This almost family scene shows the Christ Child and Saint John embracing each other while their respective mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, look on. The moment is witnessed by Saint Catherine, who accompanies them. She is leaning on a large wooden wheel, which symbolizes her martyrdom. The Lamb in the lower left corner alludes to the Passion of Christ and saddens the moment with its announcement of his destiny. On the right, the landscape is framed by a classical ruin adorned with a low relief. The background opens onto a lush landscape.

Inspired by Caravaggio, Carracci, Guercino and Reni, Simon Vouet was responsible for the introduction of the Italian Baroque to France. This work, in particular, was made during his stay in Rome and belonged to Casiano dal Pozzo (1588-1657), a Roman scholar, patron of the arts and collector. A drawing attributed by Papi (2020) to Vouet, that represents the Allegory of Poetry, kept in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, uses the same young model who here personifies Saint Catherine as the protagonist.