The baby Jesus, John and Mary want to pray. Jesus is sitting on a small wall. He is wearing clothes that are typical for small children in 16th century Venice: a shirt, a tunic, a red cap, a pearl necklace and red shoes. While his mother Mary has already folded her hands in prayer and bowed her head, the two little boys are not yet ready to be quiet. The baby Jesus is clumsily leafing through a book. John points to the book with his hand, distracting Jesus. Mary is already ready to pray, but the children are not yet.
We no longer know for whom Carpaccio painted this picture. The picture probably depicts prayer in a woman's room. At that time, people in Venice believed that women should stay at home and raise their children religiously. The situation depicted could therefore show how mothers should pray with their children – but here you can also see that small children are often distracted when praying.
A similar picture by Carpaccio is available as a drawing. You can see the drawing as the second depiction at this stop. Mary and the baby Jesus are both sitting on a wall or in a window. Mary has a book open in front of her and is looking over at her son, who is sitting on a cushion and listening attentively to his mother – finally!