1485, Sandro Botticelli, Mary Enthroned with the Child and the Two Johns (the "Bardi Altar") -- Gemäldegalerie (Berlin)
From the museum label: The painting originates from the funerary chapel of the merchant Giovanni de' Bardi in Santo Spirito church in Florence. It depicts his titular saints, John the Baptist and the Evangelist. The leafy recesses form a closed garden, the symbol of Mary's virginity. Banderols on the vases name trees, among them palms, cedars, cypresses and olives, which were believed to have been used to make Christ's cross.
1485, Sandro Botticelli, Mary Enthroned with the Child and the Two Johns (the "Bardi Altar") -- Gemäldegalerie (Berlin)
From the museum label: The painting originates from the funerary chapel of the merchant Giovanni de' Bardi in Santo Spirito church in Florence. It depicts his titular saints, John the Baptist and the Evangelist. The leafy recesses form a closed garden, the symbol of Mary's virginity. Banderols on the vases name trees, among them palms, cedars, cypresses and olives, which were believed to have been used to make Christ's cross.