The painting is an early example of a compiled architectural landscape in Italian art. According to Paris Bordone himself, he painted “five architectural warrants in perspective.”
The heroes of the legend about the prophecy of the Tiburtian Sibyl in this ideal space are only staff. The kneeling Augustus is depicted in the center of the composition next to the Sibyl, pointing to the sky where the Madonna and the Child are shown in the clouds. To the left of Augustus is a servant with an imperial staff in his hand.
However, the main hero here is the flawlessly built space of the ancient city. The artist demonstrates an excellent mastery of direct perspective and knowledge of the order system of ancient architecture. By placing secondary characters on the stairs and in the porticoes of the building, Bordon creates an almost theatrical mise-en-scene. Reliefs on the basement of the building on the left side of the picture glorify the military victories of Emperor Augustus.
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