The painting was intended to be a metaphor, primarily focused on the transition from the Old to the New Testament, which is expressed through iconography and disguised symbolism.

This work by Robert Campin is one of his earliest and was previously attributed to Roger Van der Weyden.

Presented at the top of the building are stained-glass windows which depict scenes from the Hebrew Bible thought to be Old Testament stories, such as Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac.

The Marriage of the Virgin was one of Robert Campin's earliest works, but was attributed to Roger van der Weyden for a period of time.

[1] It was assumed that Roger Van der Weyden had created the painting and thus the work was accredited to him for a short time.

The main story of the artwork, the betrothal of Joseph and the Virgin Mary, did not come from the Bible, but from apocryphal sources like the Golden Legend.

There are also stained-glass windows in the painting's architecture depicting scenes from the Old Testament that were intended to signal the redemption of Christ.

This reinforces the message that the Romanesque architecture is symbolic for the Old Testament which represents a time where Judaism was widely practiced and followed.

[4] This painting from Robert Campin was first acquired and taken to El Escorial which is located to be in San Lorenzo where it became a part of the royal collection.