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This rather unusual scene shows God Almighty, or Jove, seated under a tree with the avenging thunderbolt in his hand. On the ground in front of him two boys are assailed by writhing serpents. In the centre of the painting we read: "NULLA DETERIOR PESTIS Q. FAMILIARIS INIMICUS".
In the background, in the mist, the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence can be recognized. The subject has been interpreted as the story of Laocoon and, more recently, as an allegory of the civil struggles that divided Florence at the time of Savonarola.
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