Created by Mantegna immediately after the works for the Camera degli Sposi in Mantua (1465 – 1474), the painting is characterized by its plastic and almost sculptural strength, the figures and fineness of execution, which in the mantle of the Virgin combines the precious blue of lapis lazuli with crosshatched gold. The dusty and dull hues are the result of the tempera technique adopted and preferred by Mantegna, who used it by spreading thin glazes of colour with a very fine linen cloth.