Mandorla

For the musical instrument, see Mandola. For the circular pattern in Buddhist tradition, see Mandala.
Christ in Majesty shown within a mandorla shape in a medieval illuminated manuscript.
13/14th c. seal of Stone Priory in Staffordshire, England, in the shape of a mandorla

A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with vesica, a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in traditional Christian iconography.[1] It is distinguished from a halo in that it encircles the entire body and not just the head. It is commonly used to frame the figure of Christ in Majesty in early medieval and Romanesque art, as well as Byzantine art of the same periods. It is the shape generally used for mediaeval ecclesiastical seals, secular seals generally being round.

  1. ^ Liungman, Carl G. (1991). Dictionary of Symbols. W.W. Norton. p. 287. ISBN 0-393-31236-4.