A small decorative screen, for which this panel was used, was often placed in front of a fireplace to hide the grate when the fireplace was not in use. This panel was not, however, designed specifically for a firescreen but has been cut from a larger hanging, possibly a bed curtain.
The shaded mounds at the base of the panel are in a style originally inspired by Indian printed and painted cottons. Another Asia-inspired feature is the blue and white bowl which might have come from China or might have been a copy from Delft in the Netherlands. Given the attention to detail found in this embroidery, it is curious that the designer or the embroiderer has omitted to draw the further rim of the bowl.