The idea of the Christ child gazing at a bird is taken from Raphael's The Madonna of the Goldfinch held by the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence, that Burne-Jones visited in 1871. The Goldfinch is traditionally associated with Christ's passion as it has red around its beak and feeds on thistles. Burne-Jones has taken the idea without any of the symbolism and made it a charming representation of motherhood.