This
canvas, together with St. Catherine
Visited in Prison by the Empress Faustina, adorned the church of Santa
Caterina di Brera in Milan, demolished in 1786. Thanks to the publication of
the preparatory drawing, both works could be attributed to Carlo Preda who at
that time often came to Lombardy for religious commissions.
The painting’s composition is typical of the seventeenth
century, updated with elements from Late Baroque painting from Genoa and
compelling chromatic solutions that characterise the surfaces.