3-035-701 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of a Man with a Pink, about 1500. Additional Info: This man holds the pink very conspicuously, yet its significance in the portrait remains mysterious. The flower was originally named for its bloom shape and time of flowering, at the end of May, around Pentecost, known in the Netherlands as "Pinkster." Presumably, the petals' serrated edges were seen as resembling the tongues of flame that descended on Mary and the Apostles at Pentecost, enabling them to speak in any language, spread God's word, and build the Church. Additionally, "pinksten" meant "fiftieth" in German, and Pentecost was celebrated fifty days after Easter.