This large altarpiece consists of some 36 individual pieces of terracotta that were fired separately and then assembled. Glazed terracotta has greater durability than painted terracotta, and such large altarpieces could be placed outdoors, or in transitional spaces such as porches or entryways to churches.

The base of the work contains an inscription that reads in Latin, “Oh all that pass by, behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,” a passage from the Lamentations of Jeremiah. Flanking the inscription are figures of St. Dominic and St. Anthony Abbot, indicating that the sculpture was made for a Dominican church.