Because little historical documentation regarding the work exists, there has been speculation about its intended iconographic meaning; the most widely accepted theory is that it is an allegory of divine and earthly justice.

[3] Recent insights link the painting to Diogo Lopes Rebelo's treatise De Republica Gubernanda per Regem (1496), underlying ethical and moral principles in government, dedicated to King Manuel I.

[2] In the upper scene, Christ as the Pantocrator in robes of red and with His feet resting on a globe with a Gothic caption reading "UROPA",[1] is flanked by two prophets, each holding a phylactery twisted in the shape of the letters Alpha and Omega.

The Bad Judge, wearing showy robes of orange and a red fur-lined cap and holding a broken red staff, is depicted as having two faces and is being approached by two men in the act of bribery: the man to the right (a rico homem) takes gold coins from a coin purse, and the man to the left (a villein) offers the judge a pair of partridges.

Some scholars suggest that it took place sometime during the reign of King Manuel I (r. 1495–1521), coinciding with the construction of a new dome,[2] but more recent critics find it unlikely that the figures of Jesus Christ and of the heraldic achievement of the powerful House of Braganza (which counted Monsaraz among its many dominions) would be deliberately defaced during the 16th century.

It remained hidden and forgotten until it was fortuitously discovered in the week of 6 to 11 October 1958 while the building, then the seat of the town's parish council, underwent repair and expansion.