Section 1

Obsecro te
In this depiction, two angels surround the Virgin; one plays a portative organ, the other plucks a harp. The organ was the only instrument allowed in church, and the harp represented divine music. Angel musicians are often depicted playing these instruments, and they symbolize divine harmony.

O Intemerata
The deposition of Christ from the Cross, with Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John the Disciple. Mary affectionately holds Christ, who displays the evidence of his suffering—the wounds from the crown of thorns, the piercing, and the nails. Mary Magdalene is typically pictured, as here, with her traditional ointment jar, referring to when she anointed Christ's feet before the Crucifixion.