This canvas, acquired in 1772 as part of the Crozat collection, was inspired by the events described in the first chapter of St Luke's Gospel. The objects depicted in the foreground have a symbolic significance: the empty font is a sign of the purity of John's birth and his role as the Baptist; the young cockerel foretells the coming of the sun as John foretold the coming of Christ; the skulking cat is an embodiment of night or death, to its right in a copper bowl are burnt animal bones that were used, according to legend, to purify water. This detail also contains an allusion to John's second "martyrdom" - after his death his bones were burnt and the ashes scattered. Tintoretto's painting conveys a particular tense mood that is enhanced by the uneasy contrasts of colour.