The dimensions of the triptych are identical to those of a triptych of The Crucifixion, with Saints Nicholas and Gregory on the shutters (Boston, Museum of Fine Arts), which also seems to have been painted in Duccio’s workshop. The exterior of the shutters in both triptychs have the same geometric patterns.
it has been suggested that, despite the high quality of the work, the format was held in readiness for wealthy purchasers.
It may have been made for the private devotion of Cardinal Niccolò da Prato (died 1321), a high-ranking Dominican who was Cardinal of Ostia and would therefore have had reason to venerate Saint Aurea of Ostia, otherwise rarely shown.

Vézelay possesses one of the finest ensembles of Romanesque sculptures ever produced. The pillars of the nave and the narthex are adorned by capitals depicting all the themes typical of Romanesque architecture.
The crowning glory is unquestionably the "Mystical Mill" which summarises the whole of the Bible.