In the upper register, God the Father, surrounded by seraphim, is depicted gripping an arrow he is about to hurl against mankind. Beneath him, Mary bears her breast and Jesus exhibits his wounds as a reminder of the sacrifice made for the redemption of the world in an attempt to intercede against the wrath of the Father.

Using a sophisticated optical effect characteristic of Benozzo's style, the fresco seeks to create the impression of a great altarpiece enclosed within a false marble frame. This optical illusion is enhanced by the small pax of the Crucifixion, painted as a small tablet resting on the altar below it. The Augustinian friar portrayed kneeling at the foot of the Crucifix has been identified by scholars as Fra' Domenico Strambi, the patron of the cycle of episodes from the life of Saint Augustine. The inscription "F.D.M.P" which accompanies the representation perhaps stands for "Frater Dominicus Magister Parisinus" and would seem to substantiate this hypothesis.

The recent restoration carried out in 1990 established that the fresco was created in just sixteen days, hence with a certain haste, allowing the artist to continue his work on the chapel of the church choir.

Some two years later, Benozzo painted another fresco featuring the same subject on the counter-façade of the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Assunta in San Gimignano.