Italian, Roman, 'The Water of Life', probably 19th century

This unusual design is an adaptation of a twelfth-century mosaic that decorates the apse of San Clemente, Rome. That mosaic shows Christ on the Cross, which is, as here, adorned with 12 doves. The doves – a symbol of innocence – represent the Twelve Apostles, Christ’s followers who spread his message after his death.

Looping tendrils of acanthus, a shrub with spiky leaves, surround the Cross at San Clemente – according to the Gospels, Roman soldiers made an acanthus crown for Christ just before the Crucifixion. The plant survives in our version as a cluster of large leaves at the foot of the Cross. Beneath this, two stags drink, a reference to the opening verse of Psalm 42: ‘As the hart longs for flowing streams so my soul thirsts for thee, O God’. The water comes from four streams, and the Book of Genesis mentions that four rivers flow from the Garden of Eden.

Christ’s foremost apostles, Peter and Paul, are seated on either side of the Cross. They too are copied from the San Clemente mosaic, where they appear to the upper right of the apse.