Joachim was father of the Virgin Mary and husband of Saint Anne. According to the 'Golden Legend', the couple were rich, elderly and childless. While in the desert, he was told that Anne would conceive and the child would become the mother of Jesus. To signify this Joachim was told to go to the Golden Gate of Jerusalem and meet his wife who was also sent there. From the moment they embraced she was with child.
In a work in the Collection, Niccolo di Buonaccorso depicted the couple at the marriage of their daughter to Joseph ('The Marriage of the Virgin').