Two Pigs in Straw (Barn with Pigs) 

George Morland painted these two pigs in straw to show a scene of rural life in England. Pigs are heavy with symbolism. In ancient Greece, the pig was a symbol of fertility and was sacrificed to Demeter, the goddess of agriculture. Yet, their association with gluttony and filth is also well-established across cultures, often appearing as symbols of vice in medieval allegories. Think of Saint Anthony, frequently depicted with a pig, representing the triumph of virtue over temptation. Here, though, the pigs are neither deities nor demons but creatures of comfort and plenty. The straw cradles them, a material manifestation of nourishment and prosperity. Consider how the straw reappears in nativity scenes, a subtle echo of the manger, linking animal comfort to the divine birth. This barn scene engages our primal understanding of shelter, safety, and the abundance of nature. And so, the humble pig, nestled in straw, becomes a carrier of complex cultural memories—a symbol of cyclical returns, reminding us of the layered, often contradictory meanings embedded in even the simplest of images.