Rainbows in culture Rainbows in culture The rainbow, a natural phenomenon noted for its design and its place in the sky, has been a favorite component of art and religion throughout history. The rainbow has a place in legend owing to its beauty and the historical difficulty in explaining the phenomenon. In Greco-Roman mythology, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger (Iris) between Earth and Heaven. In Chinese mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by goddess Nüwa using stones of five different colours. The Irish leprechaun's secret hiding place for his pot of gold
Saint Anthony Abbot Tempted by a Heap of Gold such as posing as a woman or an object of wealth. In this instance, the gathering animals entice him with a pot of gold. At some stage early in the painting's history, the pot, which had been shown on the ground near the rabbit, was scraped out, removing the cause of the saint's gesture. Typical of 15th-century Italian art, the figures in this composition are small in relation to the full canvas; their importance is indicated moreover by their proximity to the foreground. The painting appears relatively 'flat' to modern eyes. Depth of field is indicated by the path, which