V. PAl'AVEK KiiOEAS. 103 



worship of Demeter, associated with tlie poppy by a 

 multitude of ideas which are not definitely expressed, 

 but can only be gathered out of Greek art and literature, 

 as we learn their symbolism. The chief character on 

 A^hich these thoughts are foun-ded is the fulness of seed 

 in the poppy and pomegranate, as an image of life : 

 then the forms of both became adopted for beads or 

 bosses in ornamental art ; the pomegranate remains more 

 distinctly a Jewish and Christian type, from its use in 

 the border of Aaron's robe, down to the fruit in the hand 

 of Angelico's and Botticelli's Infant Christs ; while the 

 poppy is gradually confused by the Byzantine Greeks 

 with grapes ; and both of these with palm fruit. The 

 palm, in the shorthand of their art, gradually becomes a 

 symmetrical branched ornament with two pendent bosses; 

 this is again confused with the Greek iris, (Homer's blue 

 iris, and Pindar's water-flag,) and the Florentines, in 

 adopting Byzantine ornament, read it into their own 

 Fleur-de-lys ; but insert two poppyheads on each side of 

 the entire foil, in their finest heraldry. 



15. Meantime the definitely intended poppy, in late 

 Christian Greek art of the twelfth century, modifies the 

 form of the Acanthus leaf with its own, until the northern 

 twelfth century workman takes the thistle-head for the 

 poppy, and the thistle-leaf for acanthus. The true poppy- 

 head remains in the south, but gets more and more con- 

 fused with grapes, till the Renaissance carvers are content 

 with any kind of boss full of seed, but insist on such boss 



