The Tripartite Shrine (or Grandstand) Fresco is an exceptional example of the so-called “miniature” frescoes that developed as a technique alongside the large-scale frescoes during the Neopalatial period, and were used to depict multi-figured scenes. Together with the miniature Sacred Grove and Dance Fresco, it adorned wide bands of the walls of a shrine on the upper storey, next to the North Entrance to the Central Court of the Palace. The fresco takes its name from the tripartite building in the centre, which is crowned with horns of consecration and believed to represent a tripartite shrine similar to that preserved in the West Wing of the Palace of Knossos. On either side of the shrine are seated female figures with elaborate garments and hairstyles, in lively conversation. The central scene is framed by pillared platforms on which other groups of women sit or stand. The scene also includes a large crowd of simply drawn men and women, who are probably watching an event or ceremony. The purpose of this mass gathering, which scholars believe to be set in the Central Court of the Palace, is unclear, but it may have been a religious event attended by prominent members of the court.