The original purpose of the Mercedarian order was the ransom of Christians captured and enslaved by the Moors of North Africa. In this painting, the subsidiary figures are slaves, as identified by their bells and manacles. Here, though, they are "slaves" of Our Lady of Mercy. This small painting on a copper support exemplifies the stylistic tendencies of painting in Quito in the late eighteenth century, with delicately painted features and a light, bright palette.