Parmigianino has chosen to separate the two saints in the painting. St John Baptist dominates the left-hand corner of the picture, whilst St Jerome is asleep in the right-hand corner, suggesting that the picture could be a vision from his dreams. Whereas Jerome is very muscular and active, lunging towards us and asking us to respond to the scene to which he points, John is a smaller, slightly disengaged background figure.
The complex and exaggerated pose of the Baptist and his unusually elongated fingers are all typical of the Mannerist style. His questioning look very much demands us to respond to the picture. He forces us to notice and appreciate the Madonna. Although she is still positioned high up in the painting, she is still in the background - not even the mother of Christ can occupy a more splendid place than in a