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The focus of this picture is the loving gaze which passes between the Christ Child and his mother, the Virgin Mary. The infant is carried to her by two angels; he reaches urgently towards her as she holds out her breast for him, tenderly grabbing her little finger between his.
The trim of the Virgin's rich blue cloak is painted with fine brushstrokes to imitate the sheen of the gold thread with which it is embroidered; it is further embellished with precious gems. The walls of the courtyard are made of colourful marble, represented by splashes of multicoloured paint, suggesting the splendour of the place.
This picture was long thought to be a derivation by an unidentified Florentine painter of a design first used by Filippo Lippi. Recent technical examination shows that it is likely to have been one of the first pictures painted by the Florentine artist Verrocchio, who trained as a goldsmith.
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