Within the rich architectural setting the enclosed garden and the bed chamber stand for the Virgin Mary’s purity. The well and the peacock, symbolising the source of life and eternity respectively, illustrate the mystery of Christ’s incarnation, as does the inscription on the balustrade that quotes a line from Saint John’s Gospel. The coat of arms over the entrance testifies that the painting was commissioned by Jacques Cœur. The merchant and banker from Bourges maintained lively trade relations with Florence where Fra Carnevale, who came from Urbino, was working in Fra Filippo Lippi’s workshop.