In this scene, Murray has created striking contrasts by leaving some figures white. This serves to highlight the baby Jesus, who radiates light and is surrounded by adoring figures. The depiction would be a tender one, were it not for the presence of the naked man seated at the front of the scene, who seems not to belong to the main group. The man’s starkly white and elongated body, with disproportionately long legs, is influenced by mannerist art. His pose, and the look of suffering on his face, recall images of Christ deposed from the Cross, and it is likely that his presence in the scene anticipates Jesus’ fate.