AaronThe left-hand study shows the figure of Aaron depicted on a single panel of the tall windows behind the high altar of the church of Santa Croce, Florence.
The window comprises a number of panels of biblical figures and saints, each set within their own compartment. These separate figures are also found in the decorative scheme surrounding the windows. The early Renaissance artist Agnolo Gaddi (1350-1396) designed and partially painted the entire area.
Aaron was a biblical prophet and the brother of Moses. He is depicted in the robes of a high priest: these include the breastplate studded with symbolic jewels, the red 'ephod' (an apron-like robe) and the mitre on his head. He holds a censer filled with incense in one hand and a casket in the other.
St BarbaraThe right-hand study shows a single panel from a side chapel in the church of Santa Croce, Florence. The figure is St Barbara, a Roman Christian whose father beheaded her for refusing to marry a pagan noble.
St Barbara may be recognized by the attributes or symbols she holds and by the martyr's crown she wears on her head. In one hand, she holds a chalice and wafer. In the other, she holds a sword, which represents her death by beheading, and possibly her role as the patron saint of armourers.
The ArtistT.M. Rooke (1842-1942) created many watercolour drawings for the Guild of St George.