The Emperor Trajan was persuaded to postpone affairs of state, and render justice to a widow for her dead child. The story is taken from Dante's 'Purgatorio' X:76 ff.

This panel and 'Trajan and the Widow I' are presumably from a cassone, and are probably of the late 15th century.

For other Veronese paintings of this type also with subjects from Roman history see Domenico Morone.