The iconography focuses on the Virgin's purity. Her swoon foreshadows the Crucifixion of Jesus, and the panel emphasizes her role as mother, bride, and Queen of Heaven. The original frame survived until the 19th century and was inscribed with a date believed to be 1482; modern art historians have suggested that the number's final digit was a 9, which would give a date of 1489. In 1847 Gustav Friedrich Waagen described it as one of Memling's "finest and most original works". In 1902, it was exhibited in Bruges at the "Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges", after which it underwent cleaning and restoration. Philip Lehman bought it in 1920 from the Radziwiłł family, who might have had it in their family since the 16th century; Antoni Radziwiłł discovered it on a family estate in the early 19th century. At that time, it had been pierced through with an arrow and required restoration.