Hortus conclusus
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Hortus conclusus is a Latin term, meaning literally "enclosed garden". Both words in hortus conclusus refer linguistically to enclosure. It describes a type of garden that was enclosed as a practical
Martin Schongauer, Madonna of the Rose Bower, 1473
The Annunciation - Convent of San Marco, Florence
The Madonna on a Crescent Moon in Hortus Conclusus by an anonymous painter
Medieval-style garden from Coucy, France
Ivory tower
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An ivory tower is a state of privileged seclusion from the practicalities of real life. An ivory tower can be a place where people choose to disconnect from the rest of the world to follow their own i
Hortus conclusus
…the Song of Songs or other Biblical passages as interpreted by theological writers. These may include one or more temple or church-like buildings, an Ivory Tower (SS 7.4), an open-air altar with Aaron's rod flowering, surrounded by the bare rods of the other tribes, a gatehouse "tower of David, hung with shields…
An ivory tower, as symbol of Mary, in the "Hunt of the Unicorn Annunciation" from a c. 1500 Netherlandish book of hours. For the complicated iconography, see Hortus Conclusus.