Her Sorrows and Her Joys

Watercolour, watercolour ground, gold leaf, 16x20in

“Ladybugs (also known by other names like ladybird and ladybeetle) were named for the Virgin Mary. Their seven spots were said to symbolise her seven sorrows and seven joys. But so much other lore is associated with ladybugs – luck, bountiful crops, fair weather, and the driving away of sadness.”