A mother and child gaze in wonder, captivated by a small bird perched on Mary’s finger. This delicate creature interrupts the peaceful rhythm of everyday life, becoming an image of the soul in anticipation of Redemption.
The bird also recalls the apocryphal gospels in which the infant Jesus demonstrates his divine creativity by shaping birds from clay.
The tender simplicity of the scene suggests that the painting belongs to Guercino’s early period (1615–1616), a time marked by devout admiration for Ludovico Carracci, with whom he shared a deep sensitivity to the truth of nature.
