THE FLOWERS OF THE VIRGIN 217 



at the Madonna's feet with a Hly enclosed in 

 branches of thorns. 



In the 24th chapter of Ecclesiasticus there 

 is a description of Wisdom with her attributes 

 in which the Roman Catholic Church has seen 

 a prefiguring of the Virgin Mary. Some pic- 

 torial renderings of the Immaculate Concep- 

 tion make special reference to this, notably 

 the large altar-piece, of unknown authorship, 

 but beHeved to date from the end of the fifteenth 

 century, which was painted for the Church of S. 

 Francesco in Lucca.' 



In the upper part of the picture Christ is 

 seen seated, and holding out above the kneeling 

 Virgin the sceptre of His royal favour. Above 

 the sceptre is a scroll with the words from the 

 Book of Esther : ' Not for thee was this law 

 made, but for all mankind.' She alone was 

 immaculate. Around there is a wreath of 

 angels. Below stand King David, King Solo- 

 mon, Saint Augustine, Saint Anselm and Saint 

 Anthony of Padua. Behind these figures stretches 

 a charming garden. Against the horizon are the 

 cypresses of Mount Zion, the cedar of Lebanon, 



' Now in the Pinacoteca, Lucca. 



