The work depicts a heroine of antiquity, Artemisia, who lived in Anatolia in the fourth century B.C. Artemisia had married her brother Mausolus; when she was left a widow she devoted her life to honouring the memory of her husband, as shown in the episodes represented in the background. On the right, Artemisia prepares to drink her husband’s ashes mixed with her tears; on the left she supervises the construction of his tomb, known as the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the seven wonders of the world. The painting is therefore a celebration of conjugal love and was part of a cycle of heroic figures of antiquity.
The style is typical of Sienese art in the late fifteenth century and reflects the manner of Luca Signorelli. The painting is attributed to a painter, known conventionally as the Master of the story of Griselda. His figures are notable for their elongated limbs, almost dancing motion and great elegance.