During the Middle Ages and in the 16th century, it was common for the richest religious vestments to display embroideries depicting apostles, saints, scenes from the life of Christ and scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary in specific spaces such as orphreys, panels and altar frontals.

The close links between the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Portuguese Crown and Dom Manuel I, the monastery’s founder, explain the Italian origin of this piece, its iconographic characteristics (the Apostles depicted in architecturally shaped niches), the sophisticated technique and the richness of the materials used.