La Sainte et le chardon

Odilon Redon 1840 - 1916
La Sainte et le chardon (The saint and the thistle) 1891
Lithograph on chine appliqué
Height: 285 millimetres; Width: 207 millimetres
Inscription Content: Signed in pencil, and lettered with title and '50 exemplaires'
The British Museum, London

In French iconography, the thistle is the symbol of the pain of Christ and of the Virgin.

It is also the symbol of virtue protected by its thorns.

The thistle is not the Scottish variety of thistle, but one of the many types which flourish in France.