Strawberries

Strawberries were initially associated with temptation. This was a common meaning shared amongst many fruits. According to “The Medieval Flower Book” by Celia Fisher there was a Virgilian proverb that warned children of snakes sleeping coiled in the cool of their leaves. Furthermore, Hieronymus Bosch used strawberries as a symbol of fleeting and dangerous pleasures in the Garden of Earthly Delights. In some depictions of Christian art, strawberries are not “sinister” but rather they were considered the perfect fruit and symbolized the Virgin. The white flowers and red fruit represent purity and martyrdom and the three leaves the Trinity. Medicinally, strawberries were believed to fight inflammation. The fruit helped with skin, while the leaves and roots cured ailments of the liver and kidneys.

Strawberries are frequently depicted in European medieval manuscripts and are one of the most common plant images found therein. 

Resources Used

Bravinder, Tristan. “7 Favorite Flowers from Renaissance Manuscripts and Their Christian Symbolism.” Getty, 20 Dec. 2017, https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/7-favorite-flowers-from-renaissance-manuscripts-and-their-christian-symbolism/.

Burnett, Charles. “Liber Florum Celestis Doctrine: The Flowers of Heavenly Teaching, by John of Morigny.” Aries, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 137–40. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1163/15700593-01801007.

Fisher, Celia. Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts. 1. publ, British Library, 2004.

---. The Medieval Flower Book. British Library, 2007.