This is one of the painter's most important late works and was supposed to hang in his family pantheon at the church of the Convent of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo. For that reason, the artist returned to a subject he had dealt with at various moments in his career, a symbol of ressurection and eternity that was supposed to accompany the painter, who probably portrayed himself as the shepherd in the foreground. It is thought that he chose this episode because of the meaning of his last name (Theotocopoulus). Theotokos means “Mother of God” in Greek.

The planned pantheon quickly disappeared and the painting was moved to another place in the church, where it suffered various kinds of deterioration. In 1854, it was acquired by the Prado Museum.

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