Wicar became an influential member of the Academy, which he joined in 1805, and he was particularly well known for his work as a draughtsman and engraver. This piece is a preparatory study for the huge canvas depicting Christ Raising the Son of the Widow of Nain now conserved in the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille. Wicar bequeathed the study to the Accademia di San Luca upon his death in 1834.