wāg-hrægel, n.n: a wall-covering, a curtain, veil (of the temple).
Image from Lehigh University: Book of Hours of Paris use, in Latin. 15th-century manuscript on vellum, probably written in France.
Lehigh University’s website says: ‘The miniature exhibited here depicts the Annunciation – the Angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin to inform her of her conception of Christ. The scroll in the picture reads: Hail, full of grace, the Lord (is with thee), and the image shows the exact moment in which Christ was conceived. According to some medieval theories, Mary literally conceived through her ear, and she is often represented as half-turned towards the angel. In some miniatures, in fact, the scroll is shown running from the angel’s lips to Mary’s ear; here the Holy Spirit is represented as dove. The sacredness of the scene is further enhanced by the drawn curtains, connoting either the temple or a marriage bed. The book that Mary touches further illustrates the sacredness by referencing the fulfillment of the promise under the Old Law, which God made through his prophets.’
