This diptych is one of the rare instances of early Gothic panel paintings from north of the Alps. It is an example of Prague court art under Emperor Charles IV, the influence of which reached as far as southern Germany, as shown by the work next to it of Mary enthroned by a Nuremberg master. The altarpiece of two hinged panels, made for private devotions, shows the beginning and end of the life of Jesus and his work for the salvation of humankind: Mary and the Christ Child, who is identified as the Queen of Heaven, and The Man of Sorrows.