It was produced in Rome for
Odoardo Farnese, with a notable preparatory drawing for the upper part of the painting is now in the
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille. In the background Annibale places a view of the
St Peter's Basilica, then still incomplete and without the dome of the Cappella Clementina, probably as a prophecy of England's return to Catholicism. Odoardo's praying pose is argued to be an influence on that
Bernini's sculpture of cardinal
Roberto Bellarmino.
Dating , Florence ,
Deesis with Saint Paul and Saint Catherine, ca. 1520,
Galleria nazionale, Parma Its dating is the object of much critical dispute, depending on various interpretations of its significance. Some argue it was an expression of Odoardo's campaign to be granted the throne of England, then in the balance as
Elizabeth I approached her death without a named successor. This was based on his descent from the
House of Lancaster via his mother
Maria d'Aviz of Portugal
Destination The painting's original destination is also heavily debated. It was definitely at Odoardo's chapel at the
Eremo di Camaldoli at some point, but it is unclear whether this had always been the work's intended destination or whether it was only placed there later. For those arguing that the work relates to Odoardo's royal ambitions, the work was sent to Camaldoli some time after its completion, probably after his hopes of becoming King of England had been dashed, making it embarrassing to still have the painting on display in Rome and preferable to hide it away off the beaten track. Both the chasuble and frontal include the Farnese symbols of lilies and unicorns and were previously misattributed to
Francesco Salviati or
Perin del Vaga, artists who had worked for the family decades earlier. Stylistic similarities to the painting and their inclusion of Edward and Ermenegild confirm Annibale's authorship and argue for them and the painting being part of a single unified commission for the Eremo. The work is also strongly influenced by
Correggio, which is argued to support the 1597-1598 dating, since at that time that influence had not yet been eclipsed by Roman artists in Annibale's work. However, some art historians argue that he did not totally abandon influences from Correggio and northern Italy in general after that date and so the work can still be dated slightly later. – a drawing of that statue in his hand survives and features in several of his other paintings. ==References==