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The panel is part of a cycle of paintings dedicated to the story of biblical heroine Esther, who would become the wife of Persian king Ahasuerus (better known as Xerxes) and do her best to protect the Jewish people against a plot organised by a court dignitary. Esther's story was considered an example for Renaissance women and this subject was often chosen to decorate the furnishings in the bridal chambers of the wealthier classes. Three panels from the cycle in the Uffizi, together with one in the Louvre and another in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, certainly made up a "cassone" or other similar piece of furniture. The cycle consists of modest paintings but they are very characteristic of Florentine taste in the second half of the 15th century.
Originally this painting was for the short side of a wedding chest (cassone). The scene for the Old Testament event is an area of a palace open toward the courtyard. The rear of the courtyard is closed off by a building having an open staircase, two blind arcades and an open one. Through the open arcade and above the terrace, located above the arcade, we can see the open sky.
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