This panel painting was in the center of the right-hand column in the main body of the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz) altarpiece in the town of Blesa, Teruel. The scene is part of the story of the Invention or Discovery of the Holy Cross. According to Jacques de La Vorágine's The Golden Legend,
Judas, a Jew from Jerusalem, knew exactly where the True Cross was, but would not divulge this, despite being interrogated. He was then thrown into a dry well, where he stayed for six days, after which he promised to reveal his secret. The scene captures the moment when he is interrogated by Saint Helena after being released from the well.