The religious conflicts that affected the British Isles in the 16th and 17th centuries had a devastating effect upon the decorative arts and furnishings of the Christian church. Much of the medieval stained glass in churches and cathedrals was damaged and only survives in a fragmentary state.

This fragment is a small pinnacled section of arcading which originally would have formed part of a canopied structure. In the 15th century many churches had decorated windows with images of saints standing under elaborate canopies and framed by columns, themselves composed of arcading. This fragment probably came from one of the columns flanking such a saint.

In contrast to traditional stained glass, which was coloured with metallic oxides when molten, this fragment was made using a technique introduced to England in the early part of the 14th century. This consisted of painting a compound of silver on the back of the glass. After firing in a kiln, the silver compound would turn yellow. Many panels from the 14th and 15th centuries are decorated simply in yellow (silver) stain and highlighted with a brown–black pigment.