192 FLORAL SYMBOLISM 



in the crystal vase before the Infant Christ in 

 Hugo van der Goes' ' Adoration of the Shep- 

 herds ' ; ' the three Hhes (one in bud) which the 

 angel holds in Crivelli's ' Annunciation ' ; ^ and 

 the three irises in the Annunciation of Pesello.^ 



There is no plant or flower used as the em- 

 blem of God the Father. From time to time 

 the Hebrew metaphor of the Burning Bush has 

 been used pictorially to indicate His presence; 

 but as early as the fifth century this image was 

 appropriated to express the purity of the Virgin 

 Mother, enveloped but not consumed by the 

 divine love. 



In the Catacombs and on many mediaeval 

 crucifixes the Person of God the Father is in- 

 dicated by a hand issuing from the clouds and 

 holding a wreath of laurel, palm or olive. But 

 the wreath in this case is not the attribute of 

 the Divine Father, but the attribute of him 

 above whose head the wreath is held. In the 

 Catacombs it is the martyr's crown; on the 

 crucifix it is Christ's crown of victory over sin. 



As already mentioned, the lily of purity and 

 the olive branch of peace are occasionally used 



' Uffizi. " Frankfort-on-Maine. ' S. Spirito, Florence. 



