Plaquettes are small plaques or reliefs made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440ies with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from ancient Greece and Rome. Some were made as collector's pieces, to be viewed and displayed in private, and others for practical purposes. They also inspired designs in other media, from architecture to book-bindings. Plaquettes had a role in disseminating classical imagery and designs throughout Europe, in the same manner as the contemporary print. The subject matter was often a miniature composition, only rarely a single isolated figure.

Lucretia was a Roman heroine and had a tragic death in 510 BC, which had far reaching consequences for the Roman Empire. She was raped by Sextus, son of the tyrant Tarquin the Proud, and subsequently took her life. This led to a rebellion by Brutus, nephew of Tarquin, in which Tarquin and his family were forced into excile.