The Virgin Mary is portrayed with her right hand expressing milk from her exposed breast and gesturing to the Child, the latter being supported by an angel.

The Italian name (padiglione meaning "pavilion") derives from the rich baldachin over the scene.

The "pavilion" is a reference to the same verse in Gospel of John: "The word became flesh and dwelt among us."

In the Greek language of the gospel, the word "dwelt" actually means "tented," a reference to the book of Exodus in the Old Testament where God's glory entered the tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai: "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34).

The book and the open tent/pavilion signify the revelation that the Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled in the birth of the Christ Child to the Virgin.