Raphael Sanzio, Madonna of the Goldfinch (fresco, opt. 2)

Description

Immersed in a wide river landscape with a horizon surrounded by trees and a bridge on the left, we find the Madonna seated on a rock, holding the Child Jesus between her legs, while St. John, embraced by the Virgin, is on the left. The two children play with a goldfinch that symbolizes the Passion of Christ. The Virgin holds a book in her hand, a detail that alludes to her awareness of her son's future; awareness that does not disturb the moment and the scene in which there seems to be no place for sadness and fear. The young mother takes care of the two children with great serenity, accepting the fate of both. The Madonna of the Goldfinch wears a red robe and a blue mantle, common colors  in the iconography of the character; if red alludes to the blood and Passion of Christ, blue to the mantle of heaven and the relationship between earthly and afterlife symbolized by the Virgin.