The seated Christ Child reclines on a white cloth which is set upon straw; there is a suggestion of the Child lying in the manger at Bethlehem, but the subject is treated devotionally. At the left Saint John the Baptist, holding his reed cross, kisses Christ's right hand. At the right two winged putti gaze at the Child.

This painting is a copy of a Maratta of approximately the same size that was once in the Scarpa collection at La Motta di Livena. Although the picture may only be a copy, or more probably a studio piece, it originated well within Maratta's lifetime since it was recorded in the collection of James II.