Miracle of the Snow – Polesden Lacey – Surrey (UK)
The table, probably originally conceived as a predella panel together with its twin showing the Birth of the Virgin (now at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool), depicts the Miracle of the Snow inside an oval frame.
The iconography of the scene derives from the legend of the foundation of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, dating back to the fourth century A.D. and followed by a miraculous snowfall occurred in August: the figure of the Madonna appears in fact in a glimpse among the clouds, from which snowflakes fall on the ground, showing the plant of a church on the lawn below.
On the left, Pope Liberius holds a hoe and is starting to build the church, while some characters standing behind him and on the right side attend the scene.
In the background, an ideal representation of ancient Rome show some temples and ancient building, as well as an honorary column.
The panel, dating back to the fifteenth century, was initially commissioned for the Pucci Chapel in the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata in Florence.
The panel is preserved at the National Trust at Polesden Lacey in Surrey (UK).
