This painting combines the intense use of gilded decorative pattern favoured by the artists of Fungai's hometown, Siena, with a more freely painted landscape background inspired by his Umbrian contemporaries, like Perugino.The Virgin Mary embraces the infant Christ. The dazzling gold and white cloak she wears was usually reserved for images of her glorious ascension to heaven at her Assumption or of her coronation by Christ as Queen of Heaven. The image of the Virgin ascending to heaven in splendour was particularly important in Siena and the use of these colours here may be intended to recollect this event.The circular shape (called a tondo) had become popular in the mid-fifteenth century, and here gives Fungai the space to depict, on the left, a nativity scene as well as an angel swooping down to share the news of Christ's birth with a group of shepherds.