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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.
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