DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31769#0060
Tree of Virtues from the
Speculum Virginum
The Symbolism of the Tree
Even the recognition of relatively straightforward mean-
ings and allusions — such as the symbolic connection
between the fruit-bearing tree and the future mother
who will ensure the future of the family — presupposes
certain modes of perception. In fact this raises the ques-
tion as to whether a viewer from that time period (“the
periode eye”45) would have recognized the significance of
the picture’s various arrangements, associations and at-
tributes — that is, whether the connection between the
59
Speculum Virginum
The Symbolism of the Tree
Even the recognition of relatively straightforward mean-
ings and allusions — such as the symbolic connection
between the fruit-bearing tree and the future mother
who will ensure the future of the family — presupposes
certain modes of perception. In fact this raises the ques-
tion as to whether a viewer from that time period (“the
periode eye”45) would have recognized the significance of
the picture’s various arrangements, associations and at-
tributes — that is, whether the connection between the
59