Clarissan

Strict enclosure presented additional complexities when the convent churches were open to the lay public, as was the case in the Clarissan order ("Poor Clares").

The image of the crowds of fallen women can be seen as both the diametrical opposite to and the necessary contrast or "negative space" for the emergence of the unique woman, the paragon. Obviously, the "luster" of the Clarissan diamond is best perceived against these "common stones", to paraphrase Johnson.