Apple of my eye

This image is influenced by paintings done on sarcophagi in Egypt; specifically the mysterious Egyptian Fayum portrait, Arsinoe tomb of Trajan (117-98 BCE). The artist added an apple to his illumination, as a nod to the Renaissance’s European influence and a reference to the Garden of Eden.

So is my darling among the maidens.

Like an apple tree among trees in the forest,

So is my beloved among the youths.

I delight to sit in his shade,

And his fruit is sweet to my mouth.

- Chapter 2:2-3

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