Raffaello, resurrezione di cristo, 1499-1502, 15

This close-up focuses on the lower foreground where a guard in yellow and blue sits near the base of the tomb. A small serpent crawls through the grass near the soldier's feet, while the marble sarcophagus is adorned with a gilded carving of a mythical griffin. The composition contrasts the mundane, earth-bound elements of the scene with the miraculous event occurring above.

The snake represents the 'old serpent' of Genesis, symbolizing sin and death which are defeated by the Resurrection of Christ. The use of a classical sarcophagus with a griffin—a creature often associated with the dual nature of Christ in medieval and Renaissance iconography—reflects the period's synthesis of Christian theology and classical form.