Mandorla

The term mandorla refers to the artistic interpretation of an almond shaped aura or halo surrounding holy figures such as Christ, the Virgin Mary and a few select Saints (Blackford). Literally, mandorla is the Italian word for almond (Moore); it is an ancient symbol offering hope and healing (Jensen). An example of a mandorla can be found in Ashampstead Berkshire in Ashampstead, England. Here, beams in filled with plaster rather than arched provide the perfect …

…image with the second circle. This developed into a fish like symbol called Icthus (Moore). Works cited: Adams, Laurie Schneider. Art Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2002. http://www.elore.com/Gothic/Glossary/techniques.htm http://www.chalicswell.org.uk http://www.wisdomportal.com/Poems/mangomystery.notes.html http://www.sandplayusa.org/Mandorla.html http://www.mandorla.com/context/what.html http://www.paintedchurch.org/ashampd.htm http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/pisa/pisacathedral.html