House of York basis. Edward Plantagenet became Edward IV in 1461, thus merging the title of Duke of York with the crown. The most popular symbol of the house of York was the White Rose of York. The Yorkist rose is white in colour, because in Christian liturgical symbolism, white is the symbol of light, typifying innocence and purity, joy and glory. During the civil wars of the fifteenth century, the White Rose was the symbol of Yorkist forces opposed to the rival House of Lancaster. The red rose of Lancaster would be a later invention used to represent the House of Lancaster,
Madonna of the Rose Garden Madonna of the Rose Garden The Madonna of the Rose Garden (Italian: "Madonna del Roseto") is an International Gothic painting attributed to Michelino da Besozzo or Stefano da Verona. Dating to c. 1420–1435, it is currently housed in the Castelvecchio Museum in Verona, northern Italy. The tempera on panel painting shows the traditional theme of the Madonna with Child within an enclosure of roses, a "hortus conclusus", symbol of her virginity, in the presence of St. Catherine of Alexandria. The latter, as a princess, is crowned, and is accompanied by her martyrdom attribute of the torture wheel. There are also