Ventaile or Aventail. A movable front to a helmet, through which the wearer breathed:—“quâ ventus hauritur.”
“L’escu au col, la ventaille fermée.”
(Roman de Roncevaux.)
Ventrale, R. (venter, the belly). A girdle of peculiar shape, fastened round the loins over the abdomen.
Vents, Scotch. Chimneys.
Venturina, Sp. A precious stone, of a yellowish-brown colour. Hence:—
Venturine. A powder of gold used to sprinkle over japanned surfaces.
Ver Sacrum, R. (lit. a holy (or dedicated) Spring). The dedication to sacrifice of all that is born in a certain year, in the months of March and April, was a common practice of the early Italian nations, especially of the Sabines. In the most ancient times actual infanticide was a part of this offering; but in later years the practice was modified as regarded children. They were brought up, under a vow of dedication, to the age of twenty-one, and then with veiled faces expelled across the frontiers. Many colonies resulted from this practice.
Vera Icon, Chr. The true image impressed upon the Sudarium (q.v.) of St. Veronica. In St. Peter’s at Rome, in a chapel dedicated to that saint, a painting on linen is shown as the veritable napkin of St. Veronica; and a fine mosaic over the altar, after a design by Andrea Sacchi, represents the incident. (See Stole.)
Verandah. An open portico to a house. In the tropical countries the open verandah is the principal apartment of a house, and Society appear to the passers-by, in their illuminated verandahs, like the actors on the stage of a theatre.