The atmospheric and emotional intensity of this devotional painting is characteristic of the work of Giovanni Bellini, whose creations decisively shaped Venetian Renaissance painting. What is particularly striking here is the way in which the beholder is addressed; Mary and the Infant Christ both fix their gaze directly on the viewer as their counterpart. The subtlety of the intricately balanced figural composition is evident right down to the smallest detail: Mary's left hand seems to delicately grasp her child's right foot, without however actually touching it. The landscape setting lends even more emphasis to the meditative character of the picture.