The pomegranate is a Christian
and pagan symbol of resurrection and the hope of eternal life. Its pagan
symbolism is rooted in the ancient myth of Proserpina and her annual return to earth
in the spring. According to Christianity, the many seeds of the pomegranate
symbolize the unity of the faithful in the Church .
The Christ Child
blesses those who look upon him and rests serenely in the arms of His mother.
Yet the sorrowful expressions on the faces of mother and child and the angels
around them remind the observer of the future Passion of Our Lord.
In this painting
Botticelli expresses a realism of color and life different from the style of
Byzantine icons. However, the Byzantine style is still apparent in the way all
the figures are situated in the foreground and the main two figures, Mary and
the Baby, are centered.
From A Child of the Snows
G.K.Chesterton
The gods lie dead
where the leaves lie red,
For the flame of the
sun is flown,
The gods lie cold
where the leaves lie gold,
And a Child comes
forth alone.
