In contrast to Jesus’ crown of thorns, the pope is shown being crowned with the three-tiered papal tiara, enthroned in a royal hall. Monks, bishops, and attendants wait on him. Soldiers and weapons—signs of worldly power—can be seen in the distance.

The text underneath this image speaks of the Donation of Constantine, a document long used in the Middle Ages to support papal supremacy. Claiming that Emperor Constantine had given the bishop of Rome authority over both church and state in the western part of the empire, the document was shown to be inauthentic by Italian humanist Lorenzo Valla (1407-1457 CE). In the time of the Reformation, public awareness of such ill-founded claims for authority contributed to general critiques of the papacy and a widespread desire for church reform.