THE LILY 45 



sinlessness. If angels hold vases of lilies on 

 either side, these liHes recall that He was born of a 

 Virgin. 



The first Adorations were painted by the 

 Florentine masters of the fifteenth century. In 

 an early example by Filippo Lippi ' the flowers 

 are small and the species scarcely to be deter- 

 mined. Neri di Bicci "" painted roses and lilies, 

 and Luca della Robbia ^ has placed the Child 

 beneath a freely-growing clump of tall lilies. 

 The Virgin kneels before Him, while heavenly 

 hands hold above her head a crown ornamented 

 with the royal fleur-de-lys. Botticelli -* appears 

 to have been the first to have substituted the 

 daisy for the lily, and to the daisy he added the 

 violet of humility, and the strawberry, which 

 symbohzed the fruits of the spirit. These 

 flowers were constantly repeated in this connec- 

 tion, a comparatively late example of their use 

 being in the Adoration of Perugino, now ir 

 Munich. 



These same flowers are found in the North, 



' Accademia, Florence. 



' Ex Convent of S. Apollonia, Florence. 



' Bargello, Florence. 



* Adoration, Pitti Palace, private apartments. 



