Mandorla is the Italian word for almond. In painting or sculpture the term is used to describe the almond-shaped enclosure which is sometimes depicted around Christ or the Virgin Mary. For example, the Virgin and Child are represented in a mandorla in Crivelli's version of 'The Vision of the Blessed Gabriele', and 'The Trinity' is represented within one in Barnaba da Modena's panel.
Mandorlas are most often depicted in the context of Christ's Ascension and the Virgin's Assumption.