The painting was most probably commissioned by the prince bishop Carlo Gaudenzio Madruzzo (1562-1629) to adorn the tomb of Bernardo Clesio, prince bishop of Trento from 1514 to 1539.
The composition is based on a fresco that Clesio himself had painted by the Dossi brothers in Buonconsiglio Castle. In the background, to the right, there is a view of Trento with the Tower of the square and the ancient cupola of the cathedral.
The spectacular apparition of the Madonna is made complete, in the foreground to the left, by a small angel bearing two shields with Clesio’s coat of arms and emblem.
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