Oil on canvas, 163cm by 123cm.
This is a near contemporary copy of the original which was formerly in S. Maria Maggiore, Rome, and then moved to the Vatican. It has now been lost and is known only from an engraving in reverse by J. Gerardin.
Guido Reni was born into a family of musicians in Bologna, where he trained in the studio of Denis Calvaert (1540-1619) from a very early age. He became one of the leading artists of the 17th Century Bolognese School, opening two studios with more than two hundred pupils, through whom his influence was assured. He was also active in both Rome and Naples.
