The Virgin of the Immaculate Conception

This scene of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception includes the standard depiction of the Virgin standing on a crescent moon and triumphing over the dragonlike Satan, yet adds distinctive touches. Symbols of the Virgin-most notably, the lily-grow out of the heads of the putti, or angels, flanking the mother of Christ.The presence of St. Francis of Assisi at the lower right of the composition refers to the Franciscan order of friars active in the religious conversion of the New World.The figure of St. John the Baptist at lower left probably refers to the popularity of the Feast of St. John the Baptist on September 23; as the precursor of Christ, the Baptist was believed by some theologians to have also been conceived without sin.