The portrait was commissioned by the Hieronymite monks for the Hall of Kings at the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém in Lisbon. The composition emphasises Maria I's sovereignty: she holds the sceptre and rests her hand on the crown, while Pedro III is depicted as King Consort.
The painting was subsequently displayed in the monastery's refectory and later entered the collection of Casa Pia de Lisboa. It was acquired by the National Coach Museum through an exchange with that institution.
Retrato de corpo inteiro de D. Maria I e D. Pedro III, representados de pé, num espaço interior. A rainha enverga um vestido de seda branca bordado a ouro e um manto de brocado azul, ostentando as insígnias da Ordem de Cristo. Segura o cetro e apoia a mão sobre a coroa real. D. Pedro III apresenta-se com traje de veludo vermelho bordado a ouro e manto forrado de arminhos. A riqueza da indumentária e os atributos régios acentuam a solenidade da composição.