mandorla

/ (mænˈdɔːlə) /


noun
  1. (in painting, sculpture, etc) an almond-shaped area of light, usually surrounding the resurrected Christ or the Virgin at the Assumption: Also called: vesica

Origin of mandorla

1
from Italian, literally: almond, from Late Latin amandula; see almond

Words Nearby mandorla

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use mandorla in a sentence

  • This represents the Eternal Father within a mandorla of cherubs.

  • The mandorla recalls the altar-pieces of Borgo and of Lyons.

  • The Porta della mandorla is one of the most perfect examples of Florentine decorative sculpture that exists.

    The Story of Florence | Edmund G. Gardner
  • Above is the famous relief which crowns the whole, and from which the door takes its name–the glorified Madonna of the mandorla.

    The Story of Florence | Edmund G. Gardner
  • It represents the Madonna borne up in the mandorla surrounded by Angels, three of whom above are hymning her triumph.

    The Story of Florence | Edmund G. Gardner