The Virgin Mary sits on a stone bench. A halo of light around her head cuts through the shadows of the space. She looks tired and pensive as she cradles the baby Jesus in her lap. Any new parents can recognize the exhaustion and the weight of responsibility. She rests her head against her closed right hand, a traditional sign of melancholy. Jesus looks up at a bird flying in the upper left corner of the image. The bird is tethered by a string, which Jesus holds in his right hand. The bird may symbolize the soul, which is only tenuiously held by the body. Mary's prefigures the sadness she will fell after the Crucifixion. source: artsmia.org
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