Figure descriptions
Full-page illustrated border contains the poem text. The illustrated title and initial
word are incorporated into the border.
The top edge of the border is composed of an elaborate nine-armed chandelier decorated
with fleurons, foliates, curls, and small
dots. An image of Christ’s head with a crown of thorns is inset into the center of
the chandelier. There are small angels at the
lower extremities of two chandelier arms. The title, “The Legend of the Holly”, is
written in hand-drawn Gothic lettering on a
banner beneath the chandelier. The banner is decorated with vegetal crosses and four
small dots. The left edge of the illustrated
border begins with a white cross set against a black dotted background. The cross
is encircled with a crown of thorns. It serves as
the decorated initial letter “t” from the poem’s first word, “the.” The second two
letters are written in hand-drawn lettering to
the right of the crown of thorns. Interwoven vines occupy the remainder of the left
edge of the illustrated border. The vines have
thorns and pointed leaves and many appear to drip liquid. A crucifixion cross with
two nails occupies the length of the bottom edge.
A sheet of paper with the letters “INRI” lies at the center of the cross. A crown
of thorns, a whip, and a long bar also lie across
the bottom of the cross. An urn stands beside the cross. The right edge of the illustrated
border begins with a portrait of an
elderly bearded man in profile view. He looks up toward a bright light and raises
his hands to his chest in prayer. The portrait is
contained within a circular border. The exterior edge of the border is lined with
small thorns. Branches of holly occupy the
remainder of the right edge of the illustrated border. A thin interior border divides
the main illustrated border from the printed
poem text on the left, bottom, and right edges. This border appears to descend from
two arms of the top-edge chandelier. It forms
diamond shapes at the bottom two corners. The plants on the left and right edges of
the illustrated border wrap around the interior
bars. 3/4 page.
