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'The Madonna of the Meadow' shows Jesus sleeping in the Virgin's lap. It is a natural pose yet anticipates the Pietà, in which his dead body is laid across his mother's lap.
The landscape shows the farmland and fortified hills of the mainland provinces of Venice. To the left of the Virgin a wading bird, possibly a crane, attacks a snake. This may be intended to symbolise the struggle of good and evil. The vulture in the tree may be symbolic of death.
The painting has been transferred from panel to canvas and is damaged in places.
The landscape shows the farmland and fortified hills of the mainland provinces of Venice. To the left of the Virgin a wading bird, possibly a crane, attacks a snake. This may be intended to symbolise the struggle of good and evil. The vulture in the tree may be symbolic of death.
The painting has been transferred from panel to canvas and is damaged in places.
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The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN