LILY OF THE ANGEL GABRIEL 189 



the straying. Therefore Gabriel carries the 

 herald's wand, now developed to a lily, Michael 

 the sword, and Raphael the staff. 



Thus Gabriel, when in company with other 

 archangels and angels, carries the lily to estab- 

 Hsh his identity, but where, as in a Coronation ' 

 or an Enthroned Madonna, he stands with Saint 

 Michael guarding the throne, he usually holds 

 also a scroll with ' AVE MARIA ' upon it, show- 

 ing that the main function of the lily is to pro- 

 claim the spotlessness of the Virgin. 



A rather charming treatment of the Annun- 

 ciation lily, which originated in Germany, is to 

 strew the lily heads upon the floor. They then 

 have the appearance of having fallen from 

 Heaven in a shower, like those falling roses, 

 symbols of divine love, which were so often 

 painted by the artists of Italy and Spain. ' The 

 Master of the Sterzinger Altar ' ^ introduces seven 

 of these lily blooms and buds, snapped off short, 

 and with only an inch or two of stalk, into his 

 fine Annunciation painted in 1458, and, satisfied 

 with these, he uses lilies neither in a vase nor 

 in the angel's hand. Other artists of his day 



' Luca Signorelli. * Rathans, Sterzing. 



