan .

3 o
Th e R u d lp hi nu m, Prague .
7 0 FLOR AL SYMBOLISM
but transferred th e attributes from the royal
to the crowned Mother for in Sp am it is
,

not found as the attribute or the emblem of the

Infant Christ .
4

Lat er the whole Catholic Church s eems to

,

h ave acc epted both the iris and the lily and the
,

mos aic altar frontals of St Peter s in Rome

-
’

b ear a design in which the ros e the m

, y and th e

iris are uni ted .

 THE ROSE

R OSE S among th e Romans were the symbol

, ,

o f victory o f triumph ant love o f th e prid e an d

, ,

pomp of life and were by long associ ation as

,

p agan as th e lily is sacred Th e Madonn a .

lily (li li u m candi dum) was th e flower of the

Virgin and of th e virgin s aints ; th e ros e was
the flower of Venus .

A nd on hire hed full semmly for t o see

,

A o
r se gerlon d fressh an d wel smelli n g
I

In th e Triumph of Venus by Cosimo Tura the ,

’
,
’

goddess who is in truth a modest looki ng lady

,
-

full y drap ed and firmly girdled wears a crown ,

o f ros es red an d whit e

, Beneath h er cockle .

sh ell in anoth er picture th e sea is sucking

3
,

in one by one th e falli ng ros es each s evere in ,

outlin e plucked off short at the stalk but em

, ,

Ch au c er, The Kni ght s Tale

’
.

o
Schi fan ia Pal ace, Ferrara .

3 Bo ttic elli , U ffiz i .

7 I
.
7 2 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
brown ed a little as Bottic elli s roses always ’

’
are
I
.

But th e Church grudged Venus th e flower .

Roses said Wilfred Strabo were the flower

, ,

o f m artyrdom Rosco martyres rabore san

.
,

i wrot S int M li Bishop of S rd s

'
’

g u z n s e a ,
e t u s a e , ,

in th e second century an d S aint B ern ard of ,

Clairv aux found th e ros e to b e a fittin g symbol

o f th e P assion o f our Lord But though the .

ros e was red to th e colour of blood and fenced ,

around with cru ell est thorns it h ad been so ,

long associ at ed with th e j oys o f life th at th e

world refused to recogni ze it as th e flower of
d eath Only as th e sign of th e triumph ant
.

en try of th e d ep art ed soul to H eaven was th e

symbol acceptable Ros es sprang from th e .

blood of those who fell for th eir faith at Rom e

v aux ( as indeed they sprang from th e Spilt
blood of Adoni s ) but th ey were also the sign ,

o f victory ov er th e p ag an an d wh en th e Virgin ,
i

M ary was laid with ir \ h er tomb it was in re 3

jo i c in g th at str aightw a y th er e surround ed h e r

flowers of ros es which are th e bless ed company

o f m artyrs
’ 2
.

Wal ter Pater , Sandr o Bo tti celli .

’ 2
Legend a A u rea
.
 TH E ROSE 73

But the Church always wise in m atters,

aesth etic did not insist upon th e tragic signifi

,

c ance of the ros e It was allowed to b e still the

.

symbol of lov e but of divine love and it is as

, ,

th e symbol o f th e love o f God th at it n ow

d ecorat es o ur church es in c arvings o f wood or
stone in the silv er work of church ornaments and
,

o n embroid ered v estm ents an d alt ar front als .

The ros e h as never b een esp eci ally associ ated

with the p erson o f Christ Origen who h eld .
,

th at the text which we rend er I am the ros e ,

o f Sh aron was a s elf desc ription of our Lord

’
-

read the vers e I am the flower o f the field

, ,

so giving th e Church no clear im ag e Wh en .

in art an emblem was required to represent our

Lord the ancient c atacomb devic es of th e
,

l amb and the vine were employed Any re .

ference to Him u nder th e metaphor o f a flower

was rare and usually vague as th e ch arming , ‘

gold flower of th e Blickling Homili es Then .

t h e Qu een o f all th e m aidens g ave birth to th e

true Creator and Consoler o f m ankind wh en th e ,

g old-
fl ow er c am e unto this world an d r ec ei ved

a hum an body from S M ary th e spotless.

,

Virgin .
’
74 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
Or agai n as a fruit rising from th e mystic al
'

I O SC I
No w spri n g u p flou ris fra the rute
‘
3 3

Revert you u pward natu rally

onour of the b lissit frute
In h
That raiss u p fro the rose Mary .

Th ere are some medi aeval Latin hymns for

th e N ativity in which Christ is referred to as
th e rose springing from th e lily Th e simile .
,

however was by no means applied to Him

,

exclusively for in a Visitation hymn of th e

,

s ame p eriod H e is alluded to as the lily hidden

in th e rose But though th e rose is not often
.

the emblem of J esus Christ both in lit erature ,

an d art it is us ed as th e symbol o f His love .

S aint Mec tild a in th e discourse on the

, ,

three p erfumes of divine love tells us th at ,

th e first of th es e p erfumes is the rose wat er -

distilled in th e Still o f ch arity from th e most

b eautiful o f all roses th e heart o f our Lord ’ 2
’

, ,

an d r ep eat edly in ecclesi astic al art ros es falli ng ,

or fall en from H eaven signi fy divin e love ,

Th e .

lovely angels in Signorelli s P aradi s e c arry ’

3

roses in their looped drap eri es and scatter th em

Willi am Dunb ar .
2
The B ook o f Spi ri tu al Grace .

3 Or i e v to Cath edral .
 THE ROSE 75

down upon the redeemed souls b eneath and in ,

Botticelli s Coronation of th e Virgin

’
th e air I

is also full of roses symbols of the love ( If God , .

And symbols of divine love are also the f alling

roses in th at vision of S aint Francis which was
so often p ainted by Sp anish artists and c all ed
by th em La Portir icula Th e saint kn eeling .
’ 2

in his c ell one winte r s nigh t was much troubled ’

by the memory o f a fair woman To overcom e .

th e t empt ation h e w ent out and threw hims elf

among th e bri ars o f th e wildern ess H e was .

rewarded by a visi on of the S aviour s eated in ,

glory with the Virgin by His side and as a

, ,

token th at his p enitences wer e acc epted th e

thorns bloomed with roses In most renderings .

o f th e legend th e mystic al ros es fall in a shower

around him an d in Murillo s fi ne picture

’

,
th e 3

p uti t are energetic ally p elting th e s aint with

'

blossoms It was a subj ect p ainted con amore

.

by th e Sp ani ards for Assumptions ap art

—
,

A c ad mi a Fl o n
c e , re ce .

Th P rti n u l a P mna la ( th li ttl p orti on ) b u il t b y

'

3
e o e or orz o e e

Sai nt B n di ct and e b uilt b y Sai nt F an is was th fir t

e re r c e s

ch ur h o f th
c F ancis an o d e It is now nclo d b y t h
r c r er . e se e

Chu h of S M a i a d gli Ang li and lo b y th os b ushes of

rc . r e e , , c se , e r e -

th l g nd still th o nl ess ar shown

e e e , r , e .

P ad o Madrid
3 r , .
76 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
th e tradi tions of art I n Sp ain were distinctly
gloomy and they seized wh ere they could an
excus e for colour Even Zurb uran succumbed
.

to th e roses .
‘

Th e ros es which strew th e floor of H eaven

in a famous diptych by an unknown English
2

p ainter are also symbols of d ivme love The .

p anels show Rich ard II who is presented to

,

th e Virgin by S aint J ohn th e B aptist S aint ,

Edmund and S aint Edward the Confessor The

w
.

roses round th e V l rgin s feet are pink and yello

’
,

and h eavier h and somer flowers th an those

,

which are found in It ali an pictures of th e s am e

period For th e rest this Heaven is especially
.
,

remarkable for the politeness of th e blue winged -

blue rob ed angels who each in compliment to

—
, ,

th eir royal visitor w ear his badge a white h art

,
—

couch ant coll ared and ch ained or upon the

,
—

shoulder .

Red ros es s aid S aint B ern ard were symbolical

, ,

o f th e P assion of our Lord but n eith er in Church

,

O bservanc es nor in art h ave th ey b een generally

adopted with th at m eaning Th ere is h ow .
,

ev er a p icture o f th e Christ Child in Cadiz

,
-
He .
 7 s FLORAL SYMBOLISM
g arden They worship h ere always alone
’

.
,

though there is no gate to th e garden ; the angels

h ave relinquished high Heaven for th es e d e
lights ; for th e scent of th ese ros es which th ey
pluck an d th e Chi ld h as relinquish ed H eaven
,

for these ros es an d the thorns which h e sh all

,

gath er from th em th e s eason o f th eir

thorns is never over and whilst it is the time of ,

roses in this picture th ere is th e forec ast of ,

th eir thorns in it .
’ I

In th e Sp eculu m H nmanw Salvati oni s a MS , .

o f th e fourt eenth c entury th e Holy Dove is

2
,

d epicted upon a rose From the bosom o f a .

seat ed figure which repres ents David or J ess e

, ,

a ros e tree issu es At the summit of the tree

.

th ere is a fiv e petalled rose in th e centre of

-

which as in a nest sits a dove which repres ents

, , ,

t h e Holy Ghost .

Th e d esign is founded upon th e text of

Is ai ah which h as b een p araphras ed by Pop e
Fro m Jesse s roo t b eh o ld a branch ari se
’

Wh o se sacred flower wi th fragrance fill s the skies ;

Th a therial Spirit o er i ts leaves shall mo ve
’ ’

An d on its top descends the sacred Do ve

’
.

o t
R b er d e l a Cond ami n Th U pp Ga d e, e er r en .

2
In t h e Bib li o th eq d e l A é nal Pa i
ue .
’
rs , rs .
 TH E ROSE 79

Th e rose represents Christ th e p erfect flower of ,

t he human rac e sprung from the root of J ess e and

, ,

t h e dove d es cends upon it as th e Holy Ghost d e

sc end ed upon ou r Lord at His b aptism in J ord an .

S aint B ernard di ffering from Origen identified

, ,

th e Virgin M ary with th e flower of th e field and

also with th e abstraction d esc rib ed as Wisdom
in Ecclesiasticus exalted like a palm tree in
,

Engeddi and as a ros e plant in J ericho .

’

Rosa M y ro n obi s
'

stz ca , ora p
prays the Church .

o se
H ere is the R
Wherein the Word Divine was made Incarnate ,
’

wrote D ante .

An English hymn composed about the year

1 3 00 h as th e lin es

Lav ed y (Lady) flo wer of alle t hing

,

Rosa si ne s i
p an
Thu bere Jhesu , h ev ene king
Grati a devi na
’
.

A nd nearly two centuries laterWilli am Dunbar

wrote :
Hev ins distil your b almy showris :
For n ow is risen the bricht d ay stir -

Fro the ro se Mary flour o f flowris

’
.
,

Therefore in, th e decoration of church es dedi

80 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
c ated to th e Madonna the ros e frequently occurs
, .

It do es not sup ersede the l ily which was th e ,

flower esp ecially consecrated to h er but it is ,

found b eside it The Church o f S M ari a Mag

. .

glore in Rome is orn amented along t h e aisles ,

abov e t he side ch ap els with a s eri es o f p anels

, ,

gold on white which show the floral emblems

,

o f th e Virgin Th e ros e th e lily the olive the

.
, , ,

laurel and th e vine al tern at e down the whole

l ength of the church Th e b eautiful li ttl e.

ch apel b ehind th e shrine of th e S antissima

Annunziata in the Church of th e Annunzi ata in
,

Florence was decorated in th e seventeenth

,

c entury with inl aid and rais ed p i etra dnra work -

.

E ach of th e fi v e onyx panels which form the walls

h as upon it an emblem o f th e Virgin th e sun —
,

th e moon th e Stella man s th e lily an d most

'

, , , ,

lovely o f th em all th e branch o f ros es below

,

th e words Rosa Mystic a This ros e is red .

’

and strang ely enough th e red ros e rath er th an

, , ,

th e whit e was chos en to repres ent th e Virgi n

, .

Wrote Guido Orlan di in 1 2 92

If t h ou h adst said my frien d of Mary
, , ,

Lo vi ng and full of grace ;

Th ou art a red ro se planted in the garden ;
Thou wou ldst have wri tten fittingly
’
.
 THE ROSE 8 1:

In th e Sarnm Book
f by Philipp e o H ou rs ,

Pigou chet published in I 5 01 th e huge ros e

,
I
,

h eld by the Virgin definitely illustrates h er title

of Ros a Mystica but those pictures of the ,
’

early Florentine school in which sh e holds a ,

small red or white rose show her as the M ad onna ,

d el F z ore for as Our Lady of the Flower sh e

'
’
,

h ad b een installed p atron ess o f th e city of

Florenc e It would h ave s eemed n atural since
.
,

the lily was upon th e shield of Florenc e to h ave ,

placed a lily her own flower in th e Madonn a s ,

’

h and But the city of Florence had passed

.

through troubled times j ust b efore the revival

o f h er art an d th e silver lily on h er shi eld h ad
,

been replaced by one of crimson .

H ad through di ssensIOn been wi th v ermeil dyed .

Rather than p aint her with th e crims on lily Flor ,

ent ne i gave her th e rose and she holds

artists ,

a whit e leafl ess rose in th e dainty little picture

by Era Angelico which is now in th e Vatican .

3

B i ti h Mu s m
1
r s Dant eu .
3
e.

In F an
3
at t h am p io d it was v y u u al t o p l ac
r ce e s e er er s e

fi u d lys in t h M ad o nn a F o inst an c
’
a e r -
e -
h an d e th s . r e, e

b ea ti f l t atu tte in sil

u u gil
s t o f t h a l y
e fo u t n t h c n
v er e e r r ee e

t u y n w in th Lo u vr arri s a fi u d ly f c ystal in
r , o e e, c e e r
-
e -
s o r

t h ri gh t h an d
e .
 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
There was anodd fancy about the beginning
o f the eighteenth c entury to repres ent th e Virgin

Mary as La Di vi na Pastora feeding her sheep

with roses The original pictu re with this
.

title was by Alfonso d a Tobar He found .

’

imitators both in Spain and France and in ,

Southern Sp ain the popularity of the subj ect

still p ersists Th ere is a plastic grOup nearly
.
,

life size in the Church of S Catalina i n Cadiz

-

,
. .

Th e Virgin is dress ed a la Watteau with a

b eribboned crook and a rose wreath ed h at -
.

She feeds with ros es and lili es th e sh eep and

lambs gambolling round her knees ; an almond
tree flowers above an d th e Christ Child dressed
,
-

as a sm all sh eph erd boy st ands in front ,

It is .

all pink an d whit e gay an d d ainty in a corner

, ,

o f the austere whitewash ed convent chapel

which h as Murillo s b eautiful M arri age of
’

S aint Cath arine above the altar A similar “ ,

.

group but more di gnified in type and less friv o

,

lous in detail is in th e ChurCh of the Holy Trinity

,

at Cordova Th ey are strange artificial flowers

.

o f th at gloomy growth Spanish Art , .

Th e Prad o , Mad rid .

 THE CARNAT ION

IN arly German devotional p oems the nelken

e ,

th e pink c arnation or gillyflower l s occasion

, ,

ally used as th e simil e of th e Virgin Conrad

‘

v on Wiirtz b urg writ es :

T h ou t gillyflower sprig ’
art a fragran .

But it has b een given no definite and individual

status as a symbol .

Very frequently however l n ecclesIastical

, ,

“
art ,
more particularly t hat of Veni ce and
North ern It aly it is found wh ere th e rose
,

might b e exp ected It is plac ed with the lily

.

in a vase beside th e Virgin ; with the violet

b efore th e Infant Christ and with the wild,

strawberri es among the grass of P aradi se .

In Germany the c arn ation 1s s een falling

from ab ove with h eavenly roses and o ccasi on ,

ally even i n spit e of th e writ ten legend it

, , ,

places the roses in S aint Doroth ea s wreath ’

.
84 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
It woul d appear therefore th at the sym
, ,

b olism of th e c arnation is identic al with th at of

the ros e an d wh en for any reason th e artist
, , ,

did not c are to paint the rose he substituted ,

th e c arn ation .

E ach year thousands o f c arn ation blossoms

are brought to th e Lat eran Church in Rome on ,

th e feast d ay of S aint J ohn and th e p eople

-

bring c arn ations not ros es b ecause by mid

, ,

summer s d ay the blooming time of Roman

’

roses is almost p ast A sc arcity of roses .

would seem one reason at least in th e Veneti an

pictures of the fift eenth c entury why the carn a
tion replaces the rose E arth even sufficient .
,

to grow a ros e bush was sc arce in th e sea , _

wash ed city but c arnations then as now must

, , ,

h ave grow
.

n in pots on every b alcony So the

Ven etians painted their own famili ar fl ow
.

er

rath er th an draw the rose as Carp accio did his ,

camels from descri ptions furnish ed by observant

,

travellers .

In the N eth erlands and Germany artists

probably preferred th e c arn ation to the rose .

It is more precise in Shape ne ater in its habit ,

o f growth rich er in colour th an the rose and

, ,
86 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
also the c arnation 18 sometimes found and very ,

rarely in the same picture as the ros e Th ere .

‘

fore it would seem conclusive th at wh en th e

painter of the Church did not c are to u se the
rose b ec ause probably of its associ ation with
, ,

Venus an d scenes profane h e was free if he , ,

chos e to u se the c arn ation as its substitut e

, .

Strangely enough the most famous c arn a ,

tions In the history of art those two which

'

h ave given the n ame of The Master with the

Carnations to the anonymous Swiss p ainter
of th e fift eenth c entury s eem to h ave no sym ,

b olical significanc e The picture shows S aint .

2

J ohn th e B aptist preaching to King H erod from

the t ext : It is not lawful for thee to h ave
thy brother s wife The King is in his chair of
’ ’
.

state and the ladi es of his court are s eated upon

cushions on the tesselated p avement b efore
th e pulpit Directly below the pulpit lie the
.

two pinks ; one is white and one red Possibly .

,

since roses according to S aint Melitus Wal a

, ,
3

An ex cep ti o n i s t h e Assu mp i t on b y Fu ngai i n t h e B elle

Arti of Siena wh ere wh ite r
, o ses t
an d re d c arn a i o n s fill t h e tomb .

Th e preju d ice ap p ears t o h av e b een agai ns t h e t red r se o .

t
Ku ns Museu m, Bern .

3 Th e Key of t
Sai n M elit us .
 TH E CARNATION 87

frid Strabo and S aint Mectild a are the symbols

3
,
2

o f m artyrdom th e c arn ation may foresh adow

,

the appro aching death o f th e preach er but th ey ,

are more prob ably simply a detail to give

verisimilitude to the composition as is the dog ,

th at worries a bone in the D ance of S alome

by the same m aster .

H ort ul u s,
’
W al afri d trab o
S .

M ect ild a
’
2
Grace, .
 GARLANDS OF ROSES

LET us crown ourselves with rose buds -

cri ed the revellers in th e Book of Wisd omi and

at Roman feasts host an d guests alike wore
roses on th eir h air or in g arlands round their
n ecks .

So in th e h eavenl y mansions wh ere life! is ,

a p erp etu al feast unfadi ng roses crown th e

,

el ect Wreaths of roses are th e s ymbol of

.

h eavenl y j oy and are worn ali ke by angels and

by th e human souls who h ave entered bliss .

An early Christi an prisoner dreamt th atghe

was already in Heaven
Towards us ran one of th e twin children
who three days b efore h ad b een dec apitated
, ,

with th eir moth er A w reath o f vermilion .

roses encircled hi s n eck and in his right h and he

h eld a green an d fresh p alm .
’ 2

l
Th e Wisd om of So l o mon u . 8 .

Passi o M ariam! al i aram martym m

'

3
j aoobz , et in
N u mi d z a
'

.
 GARLANDS OF ROSES 89

B eneath Byzantine influence the rosy

wreaths turned to crowns of j ewels and in ,

t h e p eriod b etween Constantine and J ustini an

crowns were c onsidered strictly necess ary for
t h e gu ests at th e h eavenl y feasts But when .

th e King of Heaven Hims elf was pres ent all

reverently uncrowned and it is with th eir crowns
,

in th eir hands that the twelve apostles stand ,

an d th e four and twenty elders in the mos aics

- -

o f Rome and Ravenna In the N eapolitan .

mosaics in the Ch ap el of S anta Restituta eight

figures apparently of m artyrs hold large crowns
, ,

resembling a victor s wreath and th e grac eful

’ ‘

virgin saints on the wall of S Apollinare Nuova .

e ach carri es h er wr eath .

Th e t all gr and angels of th e mos aics h ave

,

neith er wreaths nor garlands Th ey h ave

g ained no crown b ec ause no strife has ever
(

troubled th eir serenity Th ey stand tall and .

s traight halo ed with sp ear like wands in th eir

, ,
-

h ands.

Aft er the twelfth century however the , ,

apostles and martyrs n o longer c arry t h e crown

l

o f victory but it is th e angels who w ear wreaths

, ,

u sually wreaths o f ros es which are th e symbol ,

9 0 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
of h eavenly j oy And alas ! wh at a lowering
.
,

in type there was from the grand dignified ,

beings who guard the throne of Mary on the ,

wall of S Apollinare Nuova to th e childish

.
, ,

p eeping rose—crowned little attendants which

,

crowd b ehind h er chair in pictures of the Sienese ,

Umbri an and early Florentine schools The .

arch angels still keep some di gnity; but the

sweet little doll like creatures rose crown ed

-

,
-

and golden winged -

of Fra Angelico s eem an
,

inadequat e representation of the hosts of

H eaven .

But a magnificent strong limbed angel of -

th e Byz antine typ e would have oversh adowed

th e slight transp arent flesh ed M adonna whos e
,
-

h u e show ed tr ac es of th e asc eticism which

p y qsI

went towards th e making of a s aint So th e .

ang els denied grand and vigorous frames were

, ,

decked with dainty robes and crowns of roses .

P aul Bourget writes :

double et contradictoire Idéal c z lui

Ce ,

d une extase monastique conquis e dans le mar

’

tyre d es s ens et cel ui d une beauté qul p arle au

’

s ens s emble avoir co existé dans le Pé rugin

,
-
 GARLANDS OF ROSES or

et dans les p eintres qui l ont précédé ou accom ’

p agne particulierement dans B enedetto Bon

,

figli d ans Eus ebio d a San Giorgio dans Gi an

, ,

nicola Manni et quelques autres dont la Pina

co thé u e d e P erous e enferme les oeuvres
q C e .

reve complexe a son symbole dans les anges d e :

Bonfigli couronnés d e ros es comme les impi es

, ,

dont p arle l Ecriture Couronnons nous d e roses

’
-

”
avant qu elles ne soi ent flé tries comme les con
’
,

vives aussi d es banquets paiens Respirons

les ros es t ant qu elles ress emblent a tes j oues
’
.

’
Embrassons tes j oues t ant qu elles ressemblent
a t es roses M ais ces p auvres anges au x
.

ch eveux fleuris tiennent dans leurs mains les

instruments d e la P assion d u Sauveur et u ne ,

pitié douloureuse noie d e rouge leurs douc es

’
prunelles Ol l roulent d e grosses larmes
‘
.

But blissful souls as well as angels wear

ros es . In th e P aradi s e o f Simon e M artini ,
2

S aint P eter with his k ey h as opened the gate

o f H eaven and two ang els st anding by crown

with ros es each soul as it enters .

And more p articularly those souls are crowned

S M a ia No v ll a Fl o nc
’
S n ati n d I tah
’

e s o s e
. . r e ,
re e .
9 2 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
wh o in th eir ea rthly life coul d re] Ol co in th eir
faith even wh en overwhelmed with troubles .

Symbol o f holy j oy is the crown of ros es

which S aint Cecili a wears H er leg end like
.
,

oth er legends of th e Early Church is both more ,

-

poetic an d more allegoric al th an those which

originat ed in later times .

S aint Cecilia lived in virginity with her

husband Valeri an who through love of h er
, , ,

b ec ame a Christi an and was b aptiz ed .

And returni ng home h e found Cecili a in

h er ch amb er conversing with a glitt ering angel
an d h e h eld in his h and two crowns o f
"

roses and lili es an d h e gave one of th em to Cecilia

,

an d th e oth er to V al eri an .

And on the morrow wh en Tib ertiu s came ,

to s alute his sist er ih law Cecili a h e perceived

- -

an exc ellent odour of li li es an d ros es an d asked ,

h er wond eri ng wh enc e sh e h ad untimely ros es

, ,

’
in th e winter s eason ( Th
. at is wh enc e c am e ,

h er holy j oy during th e s eason of p ersecution ) .

And Val eri an answered th at God h ad s ent

th em crowns of roses an d lilies but th at h e could
n ot see th em till hi s eyes were op en ed an d his
-

body purified ( by baptism ) .

94 F LORAL SYMBOLISM
More fortunate than S aint Cecili a S aint ,

Doroth ea is b eloved in almost all Christi an

countri es for coming from Cappadoci a th ere
,

coul d b e neith er vauntings nor h eart burnings -

on h er account in th e Christi an citi es of Europ e .

Sh e too wears th e roses of h er legend .

S end me th en some roses from the P aradise

o f your Christ
’
scoffed th e noble youth Theo
, ,

p h il u
,
s as sh e pass ed to ex ecution At th e .

moment of death an angel app eared with three

roses and three apples Take th em to Theo
.

p h ilu,
s
’
said t h e s aint an d Th eophilus
,
b eli eving , ,

d i ed a m artyr )
S aint Doroth ea is usually painted with both
apples and ros es symbols o f th e good work s
,

o f a Christi an life an d of th e holy j oy even in

th e hour of d eath which report ed to Th eophilus

, , ,

asto nish ed and fin ally conv ert ed him Sh e is .

v ery popul ar both in the Low Countries and in

G erm any Th ere is a ch arming triptych at
.

P alermo th e best picture Sicily possesses at

, ,

tributed usually to M abuse On one wing .

S aint Doroth ea is depicted s eat ed on th e ground

with h er lap full of red and white roses a quaint , ,

Leg enda A urea .

 GARLANDS OF ROSES 95

comp act little figure not a slender It ali an

,

maiden supported by angehc wsrons already

, ,

h alf in Heaven but of th e sturdy Flemish typ e

, ,

who h aving with clear brain c alculated th e cost

, ,

s ets h erself with stoicism to endure th e p ain

’
which would b e rewarded by the martyr s
crown of unfading roses .

’
Curiously enough th e Virgin s crown is
,

usually of gold and precious stones though in ,

one O f V elasquez s rare religious pictures The

’
,

Coronation of the Virgin God th e Fath er places

,
’ 1

upon her h ead a wreath of red and white rose

blooms In th e b est p eriod of It alian art th e
.

Virgin wearsno crown except at a Coronation ,

’

when most often it is of gold In Germ any the .

crowns are large and h eavily j ewelled an d in ,

t h e N eth erlands a j ewelled fillet was very

generally placed upon h er h air A notable and .

beautiful exception to th ese fillet like coronets -

IS th e m agnific ent symbolical crown o f j ewels

and fresh flowers which sh e w ears as Queen of

H eaven in Hub ert v an Eyck s Adoration of ’

th e Lamb .It was only in late art th at is

’ 2

, ,

a fter the sixteenth c entury th at representations ,

Prad o , Mad rid . Gh en t Cath ed ral .

96 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
of M ary with th e Child in h er arms as Queen of ,

H eaven or as La Pun SSIma b ec ame common

, ,
’
.

Previously she h ad b een p ainted as a human

moth er with the sorrows of h er moth erhood
still upon h er As the moth er th e greatest
.
,

o f whos e s even sorrows h as not yet come sh e ,

would not yet c arry the rose crown which sym

b oliz ed joy even though it w ere h ea
, venly joy ,

an d by th e time religious s entiment dem anded

representations of Christ s moth er risen to glory ’

, ,

all sorrow p ast th e Church h ad decid ed to d e

,

pict h er as th e woman cloth ed with th e sun

an d upon h er h ead a crown of twelve st ars
’
.

Akin to th e wreath s of roses worn by angels

and s aints are th e h edg es and ros e trellis es of -

P aradise .

Dante pictures H eaven as one great and

m arvell ous rose bloom -

H ow wide the leaves

Ex ten ded t the u tm o
ost of thi s rose ; ,
1

which in bright expansi veness

Lays forth its gradu al b loo min g red o len t ,

Of praises t o the n ever win terin g sun

’
2
.

But th e artists of th e Church h ave usually de

“

‘
Pam dz so Ibid
’
2
, xxx . 1 14 . . 12 1.
9 8 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
little fertile mounts and gras s thick with flowers
, ,

among which lilies and roses predomin ate .

The c elestial meadow of Hub ert v an Eyc k

h as group ed trees as in a park and bush es covered
with roses an d th ere are roses on bu
, sh es and
trelli ses crowns of ros es and roses woven into
,

swingi ng garlands in th at most alluring of all

p ainted p aradises set by B enozzo Goz z oli upon
the w alls o f th e P al azzo Riccardi Ros es 2

and pom egranates th eir leaves drawn to th e

,

last rib and v el n twine th emselves in fair and

,

p erfect order about delic ate trelli ses ; b road

’

stone pines and t all cypresses oversh adow th em ;

-

bright birds hover h ere and th ere in th e serene

Sk y an d groups of angels glid e an d flo at through

th e glades o f an ent angled forest

’
3
.

It is a paradise after the own h eart o f a

M edici in which no monotony no boredom n eed
, ,

b e appreh ended full o f g ay and witty folk and

,

th e most gorg eous angels th at were ever s een .

Th e ros es of P aradis e must not b e confused

with th e rose h edge or trellis so often plac ed
b ehind the Virgin by th e early German schools .

Ad o ati on
r of t h e Lamb , Gh en t Cath ed ral .

R usk in, JVIod em Pai nters

.
 GARLANDS OF ROSES 99

These h edges indic ate the H ortus C onclusus ’

and identify the Virgin with the bride of the

Canticles by recalling th e verse A garden em ,

closed is my sister my spouse , This enclosure .

’

is sometimes fenced merely by a row of flowers ,

som etimes by a fortress wall an d is often an -

elaborate g ard en An early inst anc e by a m aster

.

o f the Middl e Rhine dating from about 1 42 0

‘
, ,

gives eighteen reco gni zable sp ecies of flowers

and ten vari eties of birds Th e Madonna Sits .

reading b eneath a tree One s aint gathers .

ch erri es an d anoth er draws water from a foun

tain S aint George Saint Michael and a young
.
,

man chat b eneath a tree and a pretty young ,

s aint with flowers in h er h air teach es th e little

Christ to play th e psaltery Oth er gardens .

contain no flowers but th e v arious obj ects used

as similes of th e Virgin— th e Tow er o f Ivory ,

th e Clos ed Door the S eal ed Fountain

, etc , .

Very often there is merely a trellis with roses

climbing up it and the flowers which express the
,

virtues of Mary the li ly violet and strawberry

, , ,

grow at h er feet The thorns on the roses are

.

c arefully drawn even ac centuated illustrating

, ,

Town Mus u m F ank fort on th M ain

e , r - -
e~ e.
1 00 FLORAL S Y MB OLISM
the verse As a lily among thorns so is my
, ,
,

love among th e daughters ; but in spite oi 2

th e thorns the general signi fic anc e o f th es e

roses also is j oy and d eli ght .

In the N eth erlands wh ere theologians occu

,

pi ed themselves less with this s econd ch apter

oi the Song of Solomon M adon n as set en plei n
,

ai r are sc arc ely found

C Th e van Eycks and
.

Memling inaugurated the fashion of arranging

their devotional groups in chap el like nich es -

or in th e aisle of some large church Any garden .

th ere is is seen in glimpses b etween pillars

or through windows and h as no mystical
,
“

meaning .

)
In th e work of Bottic elli and his school we
again see enclos ed gardens o f ros es but th es e ,

are r ath er gardens of adoration for m the c entre ,

th e V irgl n kn eels b efore th e di vin e Infant As .

in all Adorations the symbolism refers t o the

Child and th ese roses symboliz e th e Divine
,

Love which sent Him to this earth and are not , ,

th e attributes of M ary or an indi c ation of th e

in H av n A tru e hortns conclnsn of
jy
o e e . s

Italian origin is th at of Stefano d a Zevio or d a

Th Son g f Solo m n ii
3
e o o . 2 .
 GARLAN DS OF ROSES 1 01

Verona The Virgin with the Child upon h er

.
‘
,

knee Sits upon the ground in a c arefully walled in

,

gard en of which the only oth er hum an o c cup ant

,

is Saint Cath arine who stri ngs a cro wn of ros es

,
.

The garden is full of birds and bird like ang els -

and in one corner i s the s ealed fountain of the

Canticles .

AS a general rule ros es mass ed together in

, ,

garlands in b askets or thickly growing are the

, , ,

symbols of h eavenly j oys and single ros es are ,

the symbols of divine love But th ere is one .

Single ros e which is also th e s ymbol of j oy —

it
is the golden ros e which is the gift of the Pop es .

Durand us writes : So also on the Sunday ,

Loetare J erus alem th e Roman Pontiff b eareth

,

a mitre b eautifi ed with the orfrey on account

, ,

o f th e j oy which th e golden ros e si nifi eth but

g ,

on account of th e time b eing one of s adn ess h e ,

weareth black vestments .

’

St Leon is s een upon the chasse of Ch arle

magne with the golden rose in his right h and
3
.

Th e golden ros e b eing th e im age of H eaven ,

according to th e Liturgy it b ec am e in th e h ands , ,

M useu m, V o na
er . R at Ofi . .
, iii . 18.
3 ’

Tresor of Ai x l a Ch ap ell e.
1 02 FLO RA L SYMB OLIS M
of Pope th e equivalen t of a benediction
th e , .

O ne rem arks th at in the epoch o f which we

,
.

speak the very poetical rite of the golden rose

, ,

most ancrent in the Church had j ust acquired ,

a new celebrity Th e s endi ng of the symboli cal

.

flower had replaced in the Roman court th at of , ,

the keys o f confession and Innoc ent III h ad j ust

m
,

consecrated a di scourse to explain its ysterious

signification .

Th e s ending of the golden ros e was a very

old c ustom dating at least from the time Of
,

Gregory th e Great The rose was solemnly .

blessed by the Pope on th e fourth Sunday in

.

Lent and s ent by him to some sovereign church ,

or community Urban V first made the cere

.
i

mony annual about 1 3 66 .

’
This ros e symbol of the Church s blessing
, ,

Was often a thin g of beauty and fine Workman

ship Stefano d el Cambio describes th at one
.

which was sent in his time to Florence .

On Easter Sunday morning th e z u d of ,

April 1 41 9 Pop e Martin V after h aving p er

, ,

formed Mass gave th e golden ros e to our mag

,

nifi cent Signori a in rem embranc e of th e honours

,

Arth u r Marti n, M el anges d A rehé ol ogi e

’ ’
.
 THE COLUMBINE

WE read in Is aiah : And th ere shall come

forth a rod out of the stem of J esse and a ,

Branch Shall grow out of his roots ; and the

Spirit of the Lord sh all rest upon him the Spirit ,

of wi sdom and und erst anding th e Spirit of ,

counsel and might th e Spirit of knowledge and

,

the fear of th e Lord .

Th ese words were addressed to the M essi ah .

The Divin e Child was th erefore cloth ed with

th e Spirit of God whos e faculties are s even in
,

numb er for H e poss ess es as His pecul iar gifts

, ,

wisdom understanding counsel strength know

, , , ,

ledge pi ety and fear

, .

This subj ect has frequently b een portrayed

by Christian artists A tree springs om the
.
f r

bowels the breast or the mouth of J ess e Th e

, .

1 I ai ah xi
s . 1 2.
-

1 04
 TH E COLUMBINE 1 05

symbolic trunk Spreads to th e left an d right ,

throwing forth branch es bearing the Kings o f

Judah the ancestors of Christ ; at the top
, ,

seated on a throne or th e chalic e of a gigantic ,

flower is the Son of God Surrounding the

, .

Saviour a nd forming as it w ere an oval aureol e

, ,

s even doves are ranged one above the oth er ,

three on the left three on the right and one at

, ,

th e top Th ese doves which are of snowy

.
,

whiteness like the Holy Ghost and adorned

, ,

like him with a cruciform nimbus are simply ,

living manifestations of th e s even gifts of the

Spirit The Holy Ghost is drawn under the
.

form of a dove ; each of the s even energies dis

tinguishing Him is also fi gured under the sam e
’ I
typ e.

Thes e little doves surroundi ng th e figure of

Christ as a man or as an infant oc cur very
, ,

frequently in the French miniatures of th e

thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and are ,

found upon th e windows in th e cathedrals of

S D enis Ch artres Amiens and B eauvais and in
.
, , ,

m any other French church es .

It was an essenti ally French development

1 C hri sti an Icart ography, Didro n .
1 06 FLORAL S Y MB OLISM
of Christi an symb olism and it is in Flemish
“

art which drew its inspiration from th e French

,

Renaiss ance that we first find not the little

, ,

white doves but the columbine flOWer The

, .

columbine grows wild in most countri es o f

Europ e and i s usually dark blue in colour .

Each of its fi ve p etal s is so Shap ed th at it

'

is really very like a little long neck ed dove -

.

Th e littl e doves are only fi v e in numb er ,

but the Flemish p ainters take each flower not ,

each pet al as the symbol an d give seven

, ,

blooms upon each plant Th ere are six and .

,

th e edg e o f th e s eventh is j ust showing in th e ,

mystical crown worn by Hub ert v an Eyck s ’

Queen of H eaven .
’ 2

Strictly sp eaking however Mary h as no, ,

right to th ese symbols of the gifts of the

Spiri t for it was to th e expected Messiah
,

th at the di vine gifts were promised Th e .

columbine is more correctly us ed by Hugo

’

v an d er Go es who in his
,
Adoration of
th e Sh eph erds plac es a columbine with seven
2
,

flowers upon it in a vase b efore the Infan t

,

S aviour .

Gh nt Cath ed al
e r . U ffi i Gall ry z e .
1 08 FLORA L SYMBOLISM

in the foreground j ust b elow the Child who stands ,

on His Mother s knee ’

.

B eside the vas e is a sort of c asket out of ,

which s even little cupid angels take s even

scrolls On the resp ective scrolls are Inscrib ed :
.

FI DES SPES
, CHARITAS ,
J USTICIA , ,

PRUDENC IA FORTES , Th e seventh is .

blank reserved perh aps for TEMPERANCE

, , ,
.

A crown ed saint seated b eside th e Virgin holds

, ,

upon h er knee a scroll on which is written

’
AVE REGINA and above th e Virgin s head
,
’

hover two pntti with a h eavy crown It is .

th erefore to the Moth er rath er th an to the ,

Child that devotion is directed and th e s even

, ,

Gifts are to b e t aken as her attribute .

In 1 475 the Adoration of the Sh eph erds

by Hugo van d er Go es was brought to Florenc e
by Tommaso Portinari for th e Ch ap el of th e
'

Hospit al o f S ant a Maria Nuova Its technique .

excit ed th e great est int er est among th e artists

o f It aly an d th e v as e of columbin e in th e fore

,

ground may h ave first drawn th eir attention to

this symbol Cosimo Rosselli p erh aps th e last
.
,

of th e Florentine symbolists painted it among ,

the d aisi es strawberri es and j asmine sh ap ed

,
-
 THE COLUMBINE 1 09

flower in the M adonna with the Child and SS .

’ 2
Peter and J ames c ommissioned in 1 49 2 After
,
.

th e fifteenth c entury it is fairly frequent in

Itali an art Two of the most ch arming of th e
.
‘

Madonna pictures now in the Brera The V irgin

'

and Child with the Lamb b y Sodom a and

’

, ,
,

The Virgin of the Ro se h edge by Luini both

’
-

, ,

introduce the c olumbine But the It ali an artists

.

use it va gu ely as th e flower o f th e dove th e

, ,

flower in some degree sacred to th e Holy Ghost ,

and lost sight of the ori ginal conn ection with

the s even Gifts of th e Spirit Luini who is .

,

c areless with his symbolism though p ainting ,

flowers exqui sitely uses th e c olumbine also as

,

an accessory in t he famous portrait known

’ 2
as La Colombin a but h ere of c ourse it is
, , ,

simply a grac eful flower in the hand of a fine

woman .

It is most unusual to find any flower used

symbolic ally in scenes representing the P assion
o f our Lord Should plants or shrubs b e th ere
.
,

it is merely as an i ndication that th e place o f

Crucifixion was b eyond the w alls and th at the ,

place of b uri al was a garden They h ave no .

U ffi z i Gallery . St Pe tersb urg .

1 10 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
special meanings as symbols An exc eption is .

th e Entombment of H ans Sch ii chlin of Ulm

2
.

From a rock in th e foreground sprin gs a plant

o f columbin e with three droopin g flow ers On .

a smaller plant at the side are four more blossoms ,

maki ng up the mystic seven Th ere are onl y .

th ese columbines and a little Short grass On .

th e step of the tomb li es the crown of thorns

which h as fallen from the h ead of the dead
S avi our as the disciples lower His body to the
grave .

The s even blooms of th e columbine app ear

again in th e Thom as alt ar by the master of
-
2

th e B artholom ew altar who p ainted during th e

-

first twenty years of th e sixteenth century It .

is a disagreeable picture the types poor and the ,

action of the doubting Thomas as he thrusts his ,

h and into the Saviour swound distinctly brutal

’

, .

But al l round the feet of the ris en Sa v iour lie

flowers scattered on the broad stone step .

Th ere are again the s even heads of the columbine ,

snapped off short and Showing scarc ely any ,

stalk ; there are the vi olets of humility and th e

daisy often seen with th e violet as th e symbol
,

Tiefenb r nn o Church . Wal lraf -

R ich art z Museu m, Co logn e.
 THE OLIVE
Strew thrice nin e o live b ough s
On either h an d ; and o ffe u p t hy pray er
’
r 1
,

couns elled th e Greeks wh en conscious th at th e

deities were o ffended .

Th e olive was th e gift o f P allas The t al e .

ran th at in th e reign of Cecrops both Pos eidon

'

and Ath en a cont ended for the poss ession of

Ath ens. The gods resolved that which ever of

th em produc ed th e gift most useful to mort als
should h ave poss ession of th e land Pos eidon .

struck the ground with his trident and straight

way a hors e app eared But Ath en a planted the
.

olive and th e gods th ereupon decreed th at the

olive was more useful to man than the hors e ,

and g ave th e city to th e goddess from whom it ,

was c alled Athenae .

2

But th e symbolism of the olive founded ,

1 So ph o cl es, ( E d i pu s C ol onen s .

2
t
Smi h s C l assi cal Di cti onary
’
.

1 I2
 THE OLIVE 113

upon its h ealing qualiti es and its oil s well ’

known prop erty of c alming rough en ed wat er ,

was not only Greci an : it was wide spread and -

th e Rom ans used it politic ally as well as religi

ously Th eir h eralds c arried olive on an em
.

b assy of peace and the custom lingered in It aly

,

through th e Middle Ages ; Dante des c ribing how

the multitude Flock round the h erald s ent
with olive branch .
’

In Christi an art the olive also invariably

represents p eac e or rec onciliation and it is first ,

found in the C ata combs wh ere th ere is a curious,

painting of the mystic fish which Swims towards

th e Cross with a spri g of olive in its mouth The .

fish bythe well known an agram repres ents Christ

,
l -

, ,

who through the Cross brings p eace on earth

, , .

A dove with an olive twig in its b eak is also

!

found upon early Chri sti an tombs And th en .

,

as Tertull ian s ays , it is a sym bol of p eace even

older th an Christi anity itself — th e h erald of
’ 2

th e p eac e of God from the very b egl nmng

,
,

Sometimes the word its elf Pax is added , ,

’ 2

th ereby marking th e sense b eyond all possibility

o f disput e ; viz th at it is meant t o assert o f th e '

.
,

De B apti m viii
s o, 0 . Se titl p ag
. e e
-
e.
 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
soul of the deceased th at it h as departed in th e
peac e o f God and of his Church .
‘

Tertulli an refers of cours e to the dove s ent

, ,

forth by Noah whi ch returned across the waters

, ,

and LO ! in h er mouth was an olive lea f plucked

off Sign th at th e wrath o f God was app eas ed
’
.
,

Th e dove b earing th e twig of olive executed

,
,
in coloured m arbles occurs repeatedly in th e ,

decoration o f S aint Peter s H ere th e dove repre ’

.

s ents th e Church bearing the Gosp el m essage of

p eace to the world The s ame emblem is found
.

in the decoration of St J ohn Lat eran and Pope ,

Innocent X incorporat ed it with his coat o f arms

. .

The olive n aturally app ears as an attribut e

in allegoric al figures of Peac e One of the .

earli est an d most famous of th es e figures is in

Ambrogio Lorenz etti s great fresco entitled ’

’ "

Good Government Th e golden h aired P eac e

.
2
-

who wears a white rob e is crowned with olive , ,

and c arri es an olive branch in h er hand Sh e .

h as a b eauty of h er own but comp ared with th e ,

more virile figu res in the composition,Fortitud e ,

Prudence Temperanc e and J ustic e sh e is a

, ,

N th co t an d B o wnlow
or e r , R oma Sotteran a .

Pal az o Pub b li
z Si n a co , e .
1 16 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
no novelty no vari ety of subj ect pose or action
, , .

And th eir favouri te symbol was th e olive branch

of peace The angel G abri el almost invari ably
.

c arri es oli ve Saint J ohn the Evangelist and

,
‘ 2

S ai nt Ansano th eir own s aint both hold ,

3
,

branch es of it and it crowns the blonde curls

,

o f m any a little ang el .

In represent ations of th e first a nd third

persons of the Holy Trinity th e olive branch is

very rare Upon some anci ent crucifixes how
.
,

ever wh ere a h and holding a wreath repres ents

,

th e Et ern al Fath er th e wreath though usually , ,

o f l aurel in some inst ances is form ed of olive

, .

In the Crucifix of the t enth c entury known as ,

th e Crucifix of Lothair th e wr eath is distinctly ,

‘

o f olive but sinc e it encircl es th e Holy Dov e th e

,

olive is p erh aps equally the attribute o f th e

Holy Ghost In the Crucifix upon th e M anual
.

o f Pray er of Ch arle s the B ald the wreath is of ,

s

laurel and th ere is no dove .

Mab illon sp eaks of a group of the Trinity in

human form scul ptured by order of Ab elard
,

T ad d e o to o
di B ar l , San di Pi e r , F ran casco di Gi rgi o to o o
M artini , Belle Ar i , Siena t 3
1 60 , Bell e Ar i , Sien a
. No . t .

t ov
S efano di Gi anni , Belle Ar i , Si en a t .

Tré sor of A b : l a h apelle 5

C
Tresor of th e King of B a aria
.
’

v .
 THE OLIVE 1 17

at th e In it the Fath er wore a closed

P araclete .

crown the Son a crown of thorns and the Holy

, ,

Ghost a crown of olive The group h as long .

since di s app eared and th ere s eems no oth er

,

instance of the Holy Ghost in human form

b eing represented with the oli ve A dove .

b earing an olive twig could not b e an emblem

of th e Holy Ghost unl ess t he bird s h ead were ’

encircled wi th a halo .

But Christi an art us es th e anc ient symbol

o f p eace rep eatedly wh en illustr ating Christ s
’

life upon earth First we find th e angel G abriel

.

bringing to the Virgin a branch of oli ve as tok en

th at his message is of p eac e Sometimes h e is .

also crown ed with olive H e comes crown ed

.

with p eac e and the branch in hi s han d fore

,

sh adows the reconcili ation b etween God an d

man which is to come by the Child whose ad
vent h e announc es .

Th e olive branch took prec edenc e of th e lily

as th e symbol c arri ed by th e announcing angel .

Orl gl nated prob ably by Simon e M artini one of its ,

earli est inst anc es is in his Annunci ation now in

;

th e U fi z h In th e Florentin e school th e simple

stic k c arri ed by th e h erald angel evolved as we ,
1 18 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
h ave s n through
ee , th e fleur—d e—lys to th e
stem of
lili es In Siena it was th e meaning o f the wand
.
,

rather th an the wand itself whi ch was developed , .

Th e wand fsimply marked th at Gabri el was a

h erald ; th at it was a mess age of p eac e and
goodwill which he brought was shown by the
grey green leaves of the oli ve
-
As a symbol .

it was by no means of Simone M artini s own ’

findi ng for it was a very usual politic al symbol

,

o f th e d ay but h e s eems to h av e b een th e first

,

to h ave placed it in the angel Gabri el s h and and ’

the Sc hool of p ainting in Si ena whole h eartedly -

and faithfully adopt ed his devic e The general .

trend of Si enese symbolism was to direct devo

tion to th e incarnate Godh ead rath er th an t o
M ary of N azareth and it is of Him as th e bringer
, ,

o f p eac e on earth th at th e branch o f olive t ells

, ,

as els ewh ere th e white lily proclaims the

virginity of th e coming moth erhood .

Th en again on th at night when the angels

,

s ang of peace on earth and good will towards -

men
the meek eyed Peace
-

wn d with O li ve green came so ftly sli ding

’
She cro ,

Down through t ’
th e urnin g sphear .
1 20 a FLORAL SYMBOLISM
the h and of the Child wh en s eated on His moth er s ’

knee And th ere was still another reason H e

. .

h ad Hims elf s aid : I come not to bring peac e

upon earth but th e sword th erefore the earlier
, ,
’

and more literal artists refus ed Him th e symbol

of p eace even as divine p eace Th ere are

, .
,

however inst ances of the Christ Child with the

,
-

oli ve branch of which th e most impoirtant is

,

th e Holy F amily by Mantegn a Th e Christ ‘

.
,

a b eautiful an d dignified childish figure o f three

or four years old stands on a sort of p edestal
‘

with the little S aint J ohn He holds a branch .

of olive in His right h and upright like a sceptre , ,

and in th e oth er is th e cryst al orb which sym

b oliz es sovereignty S aint J os eph stands b ehind

.

and th e Virgin lays a ros ebud at h er Son s feet

’
.

Th e Bringer of Divine P eace was an asp ect

of th e incarnate Son of God on which Mantegna
laid emph asis In the Holy Family now in
.
,
’

Dresden painted about th e s ame p eriod th e

, ,

little Saint J ohn holds a branch of olive ( from

which two tiny side Sprays grow naturally in -

th e form of a cross ) as an attribut e of the

Holy Child .

Coll ti n L M n d Lond on
1 ec o . o , .
 THE OLIVE 1 21

Th e olive branch es of th e Entry into J eru

s alem like th e olives oi Gethsemane were only
,
’
,

accident ally allegorical The vill agers of th e

.

Mount of Olives cut down branch es ( presumably

olive branch es ) and strewed th em in the way .
’

With p alm branch es they would s alute any

popular leader and it is sc arcely to b e b elieved
,

that th ey definitely s elected th e olive and

palm with the full understanding o f the sym
b olism which the Christian Church attach es to
th em
‘

The olive branch es Si gni fy his o ffic e as

p eace bringer an d th e p alms his Vi ctory o ver
-

S at an .

Th ere is in the C at acombs a figure of th e

Virgi n M ary prayi ng b etween two olive trees .

H er n ame i s i nscrib ed above h er h ead Sh e i s .

standing with raised h ands in the early attitude

/

of prayer and these olive trees app arently sym

,

b oliz e the p eac e of God which p ass eth all

understandi ng ’
But after the twelfth century
.

th e Church h ad identifi ed the p ersonality of

th e Virgin with th e figure of Wisd om eulogiz ed
in Ecclesi asticus an d the olives which are some
,

Durand us , Rat Ofi
. .
, vi .
47 9
-
.
1 22 FLO RAL S Y MBOLISM
times found beside her refer to t he verse which
comp ares h er to
A fair o li v e tree i n a pleasant fi eld .

Bottic elli p ai nted a b eautiful Madonna o f the

Olives for the Church of S Spirito Vasari . .

writes of it : In S Spirito in Florenc e he has

.

painted a picture for the Chap el of the B ardi .

which is carefully executed and well finish ed ,

where th ere are some olives and p alms p ainted

with great love .
’ 2
In anoth er pi cture by Botti
celli angels hold above the Virgin s head a
3
’

lightly framed crown of gold which is decorated

-

with fresh Sprays of lily palm and olive ,

.

The most popular of modern Italian repre

sentations of the Virgin and Child is very j ustly

th at painted by Niccolb Barabino and entitled 4

Q u asi Oli va S p ec i osa i n C am /p i s Larg e .

’

’
branch es of olive painted also with great love
, ,

are placed about th e feet of the sweet fac ed -

Mother who p eeps through he r h eavy white

,

veil and th ey almost hide the fruit of tempta

,

tion which lies on the ground beneath .

E cl sia
c sti u s xxi v
e 4 c . 1 .

Li ves o f the Pai n ters .

Co rsi ni Gall er y , Fl o renc e .

Mo n z a .
M a rt i n Sch og n au er

G A BR I E L C RO W N E D W I TH O LIVE B R I N G S TH E M E SSA G E
O F RE C O N C I LAT IO N
T0 g ( Pit
r n R o o m A lt Pinak th l M u ni
, e o e f
, ch )
fa ce pa e 123 ]
 THE OLIVE 1 23

O ne p of
which fly round
.
the
t h e fntti
ee t
o f th e M adonn a in a Sp anish Immaculate Con
cep tion usuall y carries a branch of olive and ,

that too b ears the same meaning As an olive

, , .

tree in a pleasant field She brings p eace and con

solation to mankind She is th e M at er Con .

solatrix
’
.

Sodoma painted a stately figure of S aint

Victor with sword and palm and the}little
,
’
,

rose crowned child angel who supports his Shield

- -

holds above it a branch of olive symbol of the ,

peac e which to a Christian warrior sh ould b e

th e end of victory .

”
The same idea domin ates the J udith
;

of 2

Botticelli The Slayer of her country s enemy

.
’

returns thoughtfully home satisfied but not ,

exultant In h er right h a
nd is her Sword c arried
.
,

low ; upright in h er left a branch of olive

, , .

Though her deed was bloody Sh e h ad brought ,

peac e to the land .

Flemish art neglects the olive and exc ept in ,

th e drawings of M artin Sch ong auer whose ,

3

grave gentle Gabriels wear olive crowns it is ,

Seldom s een in Germany The reason is easy .

1 Pal az z o Pu b b lico Siena , .

3
Mu nich .
1 24 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
to guess The olive tree not growi ng i n the
.

North the p ainters would b e at a loss to find a

,

branch from which to draw and the p eople , ,

unacquainted with the leaf would sc arcely

‘

,
.

recognize its hidden message of peace In .

France it is s een less rarely On the s culptured .

portal of th e Cath edral o f Ami ens there is a

curious rend ering of the p arable of the Wise and
th e Foolish Virgins A with ered olive tree with
.
;
,

out fruit or leaves grows by the Side of the

,

foolish maidens and a h ealthy olive tree laden

, ,

with fruit an d ready with abundance of o il is ,

b eside those maidens who were wise .

But on the whole the olive is an Itali an and ,

more p articularly a Sienese symbol though , ,

Botticelli also loved the silvery leaves In .

his magnific ent Pallas taming th e Cent aur ,

p ainted for Lorenz o d e Medici to commemorate

’
,

his diplomatic vi ctory over the King of N aples

and th e Leagu e in 1 48 0 olive encircles th e h ead
,

o f th e lovely goddess an d is wreath ed about h er

dress The surface meaning of the picture is

.

that by th e arts of peace t aught them by the

,

b enefi cent goddess men w ere en abled to over

,

Privat ap a tm nts Pitt i Pala

e r e , ce .
 THO RNS

TH O RN S and thorn branch es signify in general ,

grief and tribulation the word tribulation itself ,

being derived from a Latin root Signifyi ng

thistles o r bri ars Bu t according to Saint.
,

Thomas Aquinas thorn bush es signify the ,

minor sins and growing bri ars or brambles

,

those greater ones quae pungunt conscientiam ,

p rp
o ria m ,
’
etc .

He is support ed in his opi ni on by S aint

Ans elm and both s aints expl ain in this s ens e
,

th e words o f Sain t P aul who wrot e to th e ,

Hebrews
Th at which beareth thorns and bri ars l s
r ej ected an d is nigh unto cursing whos e end is ,

to b e burned .
’

Th e crown o f thorns with which j esting

soldiers crowned the Christ was in itself an
embl em or at least a p arody o f an emp eror s
’

, ,

fest al ros e crown According to The H i story

-
.

1 26
 TH ORNS 1 27

f the C rown f Thorns f the H oly One the

’
o o o ,

first crown wi th which J esus Christ was c rowned

was mad e of white thorn and was removed
-

b efore th e Crucifixion and replac ed by a second

d e fanei s mari ni s
.

But in the great maj ority of sc enes from the

Passion the crown is merely formed of large thorns
without any attempt to realiz e any particular
natural growth In Germany wh ere Entomb
.
,

ments and Piet as were more often p ainted

than in other countri es the crown is frequently
,

green in allusion it is suggested to the words :

, , ,

If these things be done in the green wood wh at —

,

Shall b e done in th e dry !

In th ese pictures the c rown o f thorns if not ,

still upon the Saviour s h ead is usually plac ed

’
,

very prominently in the foreground marking ,

to some extent the divinity of th e dead Christ

for since life had fled there could b e no
, ,

h alo .

In North ern art the crown of thorns remains

alw ays unchanged the symbol of Christ s suffer
’
,

ings but in at least One Itali an Pieta the dry

, ,
2

prickles round the d ead Christ s brow h ave .

’

2
Mantegna , t Ve ona
B ell e Ar i , r ,
1 28 FLORAL SY MBOLISM
bloomed with delic ate whit e briar ros s afi -
e —

exquisite figure of Lo ve s triumph o ver Pain

’
.

Sometimes in p ath eti c forecast the Child

, ,

Christ h as the crown of thorns hung on His tiny

'

wrist or plays with it as with a toy and in a ,

very ch arming picture with less poignant and ,

2

more pleasing S ymb olism a waiting Child angel ,

O
-

stands by with a wreath of the blue sea holly -

.

In Spain the Christian faith was stern .

Faith and suffering were more closely alli ed

th an faith and j oy They had no j esters o f
.

th e Lord an d th eir s aints glorified God by s elf

’
,

inflicted p ain rath er than by acts of mercy .

~

So th eir Christ in childhood was not a smiling ,

unconscious bambi no but a sad fac ed child Whfi ,

-

/
’

wounds Hims elf with the rose twigs Whl fll H e

/

f
-

twists into a crown The rose thorn t ears H is

.
-

flesh but th e roses lie b eside Him and round

His feet for His gri efs and su fferings were the
,

outcome of His di vine love Both Zurb uran .

3

an d Alonzo C ano painted fine pictures on this

4

th eme .

Bot ti lli Pol di P

1 ce oli Coll ction Milan
, ez z e , .

Botti lli B o gh
2
ce Gall y R o m
, r ese er , e .

Mu o P ovin ial S vill

2
se r c , e e.

C oll ct io n of th Du h s b f Fif
’

e e c es e.
 TH O RN S 1 29

Th ere is a Coronation of th e Virgin by

H ans Burgk mair painted in 1 5 07 wh ere b e
,
x
,

neath a cross surmounted imperial crown Christ

-

wears the Crown of Thorns In several of the .

French fifteenth c entury mi ni atures of the

-

Trinity in Glory God the Son still wears the

,

Crown of Thorns but this combin ation of the

,

two crowns is rare It was however in reverent

.
, ,

remembrance of th e thorn crown ed King of -

th e J ews that th e Crus ader Godfrey d e Bouillon

, ,

twisted a thorn branch round his coronet wh en

-

h e was crowned King of J erus alem His bronz e .

statue wearing this double crown stands with

, ,

those of the oth er Christian kings guarding the

tomb o f Maxnmli an in Innsbruck Cath edral .

Among modern symboli sts Holman Hunt ,

h as us ed thorns with finest effect In his .

Light of the World the S aviour wears again

,

th e double crown th e thorns which symboliz e

,

His su ffen ngs intertwisted with the golden

crown of His divinity H e st ands with th e
.

lantern which is th e light of His Gosp el b efore

, ,

th e clos ed door o f th e hum an h eart a door all ,

overgro wn and blocked by the weeds and briars

R oyal Gall y Au gsb u g
‘

er , r .
r3 0 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
which are th e symbols of sin and things evil .

Th ere is the poisonous h emlock th e ivy whi ch ,

kills th e tree th at it embraces thorns denoting ,

th e l ess er sins an d th e brambles which are th e

,

emblems of th e great er ones According to .

Raban M aur th e bramble is also an emblem of

th e rich es which destroy th e soul .

"
In s everal modern pictures of The Good
Sheph erd Christ is depicted as rescuing a l amb
\

caught by its wool in the briars of the wil derness .

Th e lamb o f cours e is th e emblem of an erring

, ,

soul and th e bri ars repres ent those sins which

,

hold it back from answering th e Sh eph erd s ’

c all .

In conn ection with th e s aints th e Cro wn ,

of Thorns is not us ed symbolic all y exc ept when ,

placed upon th e h ead of S aint Cath arine of

Siena to indi cat e h er austeriti es Accordi ng
,
‘
.

to th e legend Christ in a vision offered h er a

,

crown of roses or a crown of thorns and sh e chose

the thorns When it is carried by S aint Louis
.

o f Franc e it is to rec all th e fact th at it was h e

who brought to France as her most precious ,

relic the Holy Crown its elf

,
.

Sas of ato Ch u h f S Sab in a R o m

1
s err , rc o .
, e
.
1 32 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
has no thorns for then it illustrates h er title
, ,

rosa si n e sp i n a
’
.

Th e Roman Brevi ary likens th e Virgin to

th e burning thorn bush in which J ehovah re
vealed Hims elf to Mos es an d th e simile was
cited by Bishop Proclus in a M ary sermon -

preached in th e fifth century Though en .

wrapp ed in th e all consuming flame of divine

'
-

love sh e yet remains unh armed It is onl y in

, .

G erm an art th at this simile h as b een pictorial

translated Germ an artists were familiar with
.

th e idea through Conr ad von Wii rtz b urg s

’

apostroph e to th e Virgi n

In the th o rn bush on the bare fi eld

Mo ses the hero of God
,

Saw in a glo w of bright fire

The b irt h of our Savi our fo reshado wed .

In th e blast of the flame

I t remain ed un altered
A s if n eith er leaf n or twig
Perceiv ed the death gi ving blaz e
-
.

In t hi s we may reco gni e z

The full magn ifi cence of thy maidenhoo d

“

And we fin d thi s burning Thorn Bush with the

Ivory Tower th e S ealed Fount ain the Fleece
, ,

Der Gold ene Schmi ed e

.
 THORNS 1 33

of Gideon oth er emblems of th e Virgin in

and ,

th e fi fteenth c entury r enderings of th e H artu s

-

Inclusu s and in th e b ackground of the ess enti ally

Germ an allegory of th e Inc arnation known as ,

th e Hunting of th e Unicorn Th ere are some

’
.

fine embroid eri es an d t ap estri es of th e fourt eenth

and fift eenth c enturi es in th e B av ari an N ation al
Mus eum } in which th e burning thorn bush ,

with th e oth er symbols of th e Virgin s purity ’

,

are work ed wi th most c ar eful det ail .

Th e burning bush not p articul arly a thorn

,

bush but th e bush of our Authoriz ed Version

, ,

is now the chosen emblem of th e Church of

S c otland .

There were n eith er thorns nor thistles in

Eden It was not till th e d ay wh en Adam fell
.

th at God laid a curse upon the ground Thorns

also and thistles sh all it bring forth to th ee
’
.

Th erefore thorns an d thistles are in gen eral the

symbols o f sin and death . A little German
woodcut expresses etern al death with gruesome
completeness : a skull with th e apple of damn a
,
~

tion between its bare j aws h as round its brow

,

a wreath of twist ed thorns .

M u ni ch .
 THE PALM

TH E Rom ans took p alms for th eir s b ol of

Victory There is a s arcoph agus in th e Vatican
.

on which 18 c arved a Roman conqueror with

captive barbari ans kneeling b efore him and the ,

winged Victory who crowns him with l aurel

holds a p alm in h er left h and .

Simon M acc abees after h e h ad taken th e

!

Tower of J erus alem entered it with th anks ,

giving and branches o f palm trees and with

,

h arps . And the seers of Scripture saw p al ms

’ I

in h eaven : A great mul titude which no man ,

could number of all n ations and kindreds and

, ,

people and tongues stood before th e throne

, ,

an d b efore the Lamb cloth ed with white rob es ,

and p al ms in th eir h ands Thes e b e th ey .

that h ave put off th e mortal clothing and put

on th e 1mmort al and h ave confessed the n ame
,

1 M ac cab ees x iii .

51 . l t on
R ev e a i v ii .
1 36 FLORAL S Y MBOLI SM
th e rule of J uli an th e Apostate kneeling with ,

eyes bound and hands ti ed b ehind th eir b acks .

This may b e considered as the first representa

tion of a martyrdom .

Sixtus III ( 43 2 as is shown by the in

scription which is read above th e princip al door
of S ant a M ari a M aggiore h ad had th e instru ,

ments of th eir martyrdom p ainted onl yb eneath

th e feet of th e m artyrs .

Ecce tui testes uteri sibi pro emi a portant

Sub p ed ib u squ e jacet p assi o cu i qu e su a .

Ferrum flamma ferae fluvius saevumque venenum

, , , ,

T o t tamen has mortes una corona manet

’
2
.

Thus in th e fourth century there were representa

tions of martyrdoms and in th e fifth c entury,

single figures of the martyrs more or less idealiz ed ,

but th ey app arently c arri ed th e crown of victory ,

th e crown of th eir high c alling not th e p alm

’
.
,

But though the crown was generall y used the ,

palm of th e primitive Christian Church was not

forgotten for as Cassiodorus writing at th e
, , ,

b eginni ng of th e sixth c entury points out it , ,

was palms which l n th e eyes of th e people

, ,

indic ated those strong athletes who were vic

A V nturi St md ll A t Itali an a
’
. e , or e re .
 THE PALM 1 37

torious, and advocates th eir u se as a religious

symbol .

P alms at this period s eem to have been used

as an emblem of th e public games th ems elves .

On the consular di ptych es th e double t ablets

,

of ivory which a consul had c arved to com

m emorate his entry into offi ce it was customary
,

to put palms beneath the figure of the consul ,

among th e b ags of money an d oth er obj ects th at

were supposed to represent the b enefits which
would accrue to the popul ace beneath his rule .

It was prob ably this s ecul ar use o f the p alm

which excluded it from th e symbolism of th e
Church d uring the early centuri es for it is palm
‘

trees not p alm branch es which are found in

th e early mos aics not ably those of S Apollinare
, .

Nuova in Ravenna wh ere palm trees alternate

~

with the figures round th e fri ez e and p alm trees

, ,

according to St Ambrose w ere n ot the symbol

,

o f victory but th e emblem of the righteous

man for its roots are upon the earth but its
,
‘

h ead is lifted towards th e h eavens .

’

But by the thirteenth c entury the public

games had dropp ed from It ali an soci al life and ,

religious art reverted once more to the palm

1 38 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
branch of th e c at acombs as th e symbol of
a m artyr s triumph over d eath
’
Durand us .
,

writing ab out the year 1 2 86 uni tes the di fferent ,

renderings of the palm s signific anc e H e says ’

.

Martyrs are p ainted with the instruments

o f their torture and sometimes with palms ,

which signify Victory according to th at s aying ,

Th e ri ghteous sh all flourish like a p alm

tree ; as a p al m tree flouri sh es so his memory ,

”
shall b e preserved 1 .
‘

After th e Renaissanc e martyrs were very

generally depicted with p alms eith er in place ,

o f or in addition to
, th e instrum ents of th eir
,

martyrdom Th ey vari ed in size and sh ape

.
,

from th e tiny closed p alm no longer th an a

human h and used by Cimabue to the magni
, ,
’

ficent p ed estal o f p alm branch es on which Car

’

p acc io h as se t his S aint Ursul a in Glory .

3

S aint Christopher the gi ant s aint in considera t

, ,
-

tion of his siz e was always allowed a whole

,

p alm tree as his staff but a whole p alm tree or , ,

th e tini est scrap o f its foli ag e c arri ed ex actly ,

th e s ame meaning .

Th e p alm is also given occ asionally to s everal

S C cili a U ffi i A ad mia V ni 3
R at Ofi
. . . e , z . cc e , e ce .
1 40 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
of laurel in th e fi ne allegoric al picture of
his Entry into P aris after th e B attle of
Ivry .

In a hymn of S aint Augustine J esus Chri st ,

is designated the P alma b ellatorh m but ,

’
,

p erh aps by reason of its p agan origin and also ,

b ecause it has never b een exclusively a religious

symbol Christ as th e conqu eror of sin and death
,

is seldom depicted with th e palm of victory .

In a few devotional Crucifixi ons p alms are

’
placed crossways above th e S aviour s h ead and ,

very rarely it is s een in th e h and of the n ewly

risen Christ H e almost invari ably c arri es in
.

stead the b anner of th e Resurrection with a

sc arlet cross upon a white ground In one of .

th e rare repres ent ations wh ere H e holds a 2

p alm H e holds also th e banner in His oth er

h and an d it is striking h ow th e adding of th e
,

lesser symbol to th e greater an error th e early ,

masters c arefully avoided detracts from the ,

digni ty of the figure .

In th e four c anonic al gospels p alms as a ,

symbol are onl y mentioned once th e occ asio n ,

being th e entry of J esus Christ ri di ng lowly

1
R b ns U m i
u e Pi o d l l a F an
, z . a U ffi i
er e r cesc , z ,
 TH E PALM 1 41

upon an ass into J erusalem b efore the feast of

th e Passover .

Th ey took branch es of p alm trees and

went forth to meet Him and cried Hosanna !
,

It was a respect p aid to a reigning sovereign

and would support th e accus ation o f th e J ews

th at H e sought to make Himself a king .

The entry into J erusalem is not an incident

in th e life of Christ which is used for devotion al
contemplation though it occurred usually in
,

th e s eri es of sc enes from th e life of Christ which

were frequent in pre Renaissance art executed
-

l n c arv ed wood ivory an d m arble ; an d in th e

,

h ands of the villagers of th e Mount of O li ves th e

palms signi fied of course simply triumph for
, , ,

th ey had not yet gain ed the full Christi an mean

i ng of victory through th e Cross .

In representations of the entry of Christ into

J erus alem th e palms are merely a historic al
,

det ail but it is a true symbol in defiance of

, ,

th e prob able fact wh en th e S aviour Hims elf

,

is represented c arrying the palm as in th e ,

Bi bli a Paupemm of 1 440 It is then purely

‘
l
1
.

a symbol of His triumph over sin and death

‘

.
 1 42 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
In thi s s ame edi tion o f th e Bi bli a Paupem m
th e p alm is also strangely enough plac ed in
, ,

th e h and o f Christ in th e Ecce Homo ; th e reed

in His ri ght h and set th ere in mockery changed ,

to th e V ictor s p al m ’
.

Occasionall y th e p alm is given to th e angel

Gabriel wh en h e comes from H eaven to ann ounce
th e Saviour s approaching birth is
’
Av e .

hi s salutation to th e Virgin an d in Rom an ,

fashi on as in salutation to a queen h e kneels

, ,

with a lifted p alm .

Spmello Aretino p aints Gabri el wi th th e

p alm In his Annunci ation at Arezzo th e
.
I

angel is first seen above flyi ng with th e p alm

,

from be fore God s throne B elow h e kn eels

’
.
,

th e p alm in hi s h and before th e Virgin

, Am .

brogi o Lorenz etti an d oth ers follow th e s ame

2

tradition but th e palm was soon superseded

,

in Si ena by th e Olive an d elsewhere by th e lil y ,

which was adopted by p ainters of all n ati ons as

th e flower of th e An nunci ation .

Th e Legend a A m en of J acobus d e Voragine

gives an account of th e death and burial of the
Virgin Th e legend is said to b e an invention
.
1 44 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
th e Evangelist appears at her b edside c arrying
,

th e p alm Northern art was almost entirely

.

uninflu enced by th e d et ails given by J acobus

d e Voragin e of th e Virgin s death and burial

’

and though in Germ any Th e D eath of th e

Virgin is a very favourite subj ect the p alm is ,

never introduced S aint J ohn frequently h ow

.
,

ever ,
holds a lighted tap er and some form of ,

t h e st arry p alm tradition may h ave drift ed

northwards for th e master of th e Sterzing Altar
,
2

paints a cluster of st ar sh ap ed flowers in the -

hand of S aint J ohn who b ends over the inani

,

mate form of th e Virgin .

H er body was c arri ed by divin e command

to th e valley of J ehosh aph at and J ohn bare ,

’
th e p alm branch in front o f it .

This scene too b elongs to It alian art and

, , ,

usually makes a beauti ful processional group .

S aint J ohn with the privilege of a son walks

, ,

b efore the bi er Duccio di Bu oni nsegna p aints

.
2

him with th e closed narrow palm of a martyr .

In th e ch arming little long sh ap ed picture by -

Era Angelico th e palm h as its fan sh ap ed

3 -

1
ter ing
S z , t
R a h au s . Op era d el Du omo , Si ena
.
 THE PALM 1 45

leaves spread wide and it shines as if it were o f

gold .

In th e Immaculate Conception of the

Spanish school one of th e attendant puttz usually
’

c arries a p alm This may b e th e p alm of vic

.

tory over sin and death or following anoth er , ,

authority it may b e a symbol of the Immaculate

,

Conc eption since it b ears fruit at the same

,

moment at which it flowers .

2

According to Dr Anselm S alz er O S E , . .

The palm wh en referring to M ary is a figure

, ,

of h er victory over th e world and its t em t ations

p ,

of h er everlasting virtue of h er sovereignty ,

in h eaven of the protection th at she o ffers to

,

mankind of her triumph ant moth erhood and

,

of th e b eauty of h er soul .

1
W Menz el Sy mbolz k
’

.
, .

Di e Sz nn é z lder and Bez worte M arz ens

’ ’
2
’

d er deutsclzen
'

in f

Lz tem tu r zw a l atez mscfi en Hymnmf w

'

esz e d es M z ttelalters
'
’ ' ' ’ '

.
 THE ACANTHUS

ONE plant the ac anthus which was very much

, ,

used by pre Renaissanc e artists seems to h ave

-

dropp ed later from th e flora of symbolism

Paradise was embowered according to S aint ,

P auli no d a Nola in florifem caeleste nemu s

’

p a rad i,
si an d curving br anch es of ac anthus i n

d icate H eaven in th e mos aics of th e Baptistery ,

o f R avenn a an d in th e aps e of St J ohn L ateran .

Th e Trees of J ess e an d th e Trees of Life in early

art are al so founded on th e ac anthus with vari

ou s symbolic al d et ails nich ed in th e branch es .

It surrounds th e Coronation an d fills the sp ace

abov e th e h eads o f th e s aints in th e larg e c entral
mosaic of S M aria M aggiore an d of the fi ne
.
’

mos ai c in S Clemente
. Venturi writes o f th e
.
2

latter
From the plant wh enc e ris es the Cross
, ,

spri ng two green boughs which wreath over all

R o me .
 THE ACANTHUS 1 47

the abside nclosing with th eir spirals birds

, e ,

flowers and saints to give th e idea of th e garden

of felicity In such a way in th e Dugento at
.
, ,

th e dist anc e of so m any c enturi es th e v ers es ,

of St P aulino d a N ola are illustrated onc e

’
more .

But after th e thirteenth century ac anthus

plants of vast proportions were no longer us ed
to symboliz e th e gard ens o f H eaven H eaven .

b ec ame a natural p ark like plac e with frui t

-

trees and flower grown grass exc ept for its

-

inh abit ants di ffering little from any pri ncely

,

garden The plant was still used as th e motive

.

of much d ecoration ecclesi astical and s ecular

, ,

but it was no longer s een in connection with

devotional subj ects as the repres entative plant
o f H eaven .
 X III
\
THE FLEUR DE LYS - -

A MON G symbolical flowers of art the golden

th e ,

fleurs d e lys o f Franc e hold a high position

- -
.

were th e arms of th e King of France ,

th e eldest son o f th e Church th ey were

born e by S aint Loui s th e royal s aint and are
, ,

typic al of Christian royalty Till th e reign of .

H enry VIII th ey appeared upon th e royal

banner of England Th eir origin however in
.
, ,

spite of latter d ay legends was non Christi an

-

,
-

n or are th ey distinctively li lies Th e learn ed .

M d e B eaumont who has made a special study

.
,
'

o f th e origins o f th e fleur d e lys or fleur d e lis

- -

,
- -

as h e prefers t o sp ell it h as thus summ ed up

,

his researches
1. Armori al b earings did not commenc e in
Franc e till after th e first Crusade .

2. It was in imitation of the Arabs and

P ersians th at chivalry tourneys and co ats of
,
a

arms were adopt ed in Europ e and Fr anc e .

148
1 50 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
Christi an symbol It was not till th en th at the
.

h eraldi c writers th e greater p art of whom he

,

longed to the Church forced th ems elves to ,

recogni z e in the h eraldic fleur d e lys th e form - -

of th e lilium even though in place of b eing

, ,

or upon az nr an d h aving three p etals it ought ,

in th at c ase to h ave fi v e p etals an d app ear in

urgent}

T hemonkish h eralds found a very elaborate

symbolism in the royal shield of Franc e The .

lil i es were of gold not silver b ec aus e in h eraldry

, ,

gold signi fies th e four kingly virtues nobili ty , ,

goodwill ch arity and magnanimity

, .

They are three in numb er b ec ause this

numb er is complete as is th e Holy Trinity .

Al so th e c entre one signifi es th e Christian faith

, ,

th at on th e right th e clergy th at on the left ,

th e army Th ere was no end to th e hidden

.

m eani ngs .

Enfin concludes C arlo Degrassal io o f Car

enrs d e Zis
'
’
c assonn e, ces tz oz s fl — — d or sont snr n n

meme qn e Di en Ze
'

d
’
eon d az ur, parce n
q ,e e , roz

d es 7 013 , la p u i ssance d es p ui ssances ,

1 en
0 qu elqu e

m
’
Zorgz ne d u Blaz on
'

parti cu her l a F leur

'

R echerches s '
et en
'

d e Lz s
-
.
 THE FLEUR DE LYS - -
1 51

sorte p our eon le blen firmament p lendi ssant

,
res

meme le roz d e F rance fils az né

’
’ ‘
d astres d le
’
or a ,

d l i d
'

d e l Eglz se p arle p our la p lus

’
, gran e g o re n

C hri st l ecn le p lus noble leqnel les his

’

, ,
eon su r

mme les
'

astres sur nn cl el serern

’ 2
d bri llent
’
or co .

Tradition s ays th at th e first app earanc e of

the fleur d e lys upon this earth was at the
- -

b aptism of King Clovis King Clovis was .

m arried to Clotilda a Christi an Princess of ,

Burgundy and h er prayers h aving obt ained the

,

victory for France at a critic al moment h e in ,

gratitude b ec ame a Christi an also On th e .

occ asion o f his bapti sm by S aint Rémi an

angel pres ent ed him with three h eavenly
lilies .

In th e B edford Miss al presented to Henry ,

2

VI wh en he was crowned King o f Franc e th e ,

legend is ill ustrated in mini ature The angel is

shown recei ving the three lilies l n H eaven H e .

descends to earth and c arries th em to S aint

Rémi who reverently receives th em in a n apkin
and g1ves th em to Queen Clotilda Lower down .

in th e picture Clotilda pres ents th e emblazoned

R agali u m F ran ci ae, Lib r o du o , 1 54 5 .
a
In p o o
ssessi n of Sir J o . T b in .
1 52 FLORAL S YMB O LISM
s hield b earing the three fleurs d e lys to her - -

hus band This legend might seem disproved

.

by th e decoration of fleurs d e lys which was

— -

already upon th e great braz en bowl now in the

Louvre known as the Font of King Clovis h ad

, ,

not recent archaeologi c al investigation discovered

the origin o f the bowl to b e neith er Frankish n or
Christi an and th e fleurs d e lys prove merely th at
,
- -

th e vess el was d esigned for royal u se .

h
T e confusion of th e fl eur d e lys with th e lily
— -

of H eaven and th e flow er of the Virgin gave it a

s emi religious value which excused its intrusi on
-

into th e decoration of church es and church fur

ni ture Sometimes it was used entirely h eral
.

dically as th e indic ation o f th e giver of a gift

,
.

It is used heraldically upon th e silver shrine of

S aint Simeon at Zara th e gift of Loui s th e Great
,

an d his wif e Eliz ab eth wh ere th e fleur d e lys

,
—
,
-

of th e coat o f arms is rep eated throughout the

entire decoration Heraldicall y yet with some

.
,

sense of the right placing of the flower whi ch

embl emiz es purity were th e fleu s d e lys em
,
r — -

broidered with th e word ani or upon the tiny shoes

o f th e V i rgi n d e los R eyes Th e figure which is .
,

still in S eville Cath edral was a gift from S aint ,

1 54 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
tin in th e town of th at n ame fleurs d e lys form
, ,
- -

th e c entre o f el aborat e trac ery and in th e rood ,

loft o f the M adeleine at Troyes a very b eautiful

crowned fl eur d e lys fill s th e panels of th e sur
- -

moun ting b al ustrade .

In th e p anel designed for th e tomb of Edward

’

VI by Torregi ano ,and now forming part of th e

alt ar abov e H enry V II s tomb th e ro s
’
e an d th e ,

lily meet in a ch arming Ren aissance decoration ,

an d th e link b etween th e h er aldic and th e

symbolic al s eems to b e supplied for th e p ersonal ,

b adges of th e king the Tudor ros e an d th e fleur ,

d e lys are woven togeth er in flowing lin es till

-

, , ,

losing h eraldi c sti ffness and p erson al applic ation ,

th ey b ecome th e Rose of Love and th e Lily o f

Purity a fit d ecoration for th e al t ar o f God
,
.

But it was not in France an d England only

th at th e fleur d e lys was used as a symbol of
- -

royalty In a Greek mini ature of the tenth

.

c entury fleurs d e lys are sc attered over th e

2 - -

mantle of King David and Did ron mentions ,

th at h e saw a fleur d e lys ornamentation of the

— —

thi rteenth century in th e Church o f H ecatompyli .

2
l
Psa teri u m cu m Fi guri s, Bib . N ati o n al .
 THE FLEUR DE LYS — -
1 55

Th e mini ature was o f cours e p aint ed before th e , ,

lili es h ad appeared on th e royal b anner of Franc e ,

and th e d ecoration at H ec at ompyli would b e

drawn from E astern sourc es .

Th e most noble u se o f th e fleur d e lys is t o - -

express th e m aj esty o f God Flori at ed crowns .

as a symbol o f Divine m ajesty were common in

French Flemish an d Germ an art but are

, ,

s eldom seen in Ital y Most usually it is God th e .

Fath er o nl y wh o is so di stinguish ed In a .

French mini ature of th e end of th e fourteenth

c entury wh ere th e three p ersons are repre
,
2

sented under human form God th e Fath er ,

wears the floriated crown th e other persons th e ,

cruciform halo In a stained glass window with .

,

th e figur e o f God th e Fath er holding th e Cruci

fi x H e wears a ti ara of fi v e ti ers each decorated
,
2
,

with th e fleur d e lys

— -
.

M emling and his school p ainting for th e ,

Court o f Burgundy h eld to th e French tradi ,

tions and God the Fath er in the Coron ation

,

o n th e shrin e o f St Ursul a Go d th e Son in th e ,

Christ surrounded by Angels in Antwerp ,

1
oman d T oi
R es
'

r s Pé lerinages, Bib . S Gene i e

. v v e .

St M a tin in Vign r es, oy

Tr es.
1 56 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
and th e Virgin on th e wings ( outer ) of th e Last
J udgment at D anzig all wear crowns orn a ,

mented with fleurs d e lys - -

.

In German art th ere are few er crowns b ear

ing th e fleur d e lys the crowns of both the Deity
- -

an d th e Virgin h aving usually th e arch ed im

‘

p eri al form But very frequently towards the

.

en d o f th e fi fteenth c entury th e r ays o f light

’

which in It ali an art make a cruciform b ar across

th e halo of th e S aviour in G ermany t ak e t h e ,

form of fl eurs d e lys Th ey are p articul arly

— -
.

notic eable in Th e Virgin and S aint Anne with

th e Child of H ans Fri es and in a rath er more ‘

m
,

el aborat e for l n th e work of Wol emu t

2

g .

Th ere are two s aints who h ave always h ad the

right to wear th e royal lili es of France .

Th ey are S aint Louis of France in his li fe ,

time Louis I X an d his grand neph ew Louis

,
-

Bishop of Toulouse .

King Louis th e s aintly soldi er wh o brought

,

to France th e Crown o f Thorns and to ,

enshrin e it built th e S ainte Ch ap elle died

, ,

in Crus ade b efore th e w alls of Tunis in 1 2 70 .

1
German isch es M u seu m, Nuremb u g r .

2
Scenes fro m th e Passi on Alt Pinak o th
, e ek , M u ni ch .
 1 58 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
Coell o wh ere S aint Loui s is placed opposite to
,

S aint Eliz abeth of Hungary who holds a basket ,

o f ros es an d this grouping o f th e two royal saints

,

is often found St Eliz abeth was c anonized.

~

before St Lou is was born but th ey are well ,

‘

matched l n pi ety both of noble birth both , ,

dying in the flower of th eir age and both d e ,

g en !

voted to th eir p eople s welfare Thereis a very ’

.

p
1 int eresting figure of Saint Louis
} int ell ectu al , ,
3

earn est an d strong in th e M ari age M ysti qne ,

2

o f J ean Perré al .

S aint Louis of Toulouse was th e grandson of

Ch arles of Anj ou who was suz erain of Florence , ,

for ten years P erugi a chos e him as h er p atron

.

s aint an d in Florence h e was p atron of the

,
“

P arte Guelfa H e is easily recogniz ed by his .

mitre and th e fleu rs d e lys upon his cope - -

.

There is a st atue of him by Don atello at

S ant a Cro ce and pictures els ewh ere by Bonfigli
‘

, ,

Simone M artini Moretto an d Cosimo Rosselli , .

Perh aps th e most symp ath etic an d indi

vidual portrait of him is th at of B artolommeo
V iv arini H e c arn es book and crozier and his
.
2

youthful face is very sweet and earnest though ,

Lou vr U ffi i Fl
2
e . n z , ore ce.
 TH E FLEUR DE - -
LY s 1 59

it h as the set lips of the tru e churchman Th e .

cop e is bordered with a large design o f fleurs d e -

lys .

Both th ese saints wear the fleu r d e lys to - -

m ark th at th ey are memb ers of the Royal House

of Franc e Th e purity which th e lily symb o
.

liz es wh en regarded as the flower of th e Virgin

is a secondary signific anc e N ow anoth er holy .

on e h as j oin ed th em who also though o f lowly , ,

birth bore th e golden lili es But for h er th ey

,
.

were th e true li li es of m aidenhood th eir form ,

m erely showing th at th e right to c arry th em

on her banner was th e gift of a French
king .

With awreath wo ven by no mortal h and sh all

sh e ( J eann e d Arc ) at Reims engarland h appily
’

_ th e g ardener of th e Lily nam ed Ch arles son o f , ,

Ch arles proph esi ed Engé lind e th e Hungari an

’
‘

, ,

s eer and at th e fulfil ment Ch arles was not un

,

grateful Since a woman c annot h eraldic ally

.

bear arms h e granted to th ebroth ers of th e maid

,

th e right to wear two of th e royal lili es on th eir

shield Th e blazon was d az ur 42 la couronn e
.
’

i
’ ’
d d d é
’
royale
’

fi t t
’
or sou tenu e a
u n e e ee rge n cr o s e e

d l l d fl d li
’ '

ponnn etee or en pa co
,
toyee a e eu x en rs e s - -
1 60 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
d
’
or Th ey were given at th e same time
.
.

( D ec emb e r 1 4 9)
2 th e surn am e o f ( h i li s .

Th e sword h as th e blade orn amented with

fi v e fleu rs d e lys and is app arently th e famous
- -

on e un earth ed in th e Church of St Catharin e at

Fierbois decked with fi v e flower d e luc es on

,
- -

each sid e But in th e least doubtful of the

.

many contemporary portraits of the Mai d ( those .

in the collection of M George Spetz ) th e fleurs .

d e lys d o not app ear

-
When questioned at h er .

tri al as to any sup ernatural power h eld by her

sword she declared : It was a rusty sword in
,

the earth with fi ve crosses on it an d I kn ew it

, ,

through my voices .
2

The cl ergy of th e Church O f St Cath arine ,

however after finding th e sword by J eanne s

,
’

directions h ad h ad a scabb ard made for it of

,

crimson velvet embroidered with fleurs d e lys ,

- -

in gold and legend supported by h eral dry seems

,

t o h ave substitut ed th e fleurs d e lys of th e - -

sc abbard for the fi v e crosses of th e blade .

Th e d evic e upon th e b anner was dictated to

h er by h er p atron s aints M argaret an d Cath arine ,
.

1
First p art of Ki ng H enry V I , A ct I . sc . ii .

2
T ri al of J e anne
’
d A rc , 14 3 1 .
 THE LILY OF THE ANNUNCIATI ON

T H ERE is one incident i n the life of the Virgin

M ary which is p articularly associ at ed with
lili es It is the Annunci ation
. .

Th e Annunci ation was not often depicted

b efore the twelfth century though there are ,

inst ances of it on some early ivories on a sar ,

c oph agus at Ravenn a of th e fifth c entury in ,

th e famous sixth c entury Syri an MS of the .

Laurentian Library and among the mos aics

,
2

o f S ant a M ari a M aggi ore During th e twelfth

.
2

and thirt eenth c enturies whil e th e vener ation

,

o f th e Virgin within th e C atholic Church st eadily

grew greater th e story of her life as ap art from

, ,

th at of her Divine Son appeared in sculpture

,

and st ained gl ass but still th e Annunci ation

,

was a comp aratively rare subj ect and simply

treated Early in the fourteenth century ,

however a whole flight of announcing angels

,

1
Flo n ce
re . R om e.
TH E LILY OF TH E ANNUNCIATION 1 63

s ettled down over It aly some drifting as far

,

north as Holland We find them kneeling

.
,

standing j ust alighting often with the wind o f

, ,

swift movement still in th eir garments and almost

alw ays on th e left h and o f th e picture with the ,

Virgin in the place of honour on theright The .

Annunci ation th e announcing of the near ap

,
'

proach of the dayspring from on high which ,

’

was to bring light and j oy and freedom to a world

groping in the twili ght of an imp erfect revelation ,

was an incident which p articularly app ealed to

minds rej oici ng in the intellectual lib eration
o f th e R en aissanc e It app ealed too to the -

.
, ,

j oyous nature of the Florentines who h ated the ,

sad an d tragic asp ects of life loving fresh an d

,

spring like things and rather elaborate sim

-

p lic i ty Pictur
. es of t h e Annunci atio n mu lti
plied p articularly l n Florence whic h was j ust
, ,

th en evolving the school which was to 1nfluence

so powerfully th e Western world s pictori al con ’

c ep tions of th e divin e myst eri es And in the

“

great m aj ority of Annunci ations we find lilies ,

for in this incident of the Virgin s life above all ’

oth ers it was nec essary to emph asi z e the puri ty

which made the wonder of the angel s salutation ’
.
1 64 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
Th e most ch aracteristic treatment of th e lily ,

as th e lily o f th e Annunci ation was to plac e it in ,

a pot or vas e About th e year 1 2 9 1 Cavalli ni

.
, ,

th e mosal cl st was in Rome decorating the

,

Church of S M ari a in Trastevere and b eneath

"

.
,

th e great c entre m os aic of t h e apse h e plac ed a

s eries of scenes from th e life of th e Virgin In .

th e Annunci ation th e Virgin is s eat ed on a

marble throne which h as bro ad t able like arms
, ,
-
.

On on e arm th ere is a di sh app arently of fruit , ,

an d on th e oth er a v as e fill ed with lili es The .

vas e may or may not h ave been placed th ere

definitely as a symbol but as a detail in vulgar,
—

English phraseology it c aught on We find

— .

it on th e famous c arved c andlestick of G aet a ,

2

worked by an unknown contemporary of Ni ccola

d Apuli a
’
It app ears on an embroidered book
.

cover of Engli sh work attributed to the end of 2

th e thirt eenth c entury an d is cleverly squ ar ed

,

out o f th e ch equered b ackground of a N eth er

lan di sh music book o f 1 3 3 0
- 3
.

Th e vas e of lili es soon b ec ame a m or e or

less elaborate det ail in numerous illumin ations ,

1 At G aeta . t
Bri i sh M u seu m .

S o th
u Kensington Mu seu m .
1 66 FLORAL S Y MBO LISM
military order which was La Terraz a ,
th e ,

v ase th e pot of li li es of the Virgin

,
’
.
2

Th e symbol o f th e vas e h ad come to th e

N eth erlands and G erm any while th ey were still
pictori ally in articul ate ; but wh en th ey at length
found means o f expression th e G erm ans slowly , ,

th e Flemings in a splendid burst with th e v an

.

Eycks it was th eir earli est and th eir fav ourite

,

symbol M emling plac es it also b eside his en

.

throned M adonnas an d it is n ever omitted from ,

an Annunci ation exc ept on th e occ asions com ,

p arativ ely r ar e in t h e North wh en G abri el holds ,

a branch o f lili es in his h and i nst ead of th e

h erald s w and Th en th ere is no vase for th ere

’
.
,

is no n ec essity to rep eat th e symbol .

But in It aly itself th e vas e o f lili es though ,

popular was never consi d ered ess ential N O

, .

vase decorates th e loggi as wh ere sit th e Virgins

of Giotto Botticelli Meloz z o d a Forli or
,
2
,
3
,
4

Leonardo da Vinci though Giotto introduc es ,

5

it with identical symbolism in th e Visit ation .

Indeed many of th e most typic al p ainters of

1
Spani sh H and book , firs t edi ti on .

o
L wer Ch h A u rc , ssl Sl .

Pan th o n R om e , e.
TH E LILY OF TH E ANNUNCIATION 1 67

bo th the early and the high Renaiss anc e Taddeo ,

di B artolo Spinello Aretino Fra Angelico

,
2
,
2
,
3

Lorenzo di Credi and R aph ael } b anish lilies 4

entirely both from th e v as e and from th e ang el s

’

h and Ghirlandaio plac es a vase b eside the

.

Virgin s reading d esk but alters its significanc e

’
-

by filling it with roses d aisi es and j asmine th e , ,

flowers of lov e innoc ence and di vin e hop e

l

, .
6

On the oth er h and some of th e Florentine ,

artists wh o h ad a sp ecial fondness for th e fl ower ,

not ably Fra Filippo Lippi and th e D ella Rob ,

7

bi as use both so doubling th e symbolism; but

8
, ,

it was m ore correct wh ere th ere was a v ase o f ,

lili es to show th e angel with folded h ands or with

,

a branch of Olive or as in th e b eautiful Annun , ,

ciation o f Jan v an Eyck at St P etersburg hold ,

ing the herald s wand In Jan van Eyck s ’

.
’

Annunciation at B erlin wh ere Gabriel c arries a ,

magnific ent bunch of lili es th ere is no vase , .

Accordi ng to North ern tradition th e true

Annunci ati on lily should h ave no st amens but ,

this was a refinement of symbolism largely

1
B ll Arti Sien a
e e , SS An nu n i ata Ar
. o . z , ez z .

2
Mu s o d i 8 M a o Flo nce
e U fii i Flo n
. rc ,
re . z ,
re ce .

Vati an R m c , Cath dral S Giminiano

o e . e , . .

7
N ati onal Gall ry Sp d al d gli I nno nti Flo nc
e .
8
e e e ce , re e .
1 68 FLORAL SYMBOLI SM
ignored by artists who w ere discouraged prob ,
-1

ably by th e insipid app earanc e o f th e flower wh en

deprived of its gold dusted centre In Italy it -

was entirely neglected but some p ainters of the ,

sixteenth c entury h ave placed a tiny fl ame in the

’

centre Of each lily cup a burning flame accord -

ing to Vasari signi fying etern al love ,

2
.

Th ere seems to h ave been sometimes a doubt

‘

in the minds of th e North ern artists as to which

was reall y th e M adonna s flower th e li li mn
’
,

ca ndi d u m or th e iris which so clos ely res embled ,

in form th e golden lili es on th e royal shields of

France an d England .

M emli ng who h ad p aint ed th e fleur d e lys

,
— -

h eraldically for th e Duke of Burgundy seemed .

,
2

unable to decide an d in the vase of the Annun ,

ciat ion as well as in th e v as e which s t ands b e

,
3

side th e enthroned M adonna h e h as plac ed an ,

4
’

iris among th e white lili es Or possi bly with a .

,

deep er symbolism taking the iris as th e fleur ,

d e lys the anci ent symbol of royalty which

-

, , ,

with its three united petals rec alls also the ,

Li v
1
f th Pai n t
es o Titi an e ers, .

Dip ty h f J ann d B u b on M u é Cond e Ch antilly

1
c o e e e o r , s e , .

Coll tion f Prin U R ad iwill B li n

2
ec o ce . z , er .

R oyal Gall y B l in er , er .
Pm tu ri cc h z o
P oo m i
h t Al ar
-

TH E RO SE O F D I V I N E L O V E R I SI N G F RO M A P RE C I O U S V E SSE L
( Bo g A
r ia tm t V i )
p ar en , at c an

Pese l lo
P o o Al
h t i n a ri

T H E RO Y A L LI L Y SP R I NG I N G F RO M A H U M BL E V A SE
(S S . t o F lo )
p i ri ,
re n c e
THE LILY OF THE ANNUNCIATION 1 69

nature o f th e Holy Trinity h e has striven to

,

int erpret florally the mess age of the angel th at ,

God inc arn ate would spring from a lily like vir -

g in ity . It m ay not b e without d esign th at th e

iris in the Annunci ation is oversh adowed by th e

lilies while in th e picture wh ere th e Holy Child
,

sits upon His Moth er s lap the iris in th e vase

’

( in this c as e m ark ed with th e s acr ed mono

gram ) h as sprung upwards b eyond th e white
lilies.

In the Church of S Spirito in Florenc e th ere

.

is an alt ar pi ece O f th e Annunci ation which

-

was at one time attribut ed to Bottic elli an d

is n ow usually ascrib ed t o Pesello Th e vas e
.
,

plac ed midway b etween th e two figures holds ,

three purple irises Perh aps th e artist saw a

.

s ymbol of the Holy Trinity in th e three roy al

lilies growing on one stalk ( though th e Church

h eld a beli ef in th e inc arnati on of the Trinity
l n unity t o b e h eresy ) in which c ase the
,

colour the purple of humility would b e

, ,

appropri at e .

More di fficult to explain is the symbolism

of th e vas e of lili es in th e Annunci ation upon th e

cover of a psalt er in fi ne English needl ework

,
1 70 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
of th ethi rteenth c entury The book b elonged 2
.

to Ann e d aught er of Sir Simon Felb rigge an d

, ,

if th e date given th e end of th e thirt eenth

,

c entury is correct it is a very early inst ance of

, ,

th e Virgin s vas e o f lili es Th e figures h ave

’
.

much digni ty and sweep of line but th e lily , ,

which is a fleur d e lys in form is red ! Possibly

- -

,
'

in the garden o f th e country convent wh ere em

broidery was worked no liliums grew The nun .

would th erefore t ake th e onl y lili es she knew ,

those of th e royal standard For colour sh e .

woul d rememb er th at th ey surp assed Solomon

in his glory But even so the red lily argues an
.
, ,

insensitiveness to symboli c values scarcely to

b e found among th e Latins .

Th e original symbolism o f th e vas e of lili es

’

was simple It signified th e purity of th e M aid

.

of N az areth sh e o f whom it was proph esi ed A

,

Virgin shall conceive an d b ear a Son Sh e .

’

do es not hold th e flower in h er h and as do

th e virgin m artyrs who pr es erv ed th eir purity
through storm and stress but it grows naturall y ,

b eside h er and merely typifies h er girlhood In .

th e firs t h alf o f th e fifteenth c entury this s eems

Briti h M u s m
1
s eu .
1 72 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
figures worshipping app arently a large vase of
, ,

flowers .

In two It ali an pictures th at o f doubtful

origin already m
,

ention ed which is in S Spirito

’

.
,

an d th e Annunci ation of Pinturicchio in th e

Vatican wh ere th e large vase is placed ex actly

,

in th e c entre of the composition th e flowers ,

within th e vase are not whit e lili es th ey are

iris the royal li ly in one c ase and roses the
, , , ,

flower o f di vine love in th e oth er Th erefore

, .

th e flower fill ed v as e was no longer strictly th e

-

symbol of th e Virgin s purity A ch ange hinted

’
. .

at wh en M emli ng plac ed th e iris among the

li lies h ad come about for th e flower which was

, ,

th e attribut e of J esus Christ was now rising fro m

th e v as e an d distinction h ad b een m ade b etween
th e vas e an d th e flower which it cont a ined .

Christ is th e mystic flower springing from a

lowly vess el H e is th e flow er M ary th e vase
.
,
.

Th e roy al purple lily or th e ros e of lov e are ,

th erefore as appropriat e a fil ling for the vas e as

,

was th e lily and th ere is no incongruity in any

,

attitude of hom age towards th e v as e on th e p art

of th e Virgin But sinc e th e compound emblem

.

was th e embl em of the Imm aculat e Conc eption ,

THE LIL Y OF THE ANNUNC IATION
:

1 73

n aturally it is most oft en the li ly of purity which

fills th e vas e .

In th e Annunci ation of Alb ert Durer s ’

Smaller P assion th e li ly growing in its humble

2

earth en pot und eni ably refers to th e p erfect

si nl essness of th e soul which was yet to b e born ,

for the flowers are still each tightly folded in its

‘

bud while in the culmin ating sc en e o f the

,

s eri es wh ere the S aviour sits in j udgment

, ,

th e lily with each c alyx fully exp anded is

, ,

shown with th e sword of j ustic e b ehind His

h ead .

Northern symbolism always deep er and ,

more complicated th an th at o f th e South re ,

quired th at th e vase which cont ained th e li li es

should b e transp arent thus indic ating th e per ,

fec t purity of th e body which enshrined th e soul

o f p erfect innoc enc e In so far th at the glass .

allows all surrou ndi ngs to shine through without

being itself h armed it h as b ecome th e symbol ,

o f th e Imm acul ate Conc eption Th erefore in .

pictures of th e Annunci ation a blossom1ng lily

stalk in a transp arent glass i s placed at the feet
’ 2
of th e Virgin .

1
131 1115 11 Mu seu m .
2
w . Men z el C/z rz stlz cne 5 7 5166111
,
' '

.
1 74 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
same idea is traced in
Th e th e thirteenth
c entury Christmas c arol :
A s the su n beam throu gh the glass
Passeth b u t not staineth ,

So th e Virgin as she was ,

Virgin still remain eth

’
1
.

And somewh at akin is th e mirror which occ asion

ally app ears h eld by an att endant pu tto in a
,

Sp anish Imm aculate Conc eption

’
.

Th e transp arent vas e is not often s een in

Itali an Annunci ations for it was usual in Italy ,

to plac e the stal k of lili es a complete symbol in ,

its elf of virgi ni ty in th e angel s h and an d th en;

’

, ,

was n o need to double th e symboli sm but th e

p ainters o f th e late fifteenth and early sixteenth
c enturi es in pictures of M ary with the Chi ld or
,

in a Holy Family u se th e crystal vas e fre ,

quently as an attribute of th e Infant S aviour ,

filli ng it with thos e flowers whi ch express H is

virtues the violet of humi lity th e rose or car
, ,

n ation o i di vine love the daisy of innocence or , ,

th e j asmine of h eavenl y hop e

2
.

1
Di i n l a ti ti N al
es e etran lati on
, e e s
’
s .

1
The la g r e t an p a nt a wh i h tan ds besid th
r s re v se c s e e

M ad onn a wi th t h Chil d b y J an P é al in t h Lo u v
e , co n e err , e re ,

tain s iris th whit lily lil y f th vall y an d columb in

, e e , o e e e.
1 76 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
on meeting him Virgo ante p artum
, He .
’

struck the ground with his staff and from th e

spot th ere immedi ately spr ang a lily O doubt
’
ing M aster h e s aid again
,
Virgo in p artu
, .
’

H e struck th e earth an d again a lily spr ang .

H e spoke a third time O my broth er Virgo

, ,

post p artum a third lily bloomed and th e

,
’ ‘

Master of th e Dominic ans doubted n o m ore .

A det ach ed vase holding three lily blooms

occurs frequently as th e motive of an archi
t ec tural decoration ex ecut ed in low reli ef one ,

b eautiful example being above the door of the

B adi a Church of Florenc e But it is not con
.

fined to buildi ngs of Dominican origin and th e ,

arr ang em ent s eems to owe its popularity more

to its symmetry th an to any supporting legend .

In pictures wh ere greater freedom of treatment

,

is d esirable th e lili es are one two three or more

, , ,

— th ere is no rule .
 THE LILY OF THE ANGEL GABR IEL

I N the maj ority of th e Annunci ations which were

paint ed during the fourteenth and fifteenth
c enturi es th e arch angel Gabriel c arries a lily .

In th e earliest representations of th e subj ect h e

h as simply a h erald s wand which in lat er
’
,

Byz antine art usually terminated in a fleur d e -

lys th e anci ent symbol of roy alty or in a more

, ,

or l ess elaborate cross More rarely h e c arries

.

a scroll o n which are inscrib ed th e words o f his

mess age .

In th e early Sienese school h e still holds th e

h erald s wand or brings to th e V i rgm a branc h
’

,
2

o f olive} th e symbol of p eac e an d goodwill

"

Once at least he holds a branch of l aurel 3 th e ,

meed of those wh o excel a nd som etimes th e ,

p alm of victory over sin

4
.

2
And rea Vanni , C o
o ll ect i n Saracini Siena , .

1
o o o
Amb r gi L ren z etti , Belle Arti Sien a , .

M 1 77
 FLORAL SY MBOLISM
In th e famous Annunci ation of Simone
Martini Gabri el who c arri es a branch o f oli ve
,
2
, ,

is also olive crowned an d this s eems to b e th e

-

prop er symbolism of the subj ect Th e messenger .

of Go d crown ed with p eace brings th e olive

, ,
1

branch of reconcili ation b etween Go d an d man

to th e Virgin b esi d e whom stands a vase filled
,

with th e lilies which symboli ze h er purity The .

dove hovers above .

It h as not b een decided which artist was the

first to place the stal k of li li es in th e ange l
G abri el s h and and first h ad come th e lovely
’

symb ol of th e vase of lilies by th e Virgin s side ’

.

But in the Annunci ation which forms part of ,

Simone M artini s polyptych in th e Museum o f

’

Antwerp we find th e h erald s wand j ust turni ng

’
.
,

to a lily Professor A Venturi in his magnific ent

. .
,
’

H i story of Itali an A rt describ es it Th e angel ,

.

‘
holds a lily with a long stem which is all white , .

Thus th e stick or sc eptre of ivory which we h ave ,

already s een in Duccio s picture h as b ecome

’
,

partly stick p artly lily stem With Ducc1o it is

,
-
.

still the sceptre with three points th at Gabri el , ,

messenger of God holds as sign of authority , .

 1 80 FLO RAL SYMB OLISM
"

repres entation of the subj ect ,so far given to _

th e world and th e kneelin g ang

,
e l with th e

sweeping wings c arri es in his left hand a h eavy

stal k of li li i nn candidnrn .

It is interesting to trace the evolution of

th e st raight smooth stick which th e angel h eld
in th e earliest repres entations of th e Annuncia
tion into the natural branch of lilies c arri ed
'

by the typical An nouncing Angel of Christian

art First we find upon the wand the three
.

pointed fleur d e lys which from the days of the

- -

Assyri ans h ad orn amented the royal sceptre .

The heavenly h erald bore a wand orn amented

with th e royal symbol wh en he brought a mess age
from th e Lord of th e Universe to th e M aiden
o f the Hous e of David who was to b e th e Moth er
,

o f His Son Gradually th e fleur d e lys gai ned

'

- -
.

some likeness to th e natural lily The sceptre .

was m ade o f ivory It was white Two leaves

. .

app eared wreathing th e stick Midway in the .

transformation are the lilies carried by the

lovely choir of s eated angels in a picture by
Gu arien t o
.
2
Each angel holds in his left h and
an orb and in th e right a straight lily st em with
1
Mu seu m of Pad u a .
 LILY OF THE ANGEL GABRIEL 1 81

l eaves growing n aturally up its whole length .

At th e top is a single flower whi ch seen in pro , ,

fil e h as th e sh ap e of the fl eur d e lys

,
Simone - -
.

M artini indic at es th e blossom s cup like form ’

-
.

With Orcagna we find the fully reali zed stem -

o f lili es One unidentified master o f th e four

.

t eenth century went even furth er in bot anic al

2

fidelity and p aints th e bulb an d p endent root

,

lets though strangely enough h e at the s ame

, , ,

time k eeps to th e old convention and pla c es a

scroll in the h and of both M adonn a and angel .

M ean while in 1 3 44 Ambrogio di Lorenz etti

, ,

h ad p ai nted an Annunci ation in which the 2

angel crown ed with olive holds t h e p alm branch

, ,

with which th e ancient Romans were accustomed

to s alute a conqueror The symbol of th e p alm .

was used also by Spinell o Aretino a pupil of ,

3

Giotto and was supported by D ante who d e

‘

, ,

scrib es the angel Gab ri el as

H e th atbore th e palm
Down unt o Mary wh en the Son of God ,

V ou chsafed t o clo th e H im in t errestrial weeds

’
.

But it did not come mto general use in this con

Vatican
1 . B ll A ti Si n a 2
e e r , e .

Th Cath ed ral Ar o
1
e , ez z .
1 82 FLORAL S YMBOLISM
necti on , chiefly for the reason th at th e
an d

p alm bec ame consecrated to represent ations of

'
th e last scenes o f th e Virgin s li fe
’
Th e Legend a
.

A u rea wh en recounting how th e angel Gabri el

,

announc ed t o th e Virgin h er appro aching death ,

st ates : H e ( Gabriel ) gave h er a branch of p alm

from P aradis e which h e comm anded should be
,

borne b efore h er bi er .
’

Th e p alm was th erefore a n ec ess ary detail

, ,

in this sc ene and it was prob ably to avoid con

,

fusion b etween th es e two s eparate app earanc es

o f th e ang el to th e Virgin th at th e p alm h as

b een res erved entirely for th e last Annunci ation .

Th e reli gious s entim ent o f th e age forb ad e th e

p ortr a y al o f a ny sign of d ecr epitude in th e

Virgin even at th e hour of h er death and ,

exc ept for th e substitution o f th e p alm for th e

lily and th e reversal of th e usual places o f th e

figures th e Virgin being placed on the left and the
,

ang el on the right it would b e di ffic ult to di s

,

t in guish th e sc en e wh ere th e Virgin rec eives th e

n ews o f h er appro aching death from th at in which
,

h er appro aching moth erhood is announc ed to h er .

It b ecame th e general rul e th en for Gabri el

, , ,

as th e angel o f th e Annunci ation of the S aviour s

’
1 84 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
ate, till its inclin ation to magni ficence was severely
ch ecked by Savonarola whose influence on art ,

h as usually b een wrongly estimated H e was .

no blind iconoclast though without doubt

,

obj ects of great arti stic worth were burnt in

hi s famous holoc aust of vanities which ’
,

fini sh ed th e Carni val of 1 497 On the contrary .

,
'

as S en ator P asqu al e Vill ari points ori t h e was ,

always surrounded by th e b est artists of his

.

century Fra B artolommeo for four years after

.
,

his death di d not touch a brush such was hi s

, ,

gri ef The Della Rob bias were devoted to hi m ;

.

two rec eived th e h abit from his hands Lorenz o .

di Credi was hi s p artisan ; Cron aca woul d sp eak

of nothing but th e things of S avon arola Bo tti .
’

c elli ill ustrated hi s works and Michael Angelo ,

was a most const ant listener to his preachi ng .

H e spoke plainly to th e p ainters from his

‘

pulpit Th e beauty of the Divini ty of the

.
,

Virgin and th e Saints was th e b eauty of holi

ness not of outward adornment of fi ne raiment
, ,

gold and j ewels and the b eauty of man or

,

woman in so far as it approaches to th e primal

’ 2
beauty so is it great and more p erfect
,
.

S mon on E ki l
1
er ze e .
 L ILY O F TH E ANGEL GABRIEL 1 85

We read of th eVirgin th at by h er great

beauty the men wh o saw her w ere astoni sh ed
( stup e f atti ) .

Do you b eli eve th at sh e went about in

the manner in which you p aint h er ! I say to
you th at sh e went dress ed as a poor woman !
But he who t aught for choice b eneath the
dam ask rose in the centre of his cloister ad
mitted roses and lili es wh ere he denounced
rubi es and p earls Flowers alone survived as
.

e mblems or as votive d ecoration even aft er th e

puritani c al current towards the ideal set in

motion by th e great Dominican b ec ame merged
in the over sweeping wave o f classicism— an d
-

even thos e l ate artists wh o di sp ens ed with every

oth er convention for th e expression of the ab

5 -

stract placed a li ly in th e angel Gabri el s h and

,
’
.

Modern art has adopted the tradition an d

in the Ecce Ancilla Domini of Rossetti the 2

Wingless angel c arri es a stalk of lili es Th ere .

is also a whit e lily embroidered upon the strip

o f m at eri al which is stretch ed upon an em

broidery frame at the foot of M ary s b ed ’

.

Th e angel brings the lily to the V irg m I n

1 Serm on on os and
Am Zach ariah .
1
Ta te Gallery .
1 86 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
recognition of h er perfect purity the trans ,

c en d en t quality by which alon e sh e found favour

with God Through it tremendous honour cam e

.

upon h er and by the marvellous n ature of th at

,

honour she was eternally bound to her v irginity

‘

M ary Virgin ever a Virgin

, In a very ch arm .
’

ing picture by Fili ppo Lippi M ary with b ent ,

1

h ead and fully understanding the grave signifi

,

c anc e of th e gift reverently accepts the lily

,

which th e angel G abri el places in h er h and .

In anoth er Annunci ation by Fili ppo Lippi ,

2

a s econd ang el p ee ping through th e entry b ehind

,

G abri el also carri es a lily but it is a fancy which

, ,

s eems to h ave no p articul ar signi fic ance and

rath er impairs the di gni ty o f th e subj ect .

So constantly di d p ainters an d s cul ptors

o f th e Annunci ation pl ac e a lily in th e arch

ang el G abri el s h and th at it gr adually b ec am e

’

his sp eci al attribute which h e wore as a knight

, ,

di d his crest to distinguish him from oth er

,

ang els an d arch ang els .

In th e apocryph al Book of Tobit is the story

o f Tobi as who was accomp ani ed by th e ang el
,

R aph ael on th e famous j ourney which h e took

1
In t h coll cti o n f Miss H rt R o m
e e o Pinak oth k M uni h
e z , e.
1
e , c .
1 88 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
lived fashion for depl eting Tobias Wl th three ”

arch angels .

Th ere are two of th es e pictures in Florence ; 1

oth ers at Verona Turin and Munich In each ,

2 3
.
4

Mich ael is armed Raph ael grasps Tobi as b y th e

,
'

h and an d G abri el c arries a branch of lili es

'

.
,

But the four figures in a row make an ,

awkward composition an d stiffness is avoided ,

at th e exp ense o f dignity A mincing a ngel .

,

t oo conscious o f his pretty wings and daintil y

held lil y is th e Gabriel of th e b est known
,

of th es e pictures attributed o f l ate years to

,

Botticini .

Th e lil y is of cours e h ere us ed non symb oli

, ,
- q

c ally merely to di stinguish one arch angel from

,

anoth er and for th e s ame reason th at Mich ael

,

is gi ven th e sword and frequently the scales

for th e weighi ng of soul s Raph ael th e traveller s ,
’

staff and gourd or wh en with Tobias a small

, , ,

’
box Th e angel Gabri el s primary function
.

is to b e th e h erald of God as it is Mich ael s to ,

’

’
lead th e hosts of H eaven and Raph ael s to guide ,

1
Bot ti cini , A ccad erni a ; Sch ool of otti
B celli , A ccad emi a .

2
R o ssel ol di J a op o F
c ranchi , Ac cad emi a Flo rence, .
1 9 6 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
li ked th e fancy well but wish ed to keep the
,

mystic vase so to avoid doubling th e symb ol

, , ,

th ey turn ed the fal len flowers to roses or roses

,

and c arnations symbols of th e di vin e favour

.
,

which had fallen upon th e maid It was a

.

graceful exposition o f th e underlying meani ng

of th e sc ene symbolic ally right an d delightful
,

in pictorral effect .
 TH E FLOWERS O F TH E DIVINITY

TH E only growing thing which is used to repre

sent th e Trinity in Unity is th e trefoil or sh am
rock S aint P atri ck is s aid to h ave pluck ed
.

from the ground a leaf o f sh amrock and by it

illustrated to th e h eathen Irish th e my stery o f
the Triun e Godh ead Architectural d etails an d
.
,

more especially Windows b ased upon th e trefoil s

,
’

form are common in Gothic churches In

,
.

pictori al art it is rath er unusual as an emblem ,

but Mich ael An gelo who so rarely us ed sym

,

b oli cal det ail p aints th e triple leaved plant

,
—

an d no oth er lea f or flower in the foreground

o f his Holy Family
‘
.

But though th e trefoil is th e only di rect

floral emblem of th e Trinity distinct referenc e
,

to it is often found in the triple grouping of the

i
flowers which are the attributes of th e S aviour .

For instanc e the three c arn ations o f di vin e love

,
1 92 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
in the crystal vase before the Infant Christ in
Hugo v an d er Goes Adoration of th e Sh ep’

h erds the three lili es ( one in bud ) which th e

2

angel holds in CIi v elli s

’
Annunciation an d
th e three iris es in th e Annunci ation o f Pesello .
3

There is no plant or flower used as the em

blem of God the Fath er From time to time .

th e Hebrew met aphor of th e Burning Bush has

been used pictorially to indi cate His presence ;
but as early as th e fifth century this image was
appropri at ed to express th e purity of th e Virgin

Mother enveloped but not consumed by the

,

divine love .

C In th e Catacombs and on many mediaeval

cru cifi x es th e P erson o f God th e Fath er is in

d ic ated by a h and i ssu1ng from th e clouds and

holding a wreath of laurel palm or Oliver) But ,

the wreath in this cas e is not th e attrib iite o f

the Divi n e Fath er but th e attribute of him
,

above Whos e h ead the wreath is h eld In the .

C atacombs it is th e martyr s crown ; on the ’

crucifix it is Christ s crown of victory over sin

’
.

As already mentioned the li ly of purity and ,

th e olive branch o f p eac e are occ asionally us ed

F ank fort on Main S Spirito Fl o n

2 1
1
U ffi i
z . r - -
e. .
,
re ce.
1 94 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
and ingemous conc eits The flower he said
.
, ,

h ad b een Willing at th e time of flowering to

, ,

b e born of a flower in a flower i a J esus p er

—
,

mitted Hims elf to b e announced to M ary at

N az areth in the spring Flos nasci v oluit d e
flore in flore et floris tempore
’ 2
.
, ,

So we find a stem of lili es or a vas e of flowers

as th e symbol of His mirac ul ous birth an d on ,

th e morni ng of His nati vity rej oicing angels

c arri ed olive branch es as th ey s ang of p eace on
earth an d goodwill towards men A h elpless
.

Infant H e lay upon the ground to receive th e

,

Adoration of His Moth er and of angels among ,

roses of love and lili es of purity or in grass ,

thick wi th th e daisi es violets and strawberri es

,

which told of His innocenc e humility and ,

righteousness
As a boy growing p erh aps to a consciousness
,

of His mission in Spain H e is found with thorny

,

roses wounding Himself sometimes with the

,

thorns of grief and suffering springing from His

di vine love its elf .

’
E arly devotional art left Christ s life With its
"
miracles an d p arables and p assed to His Passion .

1
Y rjo H irn, The Sacred Shri ne .
 THE FLO WERS OF THE DIVIN ITY 1 95

For the entry into J erusalem th ere is the p alm

of victory and the olive branch of p eac e In .

th e Ecc e Homo H e wears th e Crown of Thorns ,

and the reed as a sceptre is plac ed in His hand .

For the Crucifixion Signorelli painted b elow the

Cross many pleasant flowers among which are ,

notic eable the violet and daisy But the

Northern schools reserved for this scene the
bitter h erbs an d flowers the willow dandelion
, ,

an d thistl e Th ese weeds c areful ly chosen and

.

painted with marvellous ml nuteness fill th e fore ,

ground in th e Crucifixion by an unn amed German

master in th e National Gallery
In the last sc enes of all of the divine tragedy
there is no symbol but th e Crown of Thorns ,

and to th e Resurrection no flower is sp eci ally

d edic ated. But in the Thomas Altar by th e ,
2

M aster of the B artholomew Altar th e newly ,

r isen Christ is shown and round His feet upon

, ,

th e m arble st ep are lying blos s

, oms of violets and
daisi es and seven h eads of the holy c olumbine .

The p assion flower do es not app ear in art

b efore the seventeenth century It was u n .

known in Europ e b efore th e Sp anish conquest

W allraf Rich art Mus um Cologn
‘

1
z e , e.
1 96 FLORAL SYMBOLISM )
5

of South Americ a and it is s aid th at wh en th e

,

J esuits brought home reports of th e mi racul ous

flower b earing th e insigni a of the Passion which ,

grew from tree to tree in the forests of th e new

land their tale was first received as a pious in
,

v ention But th e plant itself at length arrived

.
,

and early in th e eight eenth c entury Franc esco

Trevisani p ainted a delightful littl e pieture less 2

noticed th an it deserves t o b e The Virgi n who .

,

is very sweet an d gentle both in pos e and ex

,

p ress10n sits s e
,
wing b esid e a t abl e on which
is a vase of roses and lilies The little Chri st .
,

wh o h as app arently j ust run in from th e garden ,

points out to His Moth er with a most childl ike

,

gesture th e little thorny crown upon the p assion

,

flower which H e holds in His han d The picture .

,

which is not unlike th e work of Andrea d el S arto

I n mini ature is wonderfully attractive
, .

1
U ffi z i .
1 9 8 FLORAL SY MB OLISM
the noble frank incense and th e hidden violet ,

and furth er addresses her as

A living Paradise
Of grandl y c oloured flowers .
’
1

But though poets and p articularly German,

poets ranged widely through th e fields in th eir

,

s earch for blossoms which by th eir b eauty or

by th eir h ealin g virtues were fit to symbolize
th e Virgin th e early artists painted very few
,
.

In those mystical Enclosed Gardens which so

charmed the Germans of th e fifteenth century ,

only a few plants appear Th e lily which is often .

,

th e lily of th e v alley the rose th e violet an d

th e strawb erry are th e m
, , ,

ost usual Later the

, .

iris th e royal lil y was added and sometimes the

, , ,

s even blossomed columbine

-
Occasionally in .

Italy the j asmine and th e daisy are also found

in the vase b eside h er but all oth er flowers o f ,

th e garden and fi eld th e tulip anemone ranu n

, , ,

cul ns primrose daffodil dahlia etc were rigidly

, , , ,
.
,

excluded .

It will b e noticed th at with the exception of ,

th e rose all th e flowers of th e Virgin are white

,

1
Gol dene Schmi ed e .
 THE FLOWERS OF THE VIRGIN 1 99

or blue her own colours An exception which

,
.
,

is unique is the gold en sunflower springing from

'

h er h alo on a twelfth —c entury window in th e

Church of St Rémi at Reims and even th at is ,

not exclusively hers since S aint J ohn on th e , ,

oth er side bears the same flower Whi te and

,
.

blue are th e two colours which are h eld most

s acred in the Christi an Church Wh ite symbol .
,

o f th e Suprem e B eing and of th e Et ern al Truth ,

is used in the ornaments for th e feast of Our

Lord and of the Virgin for it announces loving ,

kindness virgini ty and ch arity

,
Blue is the .
2

symbol of ch astity innocence an d c andour , .

Only one yellow flower is us ed symbolically

and th at only in sc en es from th e P ass1on by ,

artists o f the early Flemish an d G erm an schools .

It is the dandelion and its si gnificanc e is ap

, ,

p ar en tly bitt
, e
rn ess of gri ef .

Th e White lily which symboliz es purity is

, ,

found chiefly in pictures o f the Annunciation ,

but it has been introduc ed i n many oth er scenes

from the life of th e Virgin In th e first exhibited .

p ainting b y Rossetti entitled The Girlhood

, ,

th e Virgin in grey rob es is

’ 2
of Mary Virgin , , ,

1
H uysman , La C athé d rale .
1
Coll tion of Lad y J k yll
ec e .
2 00 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
seated at a curiously sh aped frame embroidering -

a Whit e lily upon a ground o f red mat eri al Th e .

flower sh e is C opying grows in a vas e b eside h er

and an angel with ros e coloured wings waters -

it St Anne stands near and in th e bac kground

.
,

J oachim trims a trell ised vin e upon which th e

Holy Dove is perch ed In the Ecce A n ci lla .

Domi ni of Ross etti

’ 2
thi s same strip of em ,

broidery now fini sh ed h angs b eside the b ed

, ,
.

The older artists p aint no lily in th e early

scenes of the Virgin s life ; it first app ears at the
’

An nunci ation wh ere it was us ed so rep eatedl y

,

th at it b ecame in its elf th e symbol of th e miracu

lous birth of Our Lord Giotto brings it forward .

in the Visitation Eliz ab eth hurrying from

.
’ 2

the hous e to m eet th e Virgin p ass es b eneath a ,

portico on which blooms a large vas e of lilies .

There are endl ess pictures repres enting the

Virgin seated with th e Holy Child in whi ch a ,

vas e of lili es is plac ed as a votive o ffering b efore

h er feet or lil i es are h eld by attend ant angels
, .

One of th e earli est of th es e pictures is the

Enthroned M adonn a of Giotto Two angels 3
.

1
te
Ta G al l y
er , on d on
L .
20 2 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
Dr Ans elm Saltz er wri tes : Th e Greeks
,

and Romans held th e myrtle to b e th e symbol .

o f b eauty outh an d m arri age b ecaus e of its

y , ,

delightful p erfume its evergreen leaves white

, ,

blossoms and aromatic b erri es In conn ection .

with Mary th e myrtle serves as a figure of h er

,

purity and other virtues as well as of h er in

flu ence over the unruly impuls es of th e hum an
soul .
’ 2

Francesco Franciab igio places a vase of 2

single white roses at the Virgin s feet Double ’

.

roses pink or red are t h e symbol of divine love

, , ,

th e love of Christ for His Church upon earth ,

an d th e White single roses might b e th e symbol

of th e p assio nl ess love of th e M ater C onsolatri x

’
.

These fl owers placed in vases b efore the

,

Virgin are usually significant and appropri ate

, ,

but they are really more votive th an symbolical .

Th e Latins h ad brought to th e shrine of Venus

th e myrtle an d ros es th e apples and poppi es ,

th at were s acred to h er and p ainters o f C entral ,

Italy in the fourteenth an d fifteenth c enturies ,

1
Di e Si nn bi ld er and B ei worte M arz ens i n d er d eutschen
Li teratu r and latei ni schen H ymnenpoesi e d es M i ttelal ters.

1
U ffi z i , Fl o rence.
 TH E FLOWERS OF TH E VIRGIN 2 03

with the s ame desire to present and s acrifice

to th eir Lady th e flowers which were by asso
ciation p eculi arly h ers p aint ed ros es and lili es
,

carefully and b eautifully in the foreground of

her pictures .It was th eir gift to th e M adonn a ,

as th e p ap er ros es on so m any mod ern alt ars

an d th e wild flowers on th e wa yside shrines are

also gifts .

In North ern It aly p articularly among those

,

wh o studied in th e school of Squarci one fruit ,

took the place of the votive flowers and is ,

l aid before the Madonna and th e Child or ,

hung in garlands across th e upp er p art of the

picture .

Th e p ainters of th e It alian RenaISsance in ,

Spite of dilig ent classic al study ,

were probably
q uit e unconsciou s o f this surviv al o f p ag anism
in th eir work But th e anci ent traditions of
.

th e soil did crop up from tim e t o tim e in th e ,

same way that traces o f th e Nors e conc eption

of H eaven as a magnificent big game hunt -

app ear occ asion ally b eneath th e symbolism of

Christian mediaeval art in Germany .

North of the Al ps wh ere th e pre Christian

,
-

sacrifices h ad usually run with blood th ere was ,

2 04 FLORAL SYMBOLISM

no inh erited love o f floral o fferings and we ,

seldom find th es e Votive vas es or wreaths .

Th e M adonn a attribut ed to M abus e in the

Prado has a large vase of ros es placed dire
below her but as a rule in North ern art t
,

flowers are introduc ed strictly as symbols to

recall some asp ect or function of th e Virgin or
of h er Divine Son .

In an Adoration the surrounding angels

bring th eir roses and th eir li li es in tribute to
th e sinl ess Child. AS S aint Mectild a s ays
Th e lily figu res His innoc ence and th e rose
His invincible p atience .
’ 2

Where th e Virgin is seated enthroned sur ,

rounded by saints and angels even though ,

th e Holy Child is upon h er knee all symbols ,

exc ept th at which th e Child holds in His h and

refer again to h er .

It is rare however th at wh en holding the

, , ,

Child sh e c arries her own attribute h erself

,
.

Usually th e symbols flowers or fruit are h el d

, ,

by angels or lai d b eside h er throne but in the ,

large Enthroned M adonna o f Signorelli f a

“

paint er wh o showed some orIg mality in his use

Pi na ot a Ar o 1
c ec , ez z .
2 06 FLO RAL S Y MBO LISM
h an ds to ,
be
ngaged in a conference on the
e

cep tion o f th e Virgin

’
.

In anoth er al t ar piece by Signorelli it is -

2

the Infant Christ who c arri es t h e lily the ,

symbol of His own sinlessness In thi s picture .

all th e symbolism refers to th e Holy Chi ld not ,

to th e Virgin which is unusual in an Enthroned

,

Madonna But th e scroll upon the cross of

.
’

th e B aptist with th e Words E cce A gnns Dei

’
, ,

directs the devotion of the worshipp er to the

Son .

In still another of Signorelli s compositions ’ 2

the arch angel Mich ael st ands on one side of

th e M adonn a s throne wi th his scales for the
’
.

weighing of souls and Gabriel upon th e o th er ,

Sid e with a l arg e st alk of lilies Th e latter .

carri es the lili es not merely as hi s own attri

,

bute to denote th at he is Gabriel but also in

, ,

greeting to the Madonna for in his other h and

_ ,

h e holds a scroll with th e Words A ve M ari a , ,

i l
’

gr at a p en a .

Th ere is a M adonna and Child by Fra

Angelico where the Virgin whose features
,
3
,

Acc ad emi a Fl
1
, o ren ce.
1
C oll e c tion Pie po nt o
r M rgan Ameri ca , .
 THE FLO WERS OF THE VIRGIN 2 07

are more strongly marked th an is usual with

the M aster holds in h er right hand a vase in
,

which are three roses and a stem of lilies H er .

left arm is round the Child wh ose little h and ,

grasps a single lily cup The composition is .

not pleasing for the Moth er is embarrassed

,

and encumb ered by the great v as e ; also th e

symbolism is not very clear but app arently ,

th e ros es and th e lily in th e vase are th e attri

butes of Mary while the flower in His h and refers
,

to th e Holy Child .

Th ere are very few flowers which a re ”

placed within th e h and of the Madonna .

In It aly sh e sometimes holds the lili nm

ca nd i dmn of th e Virgin saints in h er ch ar

acter of Queen of Virgins In Germany and .

th e Tyrol th e large white lily is replaced

by the native lily 0f th e vall ey ; and In the
- - -

Madonn a with th e Siskin of Alb ert Dii rer

2

Sh e accepts some sprays of th e Sweet

scented white b ells from the h and of the
tiny S aint J ohn In many pictures She
.

holds a rose Ap ar
. t from symbolism a ,

flower was a fitting thing to grac e a woman s ’

1
Kaiser Fried rich Mu seum Berlin , .
2 08 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
h and an d , th e ros e was considered th e fairest
o f flow ers .

As th e o
r se flower of flowers
i s th e ,

So is Thy H ou se th e H ou se of H ou ses
’
,

says inscription within Y ork Minster

th e anc i ent ,

an d th e ros e was the flower par excellence in ev ery

Europ ean country .

But wh en M ary places the rose W ithin the

h and of th e Infant S aviour th en it becomes ,

His attribute with the full Signi fic ance of divine

love and wh en Sh e plac es a c arn ation b etween
,

th e little fingers divin e love is ag ain express ed

, .

But as already notic ed in pictures o f

, ,

Florentine or1g1n th e ros e in th e Virgin s h and

,
’

h as a sp eci al m eaning for it illustrat es h er title

,

M ad onna d el F i ori and th e C ath edral of

’
of ,

Florence was dedic ated to Our Lady of the

Flower Also in pictures paint ed for some
.
’

ch aritable institution the rose or roses of th e

Virgin h ave still another meaning fOr th en , ,

following the interpret ation of Rab an M aur ,

th ey are the symbol of ch arity One picture .

with such roses is th at p aint ed by Giamb ono

for th e C ongregaz i one di C ari td at Fano That .

th es e roses are in no way the attribute of the

210 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
from which rise p atri archs an d prophets The .

original fresco h as disappeared .

Very rarely the Virgin holds a Violet The .

flower is used in Christi an art almost exclusively

to indi c ate th e humility of the Son Of God in
t aking upon Himself our hum an form and in ,

th e b eautiful alt ar piece by St eph en Loch n ar

-
2

th e Saviour stretch es up His tiny h arid to grasp

th e Violet h eld by M ary S0 m aking it H is in ,

dividual attribute The p anel is rich in colour

.

ing but M ary is of the Simple placid typ e of the

, ,

early Gerni an school Sh e is gravely deeply

.
,

h appy in h er moth erhood and not s addened , ,

as in It aly by p ainful forebodings

,
Th e Child .

reach es up His h and with a pretty gesture ao ,

ceptin g from h er who h ad given Him His t end er

,

little body also th e Violet symbol of H is humility

, , .

In a picture by Bruder Wilh elm th e Virgin 2

holds a sweet p ea b earing both th e flower and

-

ripened pods Th e symbolism of th e p ea is

.

obscure and is not to b e traced in Christi an

iconography though th ere is th e legend of the
,

erbi li a
, a sp eci es o f p ea which springing first ,

from th e footsteps of S aint Columb an still ,

1
C logn
o e.
 THE FLO WERS OF THE VIRGIN 21 1

grows upon the Tusc an mount ains Possibly .

the symbolism may lie I n th e Simult an eo u s

flowering and fruiting of th e pea for the palm ,

was h eld by som e writ ers to b e an emblem of

th e Virgin and for th e reason th at it flowered
‘
,

and fruited at one and th e s am e time .

Th ere are three subj ects all connected with ,

th e Virgin s death wh ere lili es are onc e more

’
,

found Th ey are her Ascension the Giving

.
,

o f h er Girdl e to Saint Thom as an d h er Coron a ,

tion In each of th ese th e flower filled tomb

.
-

from which She has j ust aris en is introduced , ,

usuall y as th e b ase of the composition .

But the lili es I n th es e pictures d o not refer

to the immacul ate purity of th e Virgin Mother ,

but represent th e souls of angels confessors and ,

Th e legends which th e Legend a A u rea

’
Virgins .

contains were collected by J acobus d e Voragine

during th e last h alf of the thirteenth c entury ,

While the lily was still th e flower of Virgin martyrs

and was not yet th e M adonn a s lily H e g ives
’
.

th e following account of th e buri al of th e Virgin

Th e Lord commanded th e Apostles th at
they Shoul d c arry th e body into th e valley of
1
W Men z el C hrz stlz che Symboli k
’ '

. .
,
21 2 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
J ehosh aph at and plac e it in a n ew tomb that
h ad b een dug th ere an d w atch three d ays
,

beside it till H e should return

, .

And straightway th ere surrounded h er

flowers o f roses which are th e blessed comp any
‘

o f m artyrs ; and li li es of th e valley which are ,

th e b ands of angels confessors and V IrgIns

’
.
,

But the Byz anti ne Gu i de to Pdi nti ng in ,

th e p aragr aph entitled H ow to represent the

Assumption of th e Divine Moth er di rects th at,
’

in th e lower p art of th e picture there should b e

an op en and empty tomb
’
.

Th ere was th erefore di vergenc e of opini on ,

and th e Church app arently left th e artist free .

J acobus d e Voragine s eems to h ave collected

th e m any flo ating legends o f th e Virgin an d with ,

th at poetic j udgment which was th e p eculi ar

gift of his generation t o h ave preserved those
,

forms particul arly marked by sweetness or dis

tinction of incident But some even of his own
.

countrymen apparently preferred the legend in

its b alder form for th e astoni sh ed Apostles
,

surround a b are and empty tomb B eyond .

th e Alps wh ere th e Legend a A u rea n ever h ad

,

much influence th e tomb is almost invari ably

,
214 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
geth er in such a mass of loveliness th at the
mourners seem blinded even to the gorgeous
b ow o f angels in th e sky and to th e greater
wonder in the opening heavens high above .

B enozzo Goz z oli gives th e flower filled tomb

I
-

but neglects th e symbolism of th e legend for ,

t o th e roses h e adds d aisi es an d j asmin e It is .

simply a collection of th e flowers s acred to the

Virgin .

Giuli o Romano in the M ad onna di M ante

,
“ r

lu ce p aints neith er ros es n or lili es merely small

, , ,

indetermi n ate blossoms mauve blue an d yellow , , .

On one pan el of th e fifteenth century which

,
3
,

represents Th e Giving of th e Girdl e to Saint

Thomas cut ros es and lilies lie upon th e top o f
,
’

th e clos ed tomb which s eems a misappreh en

,

sion of th e legend but possibly the artist merely

,

intended to p aint th e flowers usually used as

h
attributes o f t e Virgin — th e ros e o f love and
th e lil y o f purity Without a ny referenc e to the
—

story as told in th e Golden Legend .

But though th e lilies of the Virgin s tomb ’

repres ent angels and virgi n saints in those ,

pictures of h er Coronation or Assumption wh ere ,

Vatican . Vatican Cath d ral Bagno di R omagna

. e , .
 THE FLO WERS OF THE VIRGIN 21 5

no tomb is shown th e flower is th e symbol of

,

h er own purity Through h er perfect purity

.

sh e h as att ain ed the crown th erefore it is with

,

stems of white lili es th at th e rose crowned -

angels h ail h er Qu een .

Fra Filippo Lippi p aints her kneeling to

rec eive the crown from God the Fath er :
Ri nged by a b owery flo wery angel broo d
,
-

Lilies and v estments an d whit e faces sweet ,

A s puff on puff of grated o rris roo t

’
2 -
.

A child angel holds

-
a scroll with th e words
'

Is p f
er ecz t o p
us

an d th e arch angel
Gabri el with a lily p ainted ,

in a sm all lunette above the throne rec alls ,

th e first b egi nning of th e work n ow p erfect ed ;

while b efore th e throne and thick on eith er side
.

, ,

is a waving grove o f large white lilies each ,

st alk h eld by an adoring angel .

Th e d evotion al figure o f th e Virgin known

as th e Immaculate Conception is usually
presented as the woman with the moon under
h er fee t and upon h er h ead a crown of twelve
,

stars ; four or fi v e attendant child angels each -

A ad mi a Flo n
cc e , re ce R ob rt B o wning 3
e r .
21 6 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
carry a symbol o f her virtues and th e lily is ,

always prominent among th em .

This p articul ar asp ect of th e Virgin was

esp eci ally popul ar in Spain where Murillo was ,

its finest exponent Th e flowers o f an l m

‘

macul ate Conception are th e rose lily olive and , ,

p alm signi fying love purity p eace an d victory

, , , .

Sometimes th e iris th e royal lily is added ;

'

, ,

sometimes it replaces the li li um candidu m .

J osé Ant olines p aints th e iris o nl y

I
.

In th e ch apter on Garlands of Roses we

remarked th e thorns which in the mystic En
clos ed Gardens oi Germany illustrate the verse
As a lily among thorns so is my love among,

’
th e d aught ers.

With the closing of the fifteenth century

these thorn trellis es p assed from North ern art ,

but th e appli c ation of th e metaphor to the

Virgin still p ersisted in Northern theology and ,

since th e Immacul ate Conception had replaced

th e H ortu s C on clu su s as a devotion al subj ect ,

it is as an attribute of the Virgi n ri sen to glory , ,

th at we fi nd th e thorns and in an Immaculate

,

Conception by S eghers a child angel flutters2

-

Al t Pin ak o th k M unich
e e .U fii i Fl o n 3
z , re ce.
21 8 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
th epalm tree of Cades and also a pomegran ate ,

laden with fruit Midway there is a rose h edge

.

thick with the roses of J ericho A terrace runs .

across th e g arden an d upon th e p arap et are two

,

stone vases one labelled M i rm and th e other

“

m
,

Balscm m .

Th ese trees and plants are th e trees and plants

to which Wisdom and th erefore Mary: is likened
,

in Ecclesiasticus with th e pomegranate of th e

,

Canticles .

Quasi cedrus exaltat a sum in Libano et ,

quasi cypressus in Monte Sion : quasi palma

exalt at a sum in Cad es et quasi p lantatio rosae ,

in J ericho : Sicut cinn amomum et b al

s amum aromatiz ans odorem dedi : quasi myrrh a
el ect a d edi su avi tatem od oris
’
.

Emission es tuae p aradi sus maloru m puni

‘

corum cum p omorum fructib us .

Ecclesias i cu s t xx v
i . I7 , 1 8, 20 .

C an t C an ti c iv
. . . I3 .
 XVIII

THE LILY OF THE SAINTS

TH E ancient H ebrews took th e lily as th e symbol

o f ch astity The name o f th e ch aste wom an of
.

th e apocryph al story was Susannah in H ebrew ,

Sh usan whi ch signi fies a lily

,
Th e deriv ation .

was n ot forgotten by Germ an artists for a lily ,

is usuall y conspicuous in th e elaborate garden

scenes in whi ch th ey set this subj ect though ,

th e It ali ans res erved the flower for the M adonn a

and the s aints o f th e monastic orders .

Originally the li ly was given to all virgin

saints and it was considered their sp eci al attri
,

bute before th e flower was p articularly assoa ated

with the Virgin Mary .

J oo
esu s, c r na v irginu m
Q u i
p ergis in t er lili a
Septis ch o reis virginum
Sponsu s d eco ru s glo ria
’
.

In the Catacombs th ere are no virgin martyrs

depicted and th e few lili es found th ere repre
,

21 9
2 20 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
sent m erely the flora of Heaven with the general
signi ficanc e of celesti al bl iss In th e early mosaics
.
,

too both in R avenn a an d Rome the lili es are deco

, ,

rativ e an d th e virgins c arry crowns of ictory

v .

But as early as th e ninth century th e lil y

15 us ed pictori ally as th e indic ation o f virgi nity

I n th e famous Benedi tional of S aint Eth elwold .

o f Winch est er Th e S axon queen S aint Eth el

’
.
,

reda ( S aint Audry ) who leads th e choi r of virgin

,

s aints wears th e B en edictin e h abit is crown ed

, , ,

an d holds in one h and th e gosp el an d in th e

oth er a lily Sh e founded Ely Cath edral and at
.
,

least after h er second marri age lived as a nun , .

Th e mini ature was ex ecut ed in 9 8 0 .

In th e Church of S Chi ara in N aples th ere

.

is a picture ex ecuted in mos aic of th e early

Christi an martyr S aint Reparata Th e mosaic
,
.
,

which is of th e thirteenth century is attributed ,

to Cavallini an d the s aint h as a lily by h er side

,
.

But after th e thirt eenth century the lily is

given almost exclusively to s aints of th e mon astic
orders th e high er di stinction of th e palm b eing
,

aw arded to th e m artyrs For s ays Durand us

.
,
’

th e M artyrdom t ak eth prec ed enc e of the

In Coll tion f th Du k of D von hi

1 ec o e e e s re .
2 22 FLO RAL SYMBO LISM
unicorn was o f all created b easts the fiercest and
most difficult to capture Bu t should a maid be
”

in his p ath h e would lie down with his head

upon h er lap and th en th e hunter could take him
with great eas e .

Th e Triumph of Ch astity with the

Triu mph of Love as a pendant were rath er
.

favourit e subj ects in th e fifteenth century in

Italy p articularly as a decoration of th e elabo
,

rate bridal ch ests or cassom then in vogue

'

Th e Triumph of Ch astity of Lib erale d a

Veron a is typical Th e white cloth ed figure
I
.
-

of a young woman stands upon a car drawn by

unicorns while b ehind follows a rej oicing crowd
, .

Sh e holds a cornucopi a but no lil y app ears .

On th e shutters in the Hall of H eliod orus ,

in th e Vatican th ere is a very b eautiful Renais

,

s ance design in which th e lil y and th e uni corn

are united but usually in It aly th e li ly was kept
,

as an eccl esi astic al an d th e unicorn as a s ecul ar

symbol .

In German art both lily and uni corn are

h eld to b e symbols of th e Virgin s purity and ’
,

in th e fourteenth and fifteenth c enturi es th ere

M u um V rona se , e .
 THE LILY OF THE SAINTS 223

were many tapestri es and embroideri es ex ecuted

in th e convents illustrating th at strange alle
g o ri c al v ersion of th e Annunci ation known as

Th e Hunting of th e Unicorn But the unicorn

.
’

is n ever associ ated with th e monastic saints an d ,

indeed in North ern art monastic s aints th em

, ,

selves are rath er rare .

Th e lily was th erefore latterly th e symbol

, ,

of monastic c elibacy Th ere is a curious alle

.

g o r i c al pictur e o f S aint Fr ancis by S ass ett a .

Th e present own er Mr B Behrenson d escrib es

,
.
,

it thus
Over the sea and th e land into th e golden ,

h eavens towers the figure of th e blessed Francis

, ,

his fac e transfigured with ecstasy his arms h eld ,

out in his favourite attitude of the cross h is feet ,

firmly planted on a prostrate warri o r in golden

p anoply Ch erubim and S eraphim with fiery
.
,

wings and deep crescent h alos form behind the ,

saint a nimbus framIng a glory of gold an d azure ,

as d azzling as th e sky an d as radi ant as the su n

‘

Overh ead on op alescent cloudl ets float Poverty

, ,

in h er p atch ed dress looking up with grateful

,

devotion Obedience in her rose red rob e with

,
-

a yoke about h er neck and h er h ands cross ed

224 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
on h er breast and Chastity in white holding
, ,

a lily
’
.

All three m aidens are attractive and Ch astity ,

th e pretti est of th e three unlike th e immur ed ,

C astitas of Giotto whos e guards with surely

,
2
,

unnecessary vigour drive O ff Amor with ,

pitch forks
-
.

The two men not in holy orders wh o are ,

permitted to c arry the lily are S aint J ohn th e ,

B aptist an d S aint J oseph Th e former even .

,

if h e took no formal v ow of celib acy is looked ,

upon as th e first of th e Christian anchorites and ,

th e lily of S aint os eph is th e symbol of th e s elf

J
abneg ation o f his m arri ed life .

Th e history o f th e marri age of th e Virgin

M ary is found in th e apocryphal Gosp el O f the
Birth O f Mary translated by S aint J erome an d
,
’

abridged in th e C atal ogu s S anctom m of P et er d e

N atalib u s .

And wh en M ary was fourteen y ears of age

th e High Pri est comm and ed th at th e virgins
brought up in th e t emple should return home
an d b e wedded according to law And all .

A Sienese p ai n ter O f th e Franciscan Legend .

3
C
U p p er hu rch Assisi , .
2 26 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
pres ented his rod and straightway it budded
, ,

and th e dov e d esc ended from h eav en and s ettled

upon it And it was clear to all men th at M ary
.

was to b e his wife

’
.

In one of th e earli est represent ations which I

we h ave of th e M arri ag e of th e Virgin J oseph

holds a stalk O f lili u m cand i du m with a single
flower at its summit on which is pois ed th e ,

holy dove Thus Giotto always thoughtful and

.
,

origin al in hi s symbolism modified th e legendary ,

flowering staff to th e flower which shoul d sym

b oli z e S aint J os eph s wedd ed li fe with th e Virgin
’
.

But th e great maj ority O f artists have followed

2
th e legend more clos ely Taddeo Gadd i gives .

a bunch o f leaves at th e st aff s top j ust such

’

leaves as would sprout from a staff of ash .

There is onl y one tiny bud upon the b are stick

abov e which th e dove hov ers in th e M arri ag e
attribut ed to F fi
i G 8
denz o di Lor enzo an d a u ,

4
d enz io Ferrari p aints a sc arc ely budd ed staff -
.

Sometim es in th e sixteenth and seventeenth

c enturi es the staff O f Saint J oseph b ears red or

Cap ell a d ell Aren a, Pad u al

’

Cap ell a B aro n celli , San a t Co r c e, Fl o ren ce .

3
S Gir l am
. o o Sp ell o .
4
Cath e d ral , Co mo .
 TH E LILY OF TH E SAINTS 2 27

pink flowers res embling th e Oleander and to ,

d ay th e country p eople I n Tusc any c all th e

Oleander Il M az z o di S an Gi usepp e th at 15 The , ,

’
St aff of S aint J os eph .

North ern art uninfluenced by th e Legend a

,

A u rea gives S aint J os eph no flowering staff

, .

Lucas v an Leyden p aints him as an entirely

uni dealiz ed workman with tools upon his b ack
but plac es th e lily in his h and And h e h as also .

a lily in th e Holy Family o f Geert gen tot Sint

J a f though in th m any r pr s nt ations f

’

n s e e e e o

Th e Adoration of th e M agi in North G erm any

an d th e N eth erl ands h e is undistingu ish ed by

any attribut e .

After th e s eventeenth c entury Saint J os eph

b egan to h ave a status of his own as p atron of
marri ed virtue Single figures of him appear
c arrying a lily not a staff and in th e ecclesiasti
, ,

cal art o f th e pres ent d ay h e carri es som etim es

th e Child Christ and sometirnes a book but also

-

invari ably a lil y A large oleograph which h angs

.
l

in th e Church of the Angels at La Verna Shows the

Child Chri st crowning him with a wreath of lilies
-
.

Occ asionally th e lil y i s gl v en to young girls

1 Al te Pin ak th k Mu n i h
o e ,
R ijk s M u seum Amst d am
c .
2
, er .
228 FLO RAL S Y MB O LISM
'

who neither saints nor martyrs There is

are .

an engravi ng from a gold medal in the royal

library at Windsor of the Empress Leonora of
Portugal The portrait is half length , standing
.
-

with long hair b eneath the arched imperi al

,

crown and she holds in h er h and a lily stem with

,

two flowers and three buds It is inscribed

'

Leon ora Augusta Frederi ci Imp . U xo r .

’

She was th e daughter of King Edward of Portugal

and wif e O f Frederick of Austri a also great ,

grand daughter Of J ohn of G aunt It is a

-
.

pretty figure childish but dignified The long

, .

1
hair Mr Augustus Franks points out is gener
, ,

ally look ed upon as th e m ark O f a virgin bride ,

and it is explained by h er coronation h av mg

t aken place before th e consummation of the “

marri age The lily also like the flowing h air

.
, ,

proclaims h er maidenh ood

But as a rule th e li li u m candi du m is strictly
, ,

a flow er of th e church P aul V eronese painted

2
.

a Juno wit h a white lily but the flower h as ,

sh arply turned back p etals resembling th e turn

-

c ap variety and gracefully curving stems .

1 A rc/z aeolog z a,
’

v ol . 45 .
2
Villa Mas er , near Tre is v o .
2 30 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
of wonderful forc e of ch aracter and intervened ,

with altruistic motives and plain common sense

I n the complicated politics of her d ay She .

exp eri enc ed th e mystic al tranc es which were

the crown o f holiness to th e m edi aeval mind and ,

was remarkable also for th e austerities and good

works which h er devot ed fri end an d biograph er ,

Raimondo d a Capu a likens to li li es ,

.

Taught nay rath er comp elled by her

, ,

supreme Teach er sh e learned every d ay more

,

and more both t o en joy the embraces of the

Celestial Bridegroom in th e b ed o f flowers and ,

t o d esc end into th e v all ey of lili es to m ake

h erself more fruitful nor ever to leave or lessen ,
:

the on e for th e s ak e of th e oth er

’
.

Th e most interesting of th e pictures O f S ain t

Cath arine is th at by h er fri end and di sciple ,

Andrea Vanni and which is th erefore a portrait

,
1

from memory if not from life It was probably

,
.

painted at th e time of h er c anonization thirteen ,

years after her death and Shows h er as a t all , ,

sli ght woman with a refined enthusi astic face .

In h er left h and sh e holds th e lil ies which re

“
2

1 SDomeni co Siena
.
, .

2
Th e n ame C ath arine i t Will b e rememb ered , is fr
, om th e G k ree

K at/zaros , to
wh ich h as th e same signifi ca i n as th e lil y , p i ty
u r .
 ’

TH E LILY OF THE SAINTS 23 1

p r es ent t h e aust ere virtu es O f a mon astic life .

She is th e most distinguish ed woman who wore

th e v eil an d Sinc e She is almost invari ably repre
,

sented with a lily th e [M um candi dum is some

,

’
tim es c alled S aint Cath arine s lily .

S aint Scholastica of the B enedi ctines and

Saint Clare of the Francisc ans are also usually
depict ed with lilies The last who styled her
.
,

self th e Little Flower O f S aint Francis h as met ,

with great good fortun e at th e h ands of the

p aint ers ; for two at least Simone M artini and ,
2

Luca Signorelli h ave very beautifully mat erial

,
3

iz ed h er sweetness and humility .

Pictures which represent the mystic es

o u s als o f any nun usu ally hav e th e lily as a
p
det ail .

Chief among the monks who carry the flower

is S ai nt Dominic H e was a Spani ard and h ad
.

all th e chivalrous Sp anish devotion to the

person of the Virgin It was h e who arranged .

th e ros ary an d instituted it as a religious ex er

cise H e founded a community of preach ers
.

for th e conversion o f h eretics which afterwards ,

M au riz io M il an o
'

Luini , S . , .
3
S Francesc
.
, Assisi .
232 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
developed i nto th e great DomImcan order .

Th e great aim of his life was t o gu ard the purity

of th e C atholic faith an d to thi s en d h e hunted
,

forth th e Albigenses with hi s hounds of the Lord

— th e Domi ni canes H e is rewarded with th e
.

lily which in hi s picture by B elli ni has a Singu

, ,
‘

larly rigid stem .

During th e thirteenth fourt eenth and ,

fifteenth c enturi es s ainted monks were com

p ar ativ ely r ar e ly p aint ed pr e f er e
,
nc e b eing
given to the more picturesque figu res of the early
m artyrs who suffered under Roman p ersecutions .

But the earliest to app ear and the most fre ,

q u ently s ee n ,
is S aint D ominic Duccio. di
Buoni nsegna puts him b eside th e M adonn a;
O rcagna p ainted hi m among th e h appy souls
in th e Paradi se of S anta M aria Novella And .

th e reason why h e rath er th an th e oth er great

,

founders Should app ear in h eavenly groups is

,

n ot th e fi n e reli ef o f hi s bl ack h abit among th e

a gowns of t h ang ls but b c a us e hi s order

g y e e e,

sp ent their gold on p ainted decorations at a

time wh en th e Franciscans vowed to poverty , ,

an d th e B enedictines devot ed to th e m aking

,

1
Nati onal Gallery Lond o n , .
23 4 FLORAL SY MBOLISM
Another b earer of th e lily is he

Wh om Mary s charms ’

Emb elli sh d as the

’
,
su n th e mo rni ng star

S aint B ern ard of Clairvaux .

Though Opposing the doctrine O f the Im

m aculat e Conception o f th e Virgin he h ad a ,

very speci al devotion to the Moth er of Christ .

M any of his s ermons c alled by H enault

,

C hefs d aenvre d e senti ment et d e force c elebrate

’

h er p erfections and in p articular the famous

, , ,

seri es of s ermons upon th e Bride of the Song O f

Solomon .

It is s aid th at it was his love for the lily

“

o f th e vall eys which so impress ed the lily form

upon the archi tecture O f his order for again an d ,

agaIn I n th e Gothic ston e work O f the Cisterc ian

-

abb eys lily work is found .

Th e lily it may b e remarked is given to

, ,

those s aints in holy orders who were pious from

th eir earli est youth and not to those who had
p ass ed a gay time in the world b efore conversion .
 THE VINE

TH E princip al of the allegorical fruits is the vine .

It is one of the most ancient emblems of Christ ,

and is founded upon His Own words I am th e ,

V Ine ye are th e branch es

’
, .

It is s een in the C at acombs on early Christian

,

s arcoph agi and in the early mos aics always as

, ,

the emblem of Christ or O f His Church A .

fruiting vine very b eautifully expresses a p er

fect life rich with th e fruits O f th e spirit and even ,

were the analogy not suggested by Christ s own

“
’

s
words it is possible that Christians would h ave
,

s een In the tree wh enc e comes th e s acramental

Wine emblem of the holy blood a lik eness to
, ,

Him who Shed that blood .

Where the cross th e Sacred mo nogram or

,

th e fi gure of Christ Hims elf is introduc ed th e ,

vine takes a secondary place as emblem of the

Christi an Church and taken I n this s ense the
,

symbolism adm its of some compli c atio n twelve ,

235
236 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
bunches of grapes typi fying the twelve Apostles ,

an d birds among th e branch es Christian souls .

O ne example among many o f its decorative

and symbolic al u se is on th e gravestone o f Saint

Cummian an Irish bishop who di ed a monk

, ,

at Bobbio about th e mid dl e of th e eighth c entury .

Two vine branch es Spring from the holy ch alice

’

an d form a bord er o f oval ar ab esques one oval ,

enclosing fruit and leav es th e next framing a ,

star altern ately At the top wh ere the two

.
,

branch es almost m eet are two doves standing

,

on eith er side of th e holy monogram .

The vin e is the Christi an Church springing ,

from th e ch alice of Christ s blood ; the fruit ’

represents th e good works of the righteous ; th e

st ars which Shine through the branch es Christi an
hope Th e doves by the convention O f th e
.
,

C atacombs signi fy departed Christian souls

,

adoring Christ who is repres ent ed by th e anci ent

,

star monogram formed of the two Greek letters

, ,

I l ota and !
!
, Chi enclosed in the circle which
,

is th e symbol O f eternity Th e gravestone was.

ex ecut ed by order o f King Lui tp ran d and by , ,

an O versight n ot uniqu e among Christi an m arbles

before the twelfth century the border h as been ,

23 8 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
beautiful d esign of th e P elican in its Piety among
grap es and vine leaves b ehi nd the figure of God
th e Fath er King of H eaven in Hub ert v an
, ,

Eyck s magnificent al tar

’
Th e Adoration of ,

th e Lam
Bottic elli wh o h andl ed symbols with a depth
,

of s entiment unknown to art b efore paints ,

grap es with a di fferent signific ance For him .

grapes like the Euch aristic wine are the symbol

, ,

o f th e Holy Blo od and in one O f the most,

b eautiful and unaffected O f all his pictures 2

an angel standing b eside the Infant Christ

, ,

holds grapes and corn ears symbols of the ,

s acrific e O f His death .

Th e North ern symbolists also took clustering , ,

grap es to h ave th e s ame value as th e Euch aristic

wine as an emblem of Christ s blood This is
‘
’
.

clearly seen in a t ap estry of th e fourteenth

c entury formerly in the Spitz er Collection
, .

Th e Infant Christ s eated between th e Virgin

,

an d S aint J os eph press es with His h ands the

,

j uice O f a bunch o f purple grapes into a ch alic e .

Anoth er Fl emish tap estry o f th e s ame p eriod ,

which was also in the s ame collection depicts ,

Ghent Cath d al Coll ction Ga d in B ton

e r . e r er, os .
 THE VINE 23 9

the Holy Family with Saint Anne M ary from .

,

whom the S aviour received His hum an blood ,

h ands to h er Son the grapes which H e crush es

till th e wine drops down into the cup .

But the cluster of grapes whi ch s everal o f

t h e Flemish artists plac e in the hand of th e
Infant Christ seems to b e not only th e emblem
o f th e holy blood but a
, lso I n some sort the
, ,

antith esis of th e apple as th e fruit O f red emption ,

whi ch in th e h and of th e s econd Adam replac es

th e frui t of th e Fall .

In a picture by Mabuse ins crib ed Verus

,

th e
’ I
D eus et Homo : c asta mater et Virgo ,

Virgin o ffers a bunch of grap es to the Infant

Christ who holds a quince foresh adowing th at
, ,

H e shoul d exch ange th e fruit of Eden by whi ch ,

all men di ed for the fruit of redemption by

, ,

whi ch they shall b e s aved and this substitution

,

o f th e fruit o f th e vine for the apple o f Ed en

b ecame in the North a rath er favourite vari a

tion of the symboli sm O f the fruit of the Tree
o f Knowledge of Good and Evil .
 THE FRU IT OF THE TREE OF
KNOWLEDGE

TH E Scriptures give no indication whatever as

to the siz e shape or colour of the Fruit of th e
,

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which

grew I n the midst of Eden and it has been , .

variously interpreted Adam is depicted with

.

an apple a p ear a quinc e a fig ac cording to

, , , ,

th e individual opinion of th e p ainter Milton .

took th e tree to b e an apple :

oo
A g dl y tree
Laden with fruit of fairest c olours mix t
Ru ddie an d g ld o
Sh arp d esrre I had
Of tasting th o se fair apples
’
.
1

And th e maj ority of artists h ave chosen that

fruit It grew in every part of Europe and
.
, ,

exc ept th e ch erry it was almost th e only culti

,

v ated fruit in G erm any an d the N eth erlands .

Parad i se Last .

24 0
2 42 FLORA L SYMBOLISM
all d ie ,
e ven so in Christ shall all be made
alive
’
.

But in the early inst ances o f a fruit in the

Christ Chi ld s h and it does not appear to b e
-
’

definitely the death giving apple of Eden It -

.

is fruit of P aradise a deli ght promised to th e

,

bless ed which the King O f H eaven brings down

with Him to earth .

In th e early school of Siena as we h ave ,

already s een th e li ttl e Christ was still th e Roy al

,

Infant still trailing clouds of glory untouched

, ,
’

by sh adow of suffering and usually b earl ng In ,

His h and some indi c ation of His high estate .

Often His h and was rais ed in blessing sometimes ,

H e h eld a lily of P aradise .

On an early fourteenth century p an el in the -

m anner of th e Lorenz etti in Siena Academy , ,

th e Child holds a fruit but it is n ot clearly d e ,

fin ed In one Of S ano di Pietro s most attractive

.
’

works however which is dat ed 1 444 th e Child

,
‘
, , ,

Seated on th e Virgin s kn ee holds a golden

’

o range with its foli age To His right and le ft .

are s aints and clos e around th ere are six ang els
,

crown ed with blue corn flowers and c arrying ros es -

Bell A ti Siena e r , .
 FRUIT OF TREE OF KNOWLEDGE 2 43

and lili es No attempt is made to realiz e earthly

.

con d itions ; th e glowing scene is set in H eaven ,

an d th e littl e Lord of H eav en holds in His h and

a c elestial fruit j ust one of such fruits as hang

,

’
upon the trees in Giovanni di P aolo s P aradise ’
.

In anoth er picture by S ano di Pietro the ,

2

Child (p erh aps th e most ch arming Bambi no

ever p aint ed in Si en a) holds in His h and a bun c h

of ch erri es .

Ch erries p ainted more th an once within th e

,

tiny h and by S ano di Pi etro are always taken ,

as th e delicious fruit Like th e lilies of the

.

earli er P aradis es th ey typify th e delights of

th e bless ed and in G erm an art p articularly th ey

,

are p aint ed O ft en as th e p eculi ar fruit of H eaven .

Th ey are n ever t aken as the Fruit o f th e Tree of

Knowledge of Good and Evil an d th erefore , ,

at least in th e early Si enese school this fruit ,

h eld by th e Infant Christ would seem to b e the

fruit of P aradise .

In Northern art in the work of the French ,

ivory cutters and p articularly in the work Of

,

Memling and of those artists influenc ed by him ,

th e appl e t akes prec edenc e of all oth er symbols

Belle Ar i , Sien a t .
2 44 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
in th eChrist Child s h and North ern theo
-
’
.

logl ans studying th e Old Test ament c arefully

, ,

and deeply int erest ed in typ es and anti typ es -

saw in Ad am th e typ e O f Christ Th e Bi bli a .

Paupernm origin ally designed with th e in ten

,

tion of t eaching th e faith to th e unlettered ,

served as a p attern book for st ained glass and

-

oth er ecclesi astical decoration from th e ninth

century onwards E ach page is divided into
.

three sections In th e centre is a scene from

.

the life of Christ ; in th e s ections on eith er side

is a scene from Old Testament Hist ory Showing ,

some incident in the lives of those men who are

‘

considered to b e types of Christ which fore ,

shadowed some act of the Redeemer And .

chief of th ese typ es is Adam Therefore in the .

North ern Church the idea of J esus Christ as

th e s econd Adam was famili ar an d th e fruit in , ,

His h and was p erfectly understood as a symbol .

M eml ing wh o if h e di d not Origin ate th e symbol

, ,

ism o f th e apple of Eden made it famous by ,

const ant rep etition on his magnificently ex e

outed p an els usually treats it quite simply
,
.

Th e apple is th e symbol of the Fall an d theta ,

fore of the world s sin which Christ accepts as

.
’

,
 FRU IT OF TREE OF KNO WLEDGE 2 45

His o wn
In the fine ex ample at Ch atsworth
.
,

th e Infant Christ with o ne hand pointing to

,

th e book O f proph ecy t akes with th e oth er th e

,

appl e h eld by an att end ant angel But one .

p ainting by M emling is esp eci ally interesting

I
,

since it links togeth er th e two symbols the fruit ,

o f h eavenly bliss an d th e fruit of M an s red em

’

p
tion Th e Child sits up on His moth er s knee
.
’
,

and in one h and clutch es ch erri es the fruit of ,

P aradis e H e seems however on th e p omt o f

.
, ,

relinquishing th em t o take the apple from the

angel s h and as H e relinquish ed heavenly joy
’

to t ake upon Himself th e sin of th e world .

Meanwhile the p ainters of Florence Fra ,

Angelico N eri di Bicci Filippo Lippi and

, ,

Botticelli h ad p ainted the Child with the pome

,

granate and it is not very clear wh eth er they

,

h eld to the Sienese symbolism or symp athiz ed

w l th th e North ern tra di tion
But it w as pro b .

ably th e fruit O f Eden for in all oth er points ,

th e Florentines h ad br o ken with the Byzantin e

co nventions and the Child was for th em no
,

longer the Royal Child richly clo th ed an d ,

dignified in gesture but H e was a little n aked

,
2 46 FLO RAL SYMB O LISM
human baby born into th e world to rep air as
, ,

th e s econd Adam the old Adam s fault Th at ’

, .

H e is th e S aviour rather th an the King is p ar

, ,

ticul arly emph asiz ed by Bottic elli wh o s eldom ,

fails even though it b e only by th e forebo di ng

,
‘

in the g rey eyes o f th e ang els to gi ve some hint ,

of the coming tragedy .

On the oth er hand it may b e p oS sib le th at

th e p aint ers of Florenc e in th e fifteenth c entury

h ad h arked b ack t o anoth er source for th eir
symbolism an d h ad taken th e imagery of S aint
__

Gregory the Great wh o used the pomegranate

,

as th e emblem o f th e Christian Church b ec aus e

o f th e inn er uni ty o f countless s eeds in one and

th e s ame fruit
’
But in later Italian art as
.
,

in all the North ern countri es and in modern

Church symbolism the fruit most usually th e
, ,

apple which is in th e hand of th e Infant Christ

, ,

is the fruit of redemption as the apple of Adam ,

was th e fruit O f damn ation .

Foll owing th e s ame analogy the Virgin is ,

regarded as the second Ev e the s econd universal ,

mother who through her Son is to rep air the

, , ,

fault Of the first .

The symbolists of the thirteenth century

24 8 FLORAL SY MBOLISM
released soul s Ev e holding th e apple whi ch
, ,

h as th e marks of h er t eeth still upon it .

In the h and O f Mary it is again the apple of

redemption but it is th e fruit of the Fall when
,

it is b etween th e j aws o f th e s erp ent or dragon ,

which she at her Assumption treads under foot

, , .

In Itali an art the apple is less O ften found

in th e Madonna pictures but th e ancient analogy ,

was not forgotten On th e predell a Of Lorenzo

.

di Cred i s Annunci ation

’
th ere are three I

ex quISIte littl e sc en es from th e life of Ev e and ,

Vas ari introduces th e Tree of th e Knowledge of

Good and Evil into his Conception o f th e
Virgin painted in 1 5 40 Vasari describes it
,
’
.

himself
The Tree of th e Origin al Sin was repres ented
in the c entre of the painting and at the roots ,

th ereof were plac ed nude figures of Adam and

E ve bound as b eing th e first transgress ors O f
,

G od s comm nds To h princip l br nch s

’
a t e . a a e

th ere were also bound Abraham Is aac J acob , , ,

Moses Aaron J oshua David and th e rest of

, , ,
'

t h e kings law givers etc

,
according to th eir
-

, .
,

s eniority all fastened by both arms excepting

, ,
a rti n S c h Q ng a u e r

A DA M H E LL
2 50 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
It was thus th at Vas ari united in one picture
the two univers al moth ers th e physical an d ,

th e spiri tual and his all egory was typic al of

,

th e mysticism of his day for h e tells us ,

th at being doubtful as to the d ue treatment

,

o f th e subj ect h e and his p atron

,
Messer ,

Bindo took counsel with such Of our commo n

,

fri ends as were men of letters and Vasari s ’ ’ ’

fri ends included the fi ne flower of Itali an

int ellect .

The picture which is a good deal darkened

,

by time and less interesting th an the d escrip

,

tion leads one to expect is still in its original ,

plac e in the Church of SS Apostoli in .

Florence .

In some pictures p articularly those showi ng

,

th e influence of M emli ng an attendant ang el ,

holds th e apple holding it ready till the time

,

sh all come when the Infant S aviour with grow ,

ing consciousness of His mission holds forth His ,

h and to take it .

But th ere are various Holy Families

o f th e early G erm an school in which S aint Anne

1
Joo s v an Cl eev e, R oyal Gall er y
, Brussels ; Wolf t
Tran ,

Nati on al Mu seum Mu nich

, .
 FRUIT OF TREE OF KNO WLEDGE 25 1

sits holding the apple It s eems strange th at .

sh e should but it is to b e rememb ered th at in

,

Germ an popular religion and in German art

Saint Anne holds an important place Altars .

were O ften dedic ated to her an d the holy family ,

might in a manner b e c alled h er attribute

, ,
.

Frequently S aint Anne and the Virgin are

depicted s eated on one s eat app arently with ,

e qu al poss essive rights over the Holy Child .

wh o st ands between them There is also th at .

strange allegoric al conception usually styled

M utter A nna selb dri it wh ere S aint Anne sits
-

,
’

with th e Infant Christ on one k nee and th e

Child Virgin on the oth er She was th e Virgin s
-
.
’

nearest blood relation and if th e Virgin was

-

without sin it was Anne born In sin but the

, ,

Moth er O f His Moth er wh o most n early con ,

n ec ted th e inc arn at e Godh ead with th e erring

human race It was p erh aps fitting th erefore

.
, ,

th at She representing Sinful humanity Shoul d

, ,

Offer to the S aviour th e fruit of th e Fall which ,

in His h and woul d b ecome th e fruit of Red emp

tion At other times it is M ary who hold s the
.

fruit but Offering it to th e Saviour who raises

, ,

His h and to take it She as th e second Eve .

, ,
252 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
plac es in His h and the apple by which m ankind
is to b e redeemed not lost Since sh e by giving
, , ,

Him a human body h ad made th at redemption

,

possible .

In the Corsini Gallery th ere is a picture

I
.
,

attribut ed t o Hugo v an d er Go es in which ,

Moth er and Child hold each a frui t At first .

sight it s eems as if it were a p res entment in

o ne picture of Christ as th e second Adam and ,

M ary as th e second Ev e with a doubling of th e

,

symbolism of th e apple which would b e illogic al .

But the frui t h eld by M ary is distinctly a p ear ,

that h eld by Christ apparently an apple The .

artist h as th erefore discrimin ated b etween th e

, ,

appl e o f damnation an d th e sweet er m ellow er ,

fruit which may b e th e symbol of Red emption

, ,

for th e Holy Child s eems to b e in th e act o f

e xch anging on e for th e oth er .

This may possibly also explain th e thought

in th e mind O f th e French ivory cutters of th e -

fourteenth century for th ey too not infre

, , ,

quently plac ed a small roun d fruit resembling

,

an apple in th e h and of th e Infant Christ an d

a l arg er p ear shap ed fruit in th at of His moth er

-

Fl o n
1
re ce.
2 54 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
home to commemorate the birth o f Christ It .

is th e Tree of Eden which Christ by His birth ,

and death transmut ed into a tree of P aradis e .

Th e apple is th e most usual fruit in the h and

o f th e Infant Christ but some Flemish p aint ers
,
‘

of th e early sixt eenth c entury give Him grap es

instead The grapes symbolize th e divine blood

.

’
by which soul s lost through Adam s fall are re
1
d eemed Gerard D avid puts a cluster of white
.

grap es in the tiny h and Lucas v an Leyden white 2

grap es also with leaves and t endrils an d in an

3
oth er picture Luc as v an Leyden places th e apple
an d th e grap es togeth er upon th e bro ad ledge in
th e foreground In this last th ere is the s ame
.

idea of exch ange which is found more clearly

express ed in th e picture by M abus e at B erlin .

This substitution of the fruit Of th e v 1ne for

the apple of Eden s eems onl y to b e found in
th e N eth erlands In a very beautiful picture
.

by Botticelli th e grap es h eld by the angel h ave

,

a simpler m eani ng Th ey with th e corn are

.
, ,

t h e di rect emblems of th e body and th e blood

o f th e S aviour and foret ell th e coming s acrific e
,

1
Museu m R ou en , .Alte Pin ak oth ek Muni ch , .

Kai ser Fried ri ch Mus eu m B erlin , .

 FRUIT OF TREE OF KNO WLE DGE 255

of His death ; symbolism is identic al with

th e
th at of the embroidered vine leaves and wheat -

ears o f so m any modern alt ar front als

‘
.

Very O ften as upon the facade O f Orvieto

,

C ath edral the fig tree is t aken as the Tree of

,
-

Temptation for it might b e argued our first

, , ,

p arents would take to make th emselves garments

th e leaves of th e tree n earest to th eir h and th e ,

leaves of th at s ame tree o f whose fruit th ey h ad

j ust eaten .It is possible th at the erotic Sig
nificance which th e fig h ad among th e anci ents

was also considered in this connection and it ,

is probably b ec ause of its classical associ ations

th at the fig was never placed in the h and of th e
Infant S aviour .

Except as th e forbidden fruit th e fig is not

found in Itali an or Flemish ecclesi astical art ,

but in Germ any th ere app ears to h ave b een no

prej udice against it It is painted frequently
.

in the M adonna pictures A small fig—tree over .

shadows the cot o f the Infant Christ in a picture

by M atthi as Grii newald H ans Burgk mair 3 4

1
Th e Chigi M ad onna , Coll tion
ec Gard ener, Bo to n s .

W Menz el Chri stli che Symaol i k Mu seu m Co lma

3
.
, . . r.
German Mu seu m N iiremb u rg
, .
256 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
p aints it with th e rose the iris th e columbine and
, ,

oth er attribut es O f th e Virgin ; H ans Holbein 1

th e Younger s ets his S aint Ursula against a

fi g tree ; an d it is th e only growing thing in
-

t rod u ced in his b est known work th e beautiful

-

M adonn a of the Bii rgomeister Meyer .

”

Th ese fi g trees unlike th e b arren fi g tree of

-

,
-

Scripture always bear fruit and app ear to b e

,

th e symbols of a holy life rich with th e frui ts of

th e Spirit .

1 Ku nsth alle Karlsruh e

, . o y
R yal Gall er , Dresd en .
2 58 F LORAL SYMBOLISM
h ave th e identical position in an Enthroned
Madonna by Lorenzo d a San S everino .
’

As th e grouping of thes e two fruits is so in

sistently rep eat ed th ere is reason to think th at it

was no ch ance arrangement Th e painter s eems

.

t o att ach some definite meaning to th en j uxt a

position and since not Crivelli only but also
, ,

Francia and Lorenz o d a San S everi no p lac e them ,

together and well forw ard in the picture where

‘

th e ey e c annot miss th em th ey are app arently re,

cogni z ed symbols not the whim of a single painter

, .

Th e apple is prob ably h ere as elsewhere

, , ,

th e fat al fru it of Eden and th e gourd may re ,

present the frui t whi ch is to b e the antidote in ,

th e same s ense that th e grap e is occ asion ally

used by painters of the early Flemish schoo l .

In this c as e th e gourd would repres ent th e Re

surrection and be the revival o f a very ancient
symbol which h as an interesting history Among .

th e wall paintings O f th e C atacombs the story

o f J onah is ve ry repeatedly found H e is t aken.

as th e typ e o f th e ris en Christ since Christ ’

,

1
N ati onal Gall y er .

F a Jona was thr d ays and thr ni gh ts in th

or s s ee ee e

W hal s b ll y ; s sh all t h e Son o f M an b e thr d ays an d th

’
e e o ee ree

ni gh ts i n th h a t f t h earth
e e r o ( M att xii
e . .
 TH E GOURD 2 59

Himself answering the Ph aris ees mad e the

, ,

comparison H e is repres ented both as b eing

.

c ast up by the fish and in the ensuing in ,

cid ent of his histo ry reposing under th e gourd

,

on the east side of th e city o f Nineveh Th e .

first subj ect b eing cert ainly grotesque it bec ame ,

more usual to depict him beneath th e boo th

covered with long Sh aped gourds and his sleep
-

ing figure ( usually with the legs crossed ) is found

constantly both among th e C atacomb p aintings
and on fragments of the early Christi an gilded
glass Above him there is always the same
.

pergola like booth with the h anging gourds

-
.

One small d isk o f gold ornament ed C at ac omb

-

glass h as upon it the usual gourd but b elow

1
, ,

place of J onah th ere is a large fish ( Ichthys )

,
,
,

an emblem of Christ dating from th e second

c entury Thus th e type of Christ h as b een re
.

placed by His emblem but the gourd by asso

, ,

ci ati on symbol of His Resurrec tion remains , .

Therefore in th ese pictures by Cri velli the

apple would b e th e symbol of our d eath by th e

act of Ad am and th e gourd of our R esurre ction

,

by the act of the second Adam J esus Christ , .

Vati an Mus m c eu .
2 60 FLORAL S Y MBOLISM
In a picture of the Fall painted in 1 5 70 by
,

Floris Francesco of Antw erp } Adam Sits upon

th e ground while Eve o ffers him an apple from
th e tree
. On the earth beside Adam lies a very
large gourd This gourd may onl y e xemplify
.

the fruitfulness of Eden or it may b e anoth er

,

example O f th e antith etical u se of this symbol

.

1 U ffi i Flo
z nce
re .
,
2 62 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
would b e no p articular reason to think th at the
artists of t h e Quattro cento meant more th an
Simply to in di c at e som e h eavenl y frui t Wh en they
placed th e pomegranate in the h and Of the Child
Christ. In accordance with th e Byz antine
tradi ti on to whi ch Siena held th ey regarded
,

Him as th e Royal Child come to earth with

Heavenly gi fts in His h and ; th ey ha d not yet
adopt ed th e symbolism of th e North which saw ,

in th e Infant Christ the second Adam holding ,

the fruit o f th e Tree O f Knowledge o f Good

an d Evil though indeed Bottic elli wh o almost
, ,

always gives some indi c ation of coming sorrow

in Christ s childhood s eems to h ave found some
’
,

sad inn er meaning in th e symbol .

But in Dante s h and th e fruit could not b e

’

th e frui t of Paradi se an d it may th erefore h ave

,

some furth er meaning even wh en h eld by the

Inf ant S aviour .

Walter P ater writes : The mystical fruit ,

which bec ause of the multitude of its seeds was

to the Romans as ymb ol of fecundi ty to the
middl e age b ecame a symbol of th e fruitful earth
itself ; and th en of th at oth er seed sown in the
dark underworld ; and at last of the whole
 o
B t t ic elli
P o o og
h l Br i

TH E CHILD W I TH THE P O M E G RA N ATE SU R RO U N D E D BY

AN GE L S W I TH L L I E S A N D RO SE G AR L A N D S
I -

( U ffi z i G al le ry, F lorenc e)

To f a ce pag e 262
2 64 FLOR AL SYMBOLISM
But possibly th e authority followed by the
masters of th e Quattrocento or by those ,
’

churchmen who gave th em thei r commissions ,

was Gregory the Great for h e s ays : Th e pome

,

gran ate is th e emblem of congregations b ec ause

\
o f its m any s eeds : also emblem O f th e Christian

Church b ecause of the inn er unity of countless

seeds in one and the same fruit .

Foll owing this interpret ation the pome ,

granate wh en c arried by Dante or any other

,

being of mortal birth would indic ate his faith

"

in the Holy Catholic Church .

In North ern art th e pomegran at e is very

rare Th e Flemish artists ignore it and thos e
.
,

few G erm an artists who p aint it are thos e who

h ad come under Itali an influence And it does .

not seem entirely clear wh ether those German

artists wh o ,
like H ans Bu rgk mair p aint it ,
‘

in th e Infant Christ s h and give to the Southern

’

fruit th e So uth ern signi ficanc e or if for th em ,

it b ecomes th e frui t O f Eden in th e h and of th e

second Adam .

In sc enes representing di fferent events in

th e life O f Christ tr ees of pom egranat es are
,

1
German Museum N iiremb urg
, .
 TH E P OMEGRANATE 2 65

occasionally introduced Giovanni di Paolo sets .

th e N ativity in an orch ard o f pomegranates

I
,

a nd in a Florentine picture O f th e fourteenth

century the newly risen Christ is surrounded

2
-

by palms pomegranates and flowers Th ese

,
.

pomegranates however do not seem to b e used

, ,

attributively but merely to give some Slight

geographi c al indication B ethlehem was an .

E astern city ; th e tomb of Christ was in an

E astern garden .

Th e pomegranate is also th eoretic ally th e , ,

emblem o f th e Virgin In the symbolism O f .

th e cult o f M ary th e rip e pomegranat e b ec ause

, ,

o f its pleasant fragranc e and its numerous

s eeds represents h er beauty and many virtues
’

, ,

but the gradually developing fruit refers to h er -

pom egranat e with its crowned t op Is

Th e
h er as queen and typifies also hope and fruit
,

fulness th e ,Virginit as fecunda of the octave

o f Christmas
’
4
.

1 Vatican Gall er y . Ibi d 3

.

8
Dr Anselm Sal z er, O S E Di e Sz nné z laer and Bei worte
.
’
. .
’ ’

M artens i n d e r deu tsclz en L i teratu r and l am i n ae/zen Hymn m

Mrs H enry J enner, C hri sti an Symboli sm .

2 66 FLORAL SYMB OLISM
J eremy Tavlor in a beautiful p assage; d e
,

scrib es M ary as the pomegranate tree and Christ

as th e fruit .

When th e Holy Virgin now perceived that

th e exp ect ation of th e n ations was arrived at
th e very doors o f revel ation an d entranc e int o
th e world sh e brought forth th e H oly jesu s
, ,

wh o lik e light through a transp arent glass

, ,

p ast through or a rip e pomegranate from a

,

fruitful tree fell to th e earth without doing

, ,

violence to its nurse and p arent .

’

In art however the pomegranate is very

, ,

s eldom used as th e attribute of the Virgi n .

Occ asionally th e Florentine masters orn ament

th e Virgin s thron e with knobs which more or
’

less res emble the fruit and Flemish artists , ,

Memling in particular place b ehind her abroc aded

,

panel of th e well known pomegranate design

-
.

But th ese pomegranate knobs were a very usual

detail in c arved work and th e pomegranate ,

p attern whi ch still p ersists was a standard

, ,

design of the Silk weavers of France and -

Th e frui t its elf is not used by th e olde

r

m ast ers Even Crivelli who lavish es fruit of

.
,
 XX III

THE STRAWBERRY

TH E strawb erry stands apart from all oth er

symbolical fruits It I s found in It ali an
.
,

Flemish and German art and also in th e English ,

mini atures There is a fi nely executed Sp anish

.
-

miniature of th e Sixteenth century in South

-

K ensington Museum Th e Pelic an In h er Piety .

is in th e centre and th e border is formed of roses

alt ern ating with strawb erri es AS a symbol .

it is not only widespread but of comp aratively ,

early origin In Si ena it appears as a flower of

.

H eaven growing with lili es violets an d c am a

, ,

tions in th e P aradise of Giovanni di Paolo

,

p ainted in 1 445 ; and almost at th e same tirne

I
, ,

a m ast er of th e Upp er Rhin e p aint ed th e well

known M adonna of th e Strawb erri es which ,

repres ents th e Virgin Sitting upon th e edge of a

1 Bel l e Arti , Siena .
1
T wn o Museu m Solo th u rn
, .

2 68
 TH E STRAWBERRY 26
9

rais ed b ed filled with exquisit ly rendered straw

e -

b erries B ehind is a h edge of roses and at her

.
,

feet violets an d lilies of the valley In the fore .

ground is a small figure of the donor kneeling

among tufts O f snowdrops The snowdrop is .

rare a s a symbol ( though by no means misplac ed

in a M adonna picture h aving all the qualities

, ,

exc ept th e p erfume of th e lily of the valley )

, ,

an d it was probably th e I n di vidu a l fancy of

th e donor .

Th e strawb erry is not m entioned in Scripture ,

neith er does it seem to h ave b een remarked by

those Fath ers of the Church who concerned
th emselves with symbolism but it was very ,
‘

succ essful in its app eal to th e artists O f th e

Ren aissance It is a very p erfect fruit with

.
,

neither thorns nor stone but sweet soft and

, ,

delicious through and through Its flowers .

are of th e whiteness o f innocenc e an d its leaves

almost of the sacred trefoil form an d Since it ,

grows upon the ground not on a tree th ere is no

, ,

possibility of its b eing th e dread fruit Of the

‘

Tree of Knowledge .

Its meaning always appears to b e the s ame ;

it is th e symbol O f perfect righteousn ess or the ,
2 70 FLORAL SYMBOLISM
emblem of the righteous man whose fruits are
good works .

As the symbol of p erfect righteousness in ,

’
It aly it is chi efly used ‘in Adorations wh ere
\
,

th e Infant Christ i s laid upon th e ground

among th e gr ass Bottic elli seems to h ave
.

b een the first to h ave placed it among

th e violets an d d aisi es but h e had m any
,

followers and a very charming picture with

, ,

the little sc arlet b erri es in th e foreground ,

is the Adoration by P erugino now in ,

Munich . Botticelli may however h ave b or

, ,

rowed the symbol from Giovanni di Paolo ,

I

wh o p aint ed a small minutely finished picture -

of th e Virgin ,seated on a cushion with ,

th e Holy Child in her arms B ehind .

are fruit trees and strawb erri es violets ,

and c arn ations are at h er feet an d ,

Sinc e it was usual in Siena in pictures ,

wh ere th e Infant S aviour app ears to refer ,

all symbols to Him the y are His attribut es

, .

In German art of th e fifteenth c entury ,

on th e oth er h and th e symboli cal plants

, ,

including the strawberry which app ears in ,

Bell A ti Si n a
1 e r , e .
 XX IV

FRU IT IN GARLANDS

FR U IT in general signi fi es the fruits of th e

Spirit j oy p eace and love
—
,
And therefore
th e p ainters of North ern It aly wove p each and
plum apples and grap es into h eavy garlands
, ,

which they loop ed above the place where the

Holy Child sat enthroned upon His mother s ’

kn ee or they laid fresh rip e fru it upon the step

, ,

’
wh ere the Virgin s feet were resting .

Th e wreath of fruit wh en festooned b ehind

,

or b elow a s aint was more p artic ul arly a symbol

,

of the good works o f the righteous ; when loop ed

above his h ead it is a fest al wreath equalli ng th e
,

V ictor s crown
’
Such a wreath is th at of mi ngled
.

fruit and flowers above th e h ead of Mantegn a s ’

Triumph ant Saint George .

But th e fruit in many O f th e devotional

pictures of th e earlier Veneti an masters would
Accad mi a V ni
1
e , e ce .

2 7 2
 FRUIT IN GARLAN DS 2 73

s eem like the rose gardens of Florence to b e

, ,

p artly votive They wished to give of th eir

.

b est and the cool fruit which came in high

,

piled boats to the gardenless city among the

lagoons seemed infinitely precious to th em
more precious for th ey were a practic al rac e of
,

traders th an the fragile blossoms O f eph emeral

,

floW ers B esides except for pinks which

.
, , ,

j udging from various pictures grew then as now ,

in pots along th e b alconies flowers to serve as ,

models were rare in Venice .

Garlands of fruit exc ellently modelled but

,

somewh at wanting in softness and bloom are ,

esp eci ally rem ark able in th e work O f th e pupils

O f Squarcione who taught in P adua during the

,

last h alf of the fifteenth century This famous .

School of Art is known to h ave b een well

furnished with ancient marbles of Greek and
.

Roman origin and it is to b e supposed that there

,

th e pupils acquired a love for the cl assic al

‘

Man té gna s wreaths and

’
festooned wreath .
,

those in th e earli er work O f Crivelli are firmly ,

bound and form al But later Crivelli laid.

,

class1c1sm aside p ainting fruit with a freedom

,

and profusion which is quit e his own though ,

S
2 74 FLO RAL SYMBOLISM
there is ever the feeling that it is scul ptured
and coloured stone not soft and p erfumed ,

fruit flesh
-
H e in one picture paints fruit
.
, ,

decoratively bound with its foli age into a

,

sort of bower for the Virgin placeé it sym , .

b olically in th e hand of the Infant Christ ,

an d also lays it as a voti ve o ffering at the

’
Virgin s feet .
I

In a pi cture by Giorgio Schi avone anoth er ,

pupil Of Squarcione odd little angels o ffer dish es ,

of fruit to the Infant Christ ”

.

But except in North ern Italy fruit in gar

, ,

lands was more used in decoration th an in

devotion al pictures M agnificent wreaths of .

carved stone fruit and foli age droop on either

,

side of the great circular windows of Sien a

Cathedral ; there are h eavy painted wreaths o f
it b eneath the figures O f the Apostles in the
ch ap el of the Vatic an dec orated byEra Angelico ; .

and th e D ella R obb ias enclos ed some O f th eir

most lovely works with apples p ears lemons , , , ,

pine cones and pomegranates growing stiffly

-

and b eauti fully into a symmetric al border .

Fruit forms were indeed infinitely b etter suited

-

, ,

a M il an N atio nal Gall ry Lo nd on

2
l B rer , . e , .
2 76 FLO RAL S Y MB O LISM
hangs above the enthroned Emp eror Sigis
mondo Inc1sed upon th e pavement o f Siena
,
’ I

Cath edral ; Th ese wreaths distinguish the

throne as b eing more th an an ordinary s eat ,

but b eyond vaguely in di c ating pomp and

,

Spl endo ur th ey h ave no sp eci al m eaning

, .

1
Do m d i Bar t o lo d A scian o
’
.

Tb e Sacred H eart ( I gtlz Cen tu ry— German )

 T H E P A R A DIS E OF

G IOV A N N I DI P A O L O

N th e G al er n tl y p an l by G i vann i d i Pa l th
of Sie a h ere is a

I
e o o a, e

c nt mp y a d cca i n l a i t ant f th b tt k n wn San d i

o e orar n o s o a ss s o e e er -
o o

Pi t T h p an l w h ic h wa p ai nt d i 14 5 3
e ro . e e ,p nt h La t s e n ,
re re se s t e s

J g
u d m nt a ed n a, t lly
n i t i h,
p t i n f
u rai t w h i c h i g v n t Pa ad i
i , s t e or o O s e o r se ,

t h t i i nt t i ng b ca
a s e re s f i fl w y mb l i m e u se O ts o er s o s .

H av n i d p ict d
e e s a h ll f e i th e15 h c nt y h p ph t
as l , or n e t e ur t e ro e

E d a wa h a t h i ty
s r s s t el d f u d c i pti n f th h av nly
or re Ie on or es r o s o e e e

l nd a d Pa ad i h y h a v n migh ty m nt ain
a ,
n r se , e sa s , whic h s se e ou s on

gro w a
ro sesd l i l i n es .
’
1

A t th mmi t f th h i ll t h
e su i f i t b a ing t
o e f th ere are s x ru -
e r rees , or e

p p h t c nt in
ro e o Sai t h th L d u es ,
‘
I h av anct i fi d a d e or , e s e n

p p a d f th tw l v t l ad n w i t h d i v f ui t
re re or ee e e rees e erse r .
’

Th a i t
e re t tw l v
re s x i t hi p i ct
rees , n o f by a c n v nti n e e, n s ure , o r, o e o

c mm n n gh i a ly t w h h p ac d id t ad mit f a c tain
o o e ou n e r ar , e re t e s e no o er

n mb th at n mb w h al v d
u er, u er as e .

B n th h t
e ea wand th h appy l f wh m th g at
t e rees er e so u s , o o e re er

p a t app a t h v t ak n h ly d wh n i th fl h T h j t
r e r o a e e o or ers e n e es . o se us

arr iv d e w lc m d j y f lly by h n g l
are e o e by f i nd wh h d
o u t e a e s or r e s o a

p c d d th m
re e e e .

O thn g y b nk th
e rass l i l i th ymb l f p i ty ; th
a e re are es , e s o o ur e

c a n ati
r q ll i ng th
o n, e ua th fl w f d i vin l v t h v i l t f
e ro se as e o er o e o e, e o e o

h mi l i ty a d h
u n t awb y wh f it y mb l i th g d w k f
t e s r e rr , o se ru s o ses e oo or s o

th igh t
e r eo u s .

1
I I E sd ras I I
. . 19 I I E sdras I I .
, 18 .
27 8

T h ese v al u e s o f th e fl o w ers as sy mb ol s ; as e mbl e ms t h e y

are t h e

t ran sl ate t his H eav e n as a p erfe ct ed c o u nter p art of t h e C h u rc h u p o n -

E art h fo r s ays Duran d u s c o mme nt in g o n th e t ex t See th e sme ll

,
‘ ’

, ,
‘

of my so n i s as th e sme fi ld w h ic h th L d h th bl d ll Th i
of a e e or a e s se .
’
s

fi ld i th C h c h wh ic h i v d ant w ith fl w w h ic h h in th w it h
e s e ur , s er o e rs , s e

vi t w h ich i f ag ant w i t h g d w k ; a d W h rin b th

r u es , s r r oo or s n e e e e ro se s

o f ma ty th l il i
r f v i gin
rs , h vi l t
e f c nf
es o a d th v dr s, t e o e so o esso rs , n e er u re

o f b gi n e i th fai t h
n e rs F ll w in g th am a t h ity h t
n e a o o e s e u or , t e rees re

e mbl m f igh t e m
s o ic h i g d w k
r eo u s en , r n oo or s
1

S f t h d iff nt a n th fl w i t h i p aint d Pa ad i
o or ree e re re so s e o ers n s e r se

app al d t th d v
e e t T h y h lp t giv a al t ic p ict
o e e ou . f H av n e e o e re is u re o e e ,

p nt in g f m a d c l th d c i pt i n f th p ph t ; th y
rese In or n o ou r e es r o o e ro e e

ex p my t ically th C h i t ian g ac t h y p nt t th i n t ct d
re ss s e r s r es , e re rese , o e s ru e ,

th eband f ma ty th c h i f v i gin d th c ntl h appy

s o r rs , e o rs o r s , an e ou ess

l f w hich th p aint h ad
so u s or p ac e er no s e

T h l i ttl c h i ld i h b
e g w i
e t h w nd p nst h i n c k i
el n d s, ou s u o e r e s or s es

a re th H ly I nn c nt
e TWo cl i mb p th lil i w h ic h a t h i
o e s . O u e es re e r

att b t rl a v i gi n m
u es ty T h gh
s r b pt d h I n c nt
ar incrs . ou un a 'se
,
t e n o e s . s e

t h y d i d f C h i t w p m tt d t nt H av n
e e or r s , e re er i e o e er e e

I n th f g nd am n g th v i l t
e o re ro u b th b a
,
b in g a o e o e s , are are s , e re e n

anc i nt mbl m f a C h i t ian f

e e e nd d p n th w d f T t ll ian
o r s , ou e u o e or s O er u

Up n a w w ha i th h nt l t l
’
9
o u s, s ere e re s , s e u e o os e .

A l th a ly at l i t av
so e e d t h at th b a l pt w i t h hi y
r n u ra s s e rre e re S e s e es

o p n wh nc th p ay f Saint M t ld a
e e e e r er o ec i :

G ant 0 L d t h at l ik
r , th ba orI may w atch f T h i
, , e e re , or ee n

Sp i i t r v n w h i l my b dy t ak i t n d f l p
, e e e o es s ee u re o se .
3

Rat O il of A lta rs .
2
Ad N at 2, 3
tu
. .
. . .
, .

3
Sp i ri al G rac e .
 TH E Q U EEN OF H E AV E N

H U B E R T V A N E Y KE

N th e 6th oft lt p i c p int d by H b t

M ay 1 4 3 2 , ,
th e gre a a ar -
e e a e u er

Eyk nti tl d Th Ad ati n f th M y tic L mb ’

a d Ja a
‘
n n v an e, e e e or o o e s ,

w ct d fi n i h d w k i h C h ch f S B v n i G h nt
as ere e as a s e or n t e ur o . a o n e .

E ach f i t tw ly p n l i t m ly i nt t i ng b th d t il
a o s e a e s s e x re e eres ut e e a

w h ich i m t i mp t nt i c nn ct i n wi t h fl w y mb l i m i th
s os or a n o e o o er s o s s e

c wn f th M d nn M y a Q n f H v n i at d th
ro o e a o a . ar s u ee o ea e , s se e on e

righ t h nd f G d th F at h
a o h h ad i
o ligh tly b w d h
e der, er e s s o e as s e re a s

f m th b k w h i ch h h ld
ro e oo pn s e o s o e .

H c wn i f g ld t with p a l apph i a d b i Ab v
er ro s o o , se e r s, s res !

n ru es . o e

ea ch l g q ar t e by i pl ac d a l ily w it h tw d k bl
s u are c u -
ru s e o ar -
ue

c l mb in at it b
o u A b v th
es pp h i a d lt nat w it h th
s ase . o e e sa re s n a er e e

lil ies, ac h m nt d by t h
are ro ses , e l nd t l k f l ily f th
su r ou e re e s e er s a s o o e

v all y A cl t
e . f d iap h n g ld t
us er o f ma t fa l a o us o s ars or so r o u re o e .

Th y mb l i m f j w l i c mpl ic t d d c n f d v yi ng wi t h
e s o s o e e s s o a e an o u se , ar

d iff nt t h i ti b t h t f fl w i l m t alw ay nch ang d

ere au or es , ut a o o ers s a os s u e .

I n t h i c w th l i l i m
s ro d i d m w h ic h t k
n e th pl ac
u f th g ld n
can u , a es e e o e o e

fl d ly t h t
e u rs -
e nam nt h c wn f a th ly q n ind icat th
-

s a or e t e ro s o e r uee s, es e

p i ty f b dy d f l by wh ich th Vi gi n h ad f nd fav i
ur o o an o so u e r ou o ur n

G d o

e
’
igh t
s s
}Th
th H ly T i n i ty a d i nc t h
o
t h
r
i n mb d n
e ro ses , t th Di v i n L v
pl c d t h gh in gly i c wn
n s e
f
re e n

e se are
u

a e
er, e o e

ou s
e

n a
e o

ro
e o

, , , ,

t h y h ld al
e m m
o fh
so so v nly j y e e asu re o ea e o .

27 9
 28 0

T he se v en
bl m f h c l mbin y mb l i z h v n gi ft f h
oo s o t e o u e, s o e t e se e s o t e

H ly Sp i i t w h ic h w h n att i b t d h V i gi n a F i th H p “

o r , , e r u e to t e r , re , a , o e,

C h a i ty J t i c
r P d nc T mp
,
us nc d St ngt h
e, ru e e, e e ra e, an re .

T h l ily f t h v all y f nd nly in n t h n y mb l i m typ i fi

e o e e , ou o or er s o s , es

t h m kn d l w t at f h h nd m id f t h L d
‘ ' ‘ ’
e ee es s an o es e o t e a -
a o e or .

T h tw l v e ta gg t d by h t a y c wn f h Ap c lyp
e e s rs su es e t e s rr ro o t e o a se ,

aid by m a t h it i p nt h tw l v A p tl i ll t t in g
fl are s so e u or e s to re rese t e e e os es , u s ra

M y ti tl f R gin a A p t l m Th g t w nd h ad
' ‘
’
’ ‘ '
ar s e o e o s o oru . e re a o er

pp d i H av n a d h l ily l ik maid w
a eare
‘

n e e w q n th
n t e -
e as n o a ue e ,
‘
e

w m n cl t h d w it h h
o a o de p n h h ad c wn f tw l v
t e su n , an u o er e a ro o e e
28 2
w h ic h m v d h S o t k h m n f mf
e t e lv ti n Th
on to a e a u a or or o ur sa a o . e

se v n bl
e m f h c l mb in
o sso h fl w s o f th d v t y mb l f
e o u e, t e o er o e o e, are s o so

th e se v n gif f h H ly Sp i i t w i th w hi ch H wa nd w d b i t h
e ts o t e o r e s e o e at r

mbl ma h Ki n g f H av n
.

T h e l il i i h esva Hi w
n t e se are s o n e e s t e o e e ,

i nc H id I m th fl w f h fi ld d th l ily f h v al l y
i

‘ ’
s e e sa : a e o er o t e e , an e o t e e s .

Th y th h li m d id m h fl w f th M d nn
’
e are no t e u can u , t e o er o e a o a s
p ity b h y l l i li f h fi ld ng p pl a d wh it E v n
ur , ut t e ro a es o t e e , o ra e, ur e n e . e

S l m n i
o o g ld p
o , pl d fi l i n n w
n o t, y d l ik
ur of e an ne e ,
‘
as no arra e e one

th e se .
’

L tl y h as i h v in t p ict d p n h v
e re s d h h f f
t e e, u re u o t e ase , an t e s ea o

c n th ch i t ic b tanc wh ic h in h ac rifi c f h M p t
fi

or , e eu ar s su s es t e s e o t e ass ,
re ea

h
t e sa c i fi c f w h ic h H w b n i nt h w ld a l ittl c h ild
r e or e as or o t e or s a e .

I t h b n id as d p c h f lly f h N t h n rti t th t
ee sa , an re ro a u , o t e or er a s s a

th y p f d g ld j w l d ich mb id i
e re erre o h m ,
ph m l e e s an r e ro er e s to t e o re e e era

l v l in f fl w
o e e ss o T h i d ict m m y b j t w h n ppl i d
o ers . th s u a e us e a e to e

e ar ly G m n ch l f F l mi h A i i
er a s t I n t his p ict
oo s , o e s rt t s no t ru e . u re ,

i n t nc e th l l ich ly d db c wn d
-

f or s a g l e t
i tt e ,
an e s are r re sse ut n o ro se -
ro e

li k t h i Fl ntin
e e r m Th y w
o re in t ad c i cl t f p ci
e co us s . e e ar s e r e s o re o us

s ot n e d p l f m w h ich p i ng g tt w it h p nd nt j w l
s an e ar s , ro s r ai re es e a e e s .

Th y ce y fl w arr d fl w
no d fi ll v cant p c i
o e rs an no o e rs are u se to a s a es n

th p i ct
e Fl w u re . v d i n t d f t h h igh t
o e rs f all d
are re se r e s ea or e es u se o an

are pl c d i h f f nt f t h c n
a e n t p nt h v i t
e o re ro f h .
o e s e e to re rese t e r ues o t e

H ly O
o ne .

H g a u d G
o h v p int d l m t t h e m fl w f h
n er o es as a e a os es sa e o e rs o t e

Ad at i n i h i F ll Ad m t nd b n t h h t f m '

or o n d E s a .
1
a an ve s a e ea t e ree ro

w h ic h E ac h ppl T h li z d b di d t mpt tand b h in d

v e re es an a e . e ar -
o e e er s s e .

I n h c nt
t e f h f e g nd
re o i f nt f h tfi g ie h i i h
o re ro u ,
n ro o t e u re s , s t e r s, t e

c l mbin h i l t a
o u e, b h y i bl m d th t wb y
t e V o e ,
ro se -
us no t et n oo an e s ra e rr .

Th i al
ere p an y (w h ic h i a
s so a y mb l c pt in E n gl and
s s r re as a s o , ex e

wh e re w n m d H b T in ity ) d i m n in g i t h i p ict
i t as a e er r , an ts ea n s u re

d o es n o t m cl se e e ar .

Th flw e se d l wh o h mbl m
e rs , d tt i b t f
u se e se e re as t e e e s an a r u es o

J Ch i t h i t d c d c ll h c min g f th c nd ‘
e su s r s , e re are n ro u e to re a t e o o e se o

Ad m a ctly v ing th y mb l i m w h ich pl c

,
’
e xa re ppl i h
e rs e s o s a es an a e n t e

h nd f th I n f nt C h i t
a o e a r s .

1
I mp eri al G al l ery, V i e n na .
0 va n d er G o es P h o o B ogi
t r

THE A D ORAT I O N O F T H E SHE P H ER D S

( U fli i G al l y F l o n e)
z er , re c

[To f a co pag e 282

28 4
I t was u sual to ad d p b t h V i gi n f t ( h f t
a gro u p of u tt : a ou t e r
’
s ee er ee ,

a cc d ing
or i nj nct i n f h
to an I nq i i t i n a t d c ncy b i n g
u o o t e u s o s o
‘
e e
’
e

c f lly c v d ) d t h p t t al m t lway c i d fl w th
are u o e re an ese u z
’

os a s arr e o ers , e

rose , lily l iv a d p l m S m tim h i i w add d d cc i n

, o e n a . o e es t e r s as e , an o as o

a lly h i i l n wa d V y ft n p tt ca i l king gl
t e r s ao e s u se .
1
er o e a u o rr es a oo -
ass , 2

a y mb l f h I mmac l t C nc pt i n w h i c h app
s o o t e t b f Sp n i h
u a e o e o ears o e o a s

or igi n b ,
w h ic h i p h p
ut v iat i n d v l p m nt f h
s er a s a ar o or e e o e o t e

t n p nt v a wh ich i h 1 5 h c nt y a t w
ra s are se , y mb l f th n t e t e ur r as a s o o e

V i gin bi t h f C h i t Th id a i t h t h gl w h at v h h
r r o r s . e e s a t e ass , e er e t e

i m g ca t p n i main in i t l f n t i n d t , re a
‘

a e s u o s se u s e .

I n M i ll ma t p i c
ur L P i imo s
’
f th P d s er h fl w e e,
‘
a u r ss a
’
o e ra o , t e o ers

i ndic at M y vi t Th y mb l f l v a d m cy h w
’
e ar s r u es . e ro se , s o o o e n er , s o

M t m i h 1i h w h r p i ty h i
’ '

h er h as t e d a er z s er c or z ce ; t e s o s e ur —
s e s
‘
L P a imu ri ss th p l m f t i mp h i ha th Q n f H av n
e a o r u s ers as e u ee o e e

an d h l iv t ll f h h al ing h b in g
t e o e e m n k ind ; h i h
s o t e e s e r s to a s e s t e

C o n s o l a tri x A fi l i c to r u m .

And th e C hur h h a i g i e c
n d nt ifi d h Vi gin w i th h W i d m v e t e r t e
‘
s o
’

of h 24 h C h pt
t e tf E ccl i a t i c a t h y mb l a al h di ct
er o es s us, ese s o s re so er re

embl m f e y Wi d m
s, o r, sa s s o :

Iw alt d l ik pal m t i E gad d i d a pl ant

‘
as e x e e a -
re e n n , an as ro se -
in

j ic
er h f i l
o , as a i v t i a pl a nt
ar o fi ld e -
re e n e sa e .

A nd th l ily i alw y h e mbl m Th l i ly f h v ll y

s a s er e e as e o t e a e s

I t i n t ic bl t h t t h i fi g
s o ea f th V i gi ne al i z d f a m h s u re o e r , re e ro t e

w d p ict
or f h R v l t i n f S i nt j h n wa
u re o t e t h t app al d
e e a o o a o , s o ne a e e

t n gly
s ro h Sp n i h to tSh i cl th d wi t h h
e a a d th m
s n . e s
‘
o e t e su n n e oo

u nd h f t Th m n i p nt d th c c n m n w h ich
er e r ee .
’
e oo s re rese e as e re s e t oo

w h
as t e sa c d d v ic f h f ll w re f M ah m t
e d w h i c h h ad
e o t e o o ers o o e , an
sur m nt d i nn mou bl m q t h gh t th I b ian p n i n l a
e u e ra e os u es ro u ou e er e su

f orm t h n fi h nd d y
o re a F d i n and h b and f I b ll a
ve u re e ars . er , us o sa e ,

p uta d n enth M i h d mi n i n i
to 1 4 9 2 b t th
e i mp
oo r s f h o o n , u e re ss o t e
M i
oo r s tot h i d y t ng th l nd d i th 1 7 th c nt y it m d
s a s ro on e a , an n e e ur see e

a fi tt in g t h in g t h at th Vi gin f t h ld b p n th h t d c c nt e r
’
s oo s ou e u o e a e re s e

w hic h y mb l iz d M i h l a d th f ith f I l am I t wa th f
s o e oo r s ru e n e a o s . s e re o re ,

as a y mb l f h M h m d a f i t h [ t h
s o o t t h n a y mb l f ch t i ty
e o a e n a ra er a as s o o as
t h gh i c n cti n w it h th G dd Dian
ro u ts o ne oi m t im e o e ss a, as s so e es

gg t d ] t h at
su es e p ntat i n f h V i gin w it h h f t p n
, re re se o s o t e r er ee u o a
c c nt b c m p p l i Sp ain
res e , e a e so o u ar n .

J 1
A P
o sé ot M u
A nt o l in es , Mu o P do Ma
lt e d d inak h ek , ni ch ri l l , ra , ri .
M u ri l l o
’

Ph o t o A n d ers o n

I M M A CU L A T E C O N C E PI IO N
' ‘

( P do
ra , d id )
Ma r

[T o fa p g
ce a e 284
 T h e se t h t cl t h f d
are t h e s y mb l o s . On a o o re

I th c nt i th T i p i nt p f ct ch
’
e e re s e r o : er e ea

E c pt th x e c nd f i t p int t t ch
e se o o s o s, o ea

T h at C h i t y t b n r sTh b k wh h ad
i s no t e or . e oo s— ose e

I g ld n c h ity a P l h at h ai d
s o e ar , s au s

Th i t a wh in h
o se V r u es l i ic h re e re t e sou s r

Th f t h m th l ily t nd th wh ich
ere ore o n e e s a e ,

I i nn c ncs b in g int p t d
o e e, e er re e .

Th v n h e se d b i e d th p al m
-
t v nl v d
o rn
’
r ar an e se e -
ea e ,

A h reg t er w a d h g at w d
rea so rro n er re re ar ,

U nt i l th d b f ll th H ly O
e en e u , e o ne

Ab id w ith t Sh es n h all h av achi v d

ou . e so o s e e e

H p f c p ity y a G d th L d
er er e t ur e , o e or

Sh all n v ch f H i S t b h S
so o ou sa e s on o e er on .

B hi nd th V i gi n i th t ll i f th E ncl d G d n B y nd ’
e e r s e re s o e o se ar e . e o

for s t ill th H ly O bid w ith t i th v in mbl m f th

e o ne a es ou
’
—
s e e, e e o e

‘ T rue Vi n th fi g
e,
’
f S i nt J
e ph wh t nd it f ca t in g t h at
u re o a o se , o e s ,
ore s ‘

h ew ld b th g a d i n f C h i t i n f nc y U p n th t ll i p
ou e e u r a o r s
’
s a . o e re s, u

w hich w t h th w h it c n v l v l
re a es e d i th 15 h c nt y th
e o o u u s , u se n e t e ur as e

s y mb l f h mil ity it h H ly D v
o o u , s s t e o o e .

Fi n ally p n th b l t d i
,
u o e i t n p nt v a h
a u s ra e s a ro se n a ra s are se , t e rose

o f d i v i n l v c nj in d w i t h th
e o e o o y mb l f t n c nd nt p ity
e e s o o ra s e a ur .
-
Da n te Ga b r i el R o sse tt i P oM
hu t a n s , 11

TH E G I R L HOO D O F M AR Y V I RG IN

[To f a c e pa g e 286
 LIST O F A U TH O R IT IES

Antony ,
J phose , Symboli k d er Katk oli scben Ki rclz en Gebrau ck e

A ré haeo logia

August in e , St, C onfessions

Beaumo nt , d e, R o m ero/
t es ru r l
’
origi ne d a Blazon et en particu l ier la
F leu r d e Li s - -

Bernar d of l
C airvaux , St, Sermon s

B i blia Pauperu m, H ei d lb
e erg C pyo , 1 440 ; German
Wolfenbii ttel C py
o

By zan ti n e Gu i de to Pai nting ( Did ron s Transl at ion)

’

Dan t e, Di vin a Commed ia

Did ron , C it ri stian [conograp lzy

Durand us , R ati onal f

o tb e Di vi n e Ofi ces

E dm n n C mpl t B k f H ald y 78
o so , o e e oo o er r , 1 0

F d S
or pa i / H a do e ( Fi t Ed it i n )
, n sz n oo rs o

H i n Y j o Tl Sa d S/ i
r , r , ie cre i r ne

H y m n J K La Catked l
’

u s a ,
. .
, ra e

Jac b d V agi L g d a A a
o us e or ne , e en u re

J am n M Sa d d L g d a y A t
eso ,
rs , cre an e en r r

J nn M H Ci i tia Symo li m
e er, rs .
, tr s n o s

Li bman P S H i H a d wo t b k d Ck ri stl ick en Sy mbol ik

'

e , . .
, e ne n r er u c er

M a t i n A th
r M ela g d A l é l gi
, r ur, n e; rc z o o e

Mectild a, St, Spi ri tu al Grace

M enze l W lfg ng
, o a ,
S
Ck ri stli clxe y mbolik
2 87
 LI ST OF AUTHORITIES
l J M Hym i E l i
N ea e, . .
, . n cc es ae

N th c t
or d B wnl w R ma S tt
o e an ro o , o o eran a

Schmid A Ch i tli h Symb l a alt

, r s c e o e us er and neu er Zei t

Smith Cl , i l Di ti a y
ass ca c on r

St ab
r W laf id H t l
o, a r , or u u s

Sy i
r an C di o f 5 86 L
o ntia Lib y
ce , aure n rar

T yl
a J my Th H i t y f th Eif
o r, ere , e s or o e e an d Death of the H oly j esu s
T t ll i n
er u a

T win ing L i a Sy mh l
, d E mbl m
ou s , o s an e s

Vasari , Lives of the Pai n ters

Ve nt uri , Stori a d ell A rte l tal i an a

’
2 90 INDE X OF A RT I S T S
O RC A GN A , 59 , 1 79 Sign lli L c
o re u a, 1 9 5 , 20 4 ,
20 6 3 , 2 1
PA LM EZZA N O A F D 68 Sim n M tin i
o e ar , 59 , 9 1 , 1 1 7, 1 78
Perré al , J , 1 5 8 1 74
.
, I 79 3 ,
2 I
n
Perugi o , 4 5, 2 76 S d m ( B zzi )
o o a a , 1 09 , 1 2 3 , 2 1 3
Pe e o, 67, 1 69 , 1 9 2
s ll ‘
Spi ll A ti n
ne o re o , 1 4 2 , 1 67, 1 8 1

t cc
Pin uri hio , 1 72 Sq a i
u rc one, 2 0
3
n
Pisa o , 209 St fan d a Z i
e o ev o ( d a Vero n a) , 1 00
Pod esti , 2 67
T A DDEo D1 BART O O , 1 67 L
RA PHAE L SA T I DA U N nn mo , 1 2, b l
T o ar, A fo nso d a, 8 2
93, 2 13 n
Trevisa i , Fran es o , 1 96 c c
bb
Ro ia, De a, 2 74 ll
n
Ro ma o , Giu io, 2 1 4 l VA N D ER G H ug 65 68 8 5 0 Es, o, , , ,

l
R o ssel i , C osi mo , 1 08 , 1 58
ll
R osse o d i a o o Fra hi, 1 88 J cp nc V an d W yd n R g 65
er e e , o er, 1

tt
Ro sse i, D G , 4 0, 1 75 , 1 8 5, 1 9 9
. . V an Eyck H b t 98 6, u er , 1 2, , 10
b
R u ens, P P , 2 0, 5 1 ,
. . V an Eyck J 63 65 67 4
, an, , 1 , 1 , 2 1
A nd 77 rea, 1

SA N o Di PI ET RO , 3 8, 2 4 2 , 2 43 Vas rai G ,48 .

, 2
t
Sasse ta, 2 2 3 n P l 8
Vero ese , au , 22
Sassoferra o, 1 30 t
c n
S hi av o e , Giorgi o , 2 74 WATT S, F G . .
, 40
Schtingaur, 1 2 3, 2 4 7 Wolgemut , 1 56
Schi i chlin , H a s, 1 1 0 n
Seghers, 1 3 1 ZU RBU RA N , 76 77, , 12
 IN DE! O F F LO W ER S

ACA N T H U S Chap ,
. 1111. IRI 36 ;
S, Ch p a . iv .
, 1 68, 1 9 8
A l mond 1 9 7 , IV Y: I 3O
A n emon e 60 9 3 , ,

A ppl e 1 4 3 2
, , , 94 , 1 19 , 2 40 , JA SM I NE , 3 1 , 4 8, 1 67 , 2 0 1
Ch p a . xx .

BA L A M
U L
LA RE , 1 1 6, 77 1

B ia
S 97 8 , 1 , 21
n
Lemo , 2 4 1
r 33
rs,

B ck t h n 3 3
tc
Let u e, 2 9

B
u
urni ng B h 3
or ,

1 2, 1 2
ly
Li , 1 4 , 2 4 Chap iii 9 9 8 . .
, 2, 1 ,
9 us ,

Li ly f F l nc 8 1
CAR N T I O N Ch p i 9
A , a . v .
, 1 0, 1 9 1
o
Lily f th A n g l G b l Chap
ore e,

a ri e
C da
o e e , . xv .

Li ly f th Ann nciat i n C ha
e 6
r, 2 7 21
,
i u
Ch i 4 3 4 5
err es, 2 , 2
o
Li ly f th Saint C h ap vii
p e o , . x v .

Cl v Sh m ck
o e s, . x i.
Li ly f th Vall y
o er, see a ro

C l mbin 3 ; C h p viii
o u e, 0 a . .
, 1 74 , 1 9 8
Lil i
o
f th Vi gin T mb
e e ,
’

C nv lv l 9 48
o o u us, 2 ,
es o 3 e r s o , 21

C yclam n 33 e ,
M A N D RA KE 3 3 ,

M k fl w
us o er, 1
DA ISY 3 I , 4 5 , 1 1 0 , I 67
,
My h 4 5 rr 2 2
Dand eh on, 34, I 9 5 , I 9 9 , ,
. ,

M y tl r 97 e, 1 , 20 1

F IG , 2 5 5, 2 56
l p
F eur d e lys, 36, C ha xiii
- -
. .
N ETT L E, 2 5 , 33
C n ty
F lower, ommu i o f the, 4 1
l w dy
F o er O ur La of the , 8 1 Ol A N DER , 2 2 7

n nc n
Fra ki e se 1 9 8
,

,
Ol v 4 36 C hap
i e, 2 , ,
. 111.

t l nd p
Frui in Gar a s, C ha xxiv . . O ng 4
ra e, 2 2

GOL D FLOW R 73 E PA L M 4 6 Chap , 2 , 2 , . xi .

Pal m t
,

G ourd Ch p i, a . xx .
37 38
-
ree , 1 , 1 , 2 18
G ap
r 3 8 54
e s, 2 2 Pn y 3
a s , 2
Pa i n Fl w
,

ss o 95 o er, 1

H EAT H 2 9 , Pear, 1 1
9 5 , 2 2
ll b
H e e o re 33 , P m g nat
o e ra e, 1 9, 2 1 8,
lc
H em o k 1 30 , Chap ii . xx .

y p
H sso , 3 3 POPPY, 3 3
29 2 INDE X OF FLOWERS
Q U I N CE , 1 1 9 , 2 39 , 2 4 1 t b y
S raw err , 4 5, ; Ch p 1 10 a . xxn i l,
1 98

D N
RO SE GAR E S, 9 7, 1 00 nfl w
Su o er, 1 9 9
l nd C p
R ose gar a s, ha vii . . yc
S amore, 2 6
ld n
R ose, go e , 1 0 1 , 1 02 , 1 0 3
d
R o se he ge , 9 9 T H I TLES 95 , 1
C ty
Ro se of hari , 2 9 , 2 08 Th n 3 3 77 ; C h p
or s, 6 , a . x. , 21
n
R o se of Divi e Lov e, 2 4 , 28 Th n C wn f
or s, 6 7 ro o , 12 , 12 , 1 2 8,
C pha .v , 1 72 , 1 9 0, 1 9 8
. 1
3 1
ty d
Ro se of M ar r om, 72 T p n tin T
ur e 4 e ree, 2

Rose of Venus, 1 0 1 , 1 02 , 1 03
V I N E 3 Chap i
, 2 . x x.
Vi l t 8 4 5 4 8
o e , 2 97 , , , 1 10 , 1 , 198,

SAFF N
RO , 2 6 2 10 0

c
Shamro k , 30 , 1 9 1
Snowd pro , 2 69 W ATER L I LY -
, 29
pc
S i es, 2 4 Will w 9 5
o , 1