Rose
A flower with two overlapping symbolic traditions in Western painting: a red rose for romantic or divine love, and — especially in a wreath or garland around the Virgin — a specifically Marian symbol.
In religious painting, the rose (particularly the rose without thorns) became closely associated with the Virgin Mary, read as a symbol of her purity and, through the "rosary" (literally "rose garden"), of devotional prayer itself. A rose garden or trellis behind an enthroned Madonna is rarely decorative scenery; it is a coded restatement of her purity.
In secular and mythological painting, the rose keeps its more universal association with romantic love, often tied to Venus (in some traditions, the rose is said to have sprung from her blood or tears) — so the same flower can signal either sacred devotion or earthly desire depending entirely on who is holding it and where.
Rose in the collection
Paintings in the catalog documented as featuring this symbol.
