megalithic saints

this curious tableau depicts the patron saint of paris, saint genevieve, with high crook in hand, in the midst of a megalithic enclosure acting as a sheepfold. represented here, is the iconographic theme of the ‘good shepherd’ protecting her flock – although showing one black sheep and one brown.  the landscape is an overview of paris taken from the east, in particular the mound and the abbey of montmartre, the wall of charles V with its doors, the temple and the bastille. the picture is thought to be the work of a flemish painter working in france and influenced by the school of fontainebleau. the megalithic circle may well be fictitious although a stone circle does still exist to the north east of paris known as the cromlech quadrangulaire (having both a male and female identity) and is reportedly made up of closely spaced stones. although ceremonial stone circles had many functions, protection and corralling would undoubtably be amongst them. the status of the fleeing(?) figures in the mid-ground is unknown.