![]() Some paintings trivialise the vocation, others are over sentimental, with a constant play between innocence and sexual repression and of course there’s anti-Popery too. There’s a sense of curiosity and maybe notoriety as well, and plenty of stereotypes. ![]() The revival of convents, both Catholic and Anglican is the driving force behind these images. So to conclude what can we tell from all this nuns in all these gardens? I suspect it’s a pretty mixed picture – both literally and metaphorically. None of this cut any ice with Punch which, as you can see, mocked the painting mercilessly when it was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1851. So the message of the painting is that if the novice takes her vows and becomes a nun, she will be a Bride of Christ-or rather, resurrected into her new eternal life akin to Mary within the hortus conclusus. The only flowers included that don’t seem to have attracted connotations in the Victorian language of flowers are the agapanthus and gladiolus. And of course the Passion flower is still in her hand. In the pond the white water lily was to stand for purity of heart and trust in god while even the dark hedge in the background which looks like laurel was supposed to represent glory. The garden contains a colourful selection of flowers and plants many of which, according to the language of flowers beloved by the Victorians, have particular significance.Ĭentral to the painting are Madonna lilies which represent purity. Six of them are in full bloom and lean in towards the novice reinforcing the connection with the Annunciation and the part played by the young Madonna. There are rosemary and forget-me-nots for remembrance, blue salvia for wisdom, the orange trumpet honeysuckle for constancy, and the pink roses which are associated with Mary’s childhood. The wall in the background suggests an enclosed garden – probably a hortus concludes as seen in many mediaeval and early modern paintings, and again very much associated with the Virgin. ![]() The pages that are visible shows images of the crucifixion and the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, both of which symbolise obedience to God’s commands. In her other hand she has an open book, ornately illustrated and reminiscent of a mediaeval illuminated manuscript. The novice is intently studying a single passion flower, long associated with the crucifixion of Christ. The arched and gilded frame, with its long stemmed lilies, was designed by Millais, and at the top he added an inscription from the Song of Solomon SICUT LILIUM meaning ‘As the lily among the thorns’, which has always been traditionally associated with the Virgin Mary. I’ll leave you to decide what, if anything, the picture means, but if you want to know more read an article in the Independent by Tom Lubbock who called it “a picture that uses its power to conjure up and not to declare.” On a practical note Millais painted most of the canvas, including the figures, in the open air in the garden of Effie’s family home, while the grave itself and gravestones were added later copied from a nearby churchyard. We imagined to ourselves the beauty of the picturesque features of the Roman Catholic religion”. Millais got the idea on his honeymoon, and his wife Effie wrote “On descending the hill by Loch Awe, from Inverary, he was extremely struck with its beauty, and the coachman told us that on one of the islands were the ruins of a monastery. ![]() ![]() In the background a coffin-shaped cloud, which is a harbinger of death, according to Scots legend. In the Vale of Rest we have one nun digging a grave, while the second sister’s rosary has a skull attached to it. Engraving by Millais for Sister Anna’s Probation in Once A Week, 1862 ![]()
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