This 14-line sonnet, in iambic pentameter with an ABAB rhyme, celebrates Carlo Dolci’s Virgin and Child (circa 1646–1649) at Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery. The first quatrain paints the Virgin in an orange robe like glowing embers, her coral cheeks and golden halo radiating warmth and reverence. The second quatrain presents the Child, human flesh yet divine King, with amber curls, lifted high by her on an olive green pillow—verdant and throne-like. The third quatrain zooms in on that pillow, deep with garden echoes, fringed with golden tassels, cradling Him as a subtle prophecy of the cross. The final couplet ties it to Dolci’s 1640s artistry, where her love enshrines the Child as God’s chosen Son, blending peace and redemption.

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Her robe, an orange flame, like embers gleams,
A silken glow that wraps the Virgin’s form,
Her coral cheeks alight with tender dreams,
A golden halo crowns her spirit warm.
The Child, in flesh yet born to reign as King,
His amber curls cascade in soft delight,
She lifts Him high where Heaven’s praises sing,
On olive green, a throne of verdant might.

Gold tassels gleam, a dance of royal grace,
The pillow deep with garden’s whispered lore,
Holds up His frame, a hint of future’s trace,
A cross to come, His love forevermore.
In sixteen-forties’ stroke, this piece was spun,