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This work is known as the Modena Triptych. It is a small portable altarpiece which was used for personal contemplation. The altarpiece was discovered only in 1937 and has given rise to many disputes. It is likely that the Modena Triptych was one of the first works which El Greco painted in Venice. It probably dates to around 1569, shortly after the artist arrived in Venice.

On the centre panel we see an allegory of the Christian knight. Above, in the centre, Christ holds a crown above the kneeling knight, who symbolises the church. Below, also in the centre, stand three women in ancient attire, who represent the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love. To their right, devils cast the damned into the gaping jaws of hell. The side panel to the left depicts the Adoration of the Kings, and to the right, Christ’s baptism in the Jordan.