Originally commissioned for the Scuola Grande di San Marco, a confraternity in the city of Venice, the work has been held in the Gallerie dell'Accademia since 1815.

[2] Miracle of the Slave has been described as Tintoretto’s public consecration in Venice, and has classic components of the Venetian school of art along with themes that would become prevalent throughout the artist's career.

[1] Miracle of the Slave was commissioned by the charitable civic organization of the Scuola Grande di San Marco to hang opposite the altar within the building.

[5] The master, seated at the throne on the right, calls for the slave's eyes to be gouged out, legs to be broken, and mouth to be shattered.

The confraternity that paid for the work, the Scuola di San Marco, was the largest and wealthiest lay organization in Venice, and it played a central role in social life.

"[9] More recently, authors have placed Miracle of the Slave at the beginning of Tintoretto's exploration of miraculous intervention, which he often depicted in other works in Venice.