This painting once formed part of an altarpiece featuring saints framing a central devotional image. Saint Anthony, a Christian monk from Egypt, endured trials and temptations while journeying in the desert. He is accompanied by a diminutive pig, one of his common attributes. Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, carries stones in one hand and upon his head, referencing his death by stoning. Above, in the pinnacle, the Virgin Mary bows gracefully before the Archangel Gabriel (pictured on the adjacent panel in the altarpiece) accepting the news that she will bear the son of God.