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which moved the Son to take a human form for our salvation. The 

 seven blossoms of the columbine, the flower of the dove, are symbols of 

 the seven gifis of the Holy Spirit with which He was endowed at birth. 

 The lilies in the vase are His own emblem as the King of Hsaven, 

 since He said : ' I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys. ' 

 They are not the lilium candiduin, the flower of the Madonna's 

 purity, but the royal lilies of the field, orange, purple and white. Even 

 Solomon, in gold, purple and fine linen, 'was not arrayed like one of 

 these.' 



Lastly there is the vine, pictured upon the vase, and the sheaf of 

 corn, the eucharistic substances which in the sacrifice of tlie Mass, repeat 

 the sacrifice for which He was born into the world as a little child. 



It has been said, and reproachfully, of the Northern artists that 

 they preferred gold, jewels and rich embroideries to the mire ephemeral 

 loveliness of flowers. This dictum may be just when applied to the 

 early German schools ; of Flemish Art it is not true. In this picture, 

 for instance, the little angels are richly dressed but not rose-crowned 

 like their Florentine cousins. They wear instead circlets of precious 

 stones and pearls, from which spring aigrettes with pendant jewels. 

 They carry no flowers and no flowers are used to fill vacant spaces in 

 the picture. Flowers are reserved instead for the highest use of all and 

 are placed in the forefront of the scene to represent the virtues of the 

 Holy One. 



Hugo van der Goes has painted almost these same flowers of the 

 Adoration in his Fall.^ Adam and Eve stand beneath the tree from 

 which Eve reaches an apple. The lizard-bodied tempter stands behind. 

 In the centre of the foreground, in front of the figures, is the iris, the 

 columbine, the violet, a rose-bush not yet in bloom and the strawberry. 

 There is also a pansy (which is rare as a symbol, except in England 

 where it was named Herb Trinity,) and its meaning in this picture 

 does not seem clear. 



These flowers, used elsewhere as the emblems and attributes of 

 Jesus Christ, here are introduced to recall the coming of the 'second 

 Adam,' exactly reversing the symbolism which places an apple in the 

 hand of the Infant Christ. 



-Imperial Gallery, \'ienna. 



