The Christ Child reaches towards his mother's cheek as their faces draw together. The Virgin supports him against her body, while the dark background and softly illuminated faces concentrate attention on the exchange of affection.

The composition follows the devotional type of Our Lady of Bethlehem associated with a painting by Francisco Camilo formerly at the hospital of Antón Martín in Madrid. As discussed by Elisabeth Vite in El Manto de los Pueblos, this model circulated widely and found a receptive audience in eighteenth-century New Spain.

The crowns distinguish this representation from related images of the Virgin of Tenderness. Attributed to José de Páez, the canvas combines the intimacy of a maternal embrace with the formal attributes of an established cult image.