Madonna with Child piercing the Head of the Serpent ('Madonna della Serpe')

Gaulli's Madonna della Serpe of 1697 depicts the Virgin crushing the serpent's head — a traditional image of Mary as the second Eve, triumphant over sin. Baciccio painted this work late in his career, when his style had evolved from the flamboyant illusionism of the Gesù ceiling toward a more restrained devotional manner. The subject had ancient iconographic roots but gained renewed prominence in the Counter-Reformation Church.

The Virgin stands in a gentle contrapposto, the Christ Child in her arms, her foot upon the serpent below. Gaulli's warm palette and soft modelling give the figure an approachable tenderness. The loose, confident brushwork of the drapery contrasts with the careful handling of the Madonna's face and the Child.