On opening the shutters of the tabernacle it feels as if a door to a church has just been opened, and we are looking inside at a vision of the Virgin and Child, surrounded by a heavenly gathering of saints. This impression is reinforced by the pointed arch mouldings and the spiral columns, which resemble the structural supports found in Gothic churches.
There is a cohesiveness and purpose of design in the various decorative elements. For example, the pointed trefoil arch shape appears not only in the moulding arising from the inner spiral columns, but also in the canopy over the Virgin Mary's throne, and in the extensive punchwork of the gilded background. The arches point towards the pediment where Christ the Redeemer is shown within a trefoil. This visual link not only emphasises the importance of the Virgin Mary as the mother of the Son of God, but also her role in the Incarnation of Christ and thus the Redemption of mankind.
