It was acquired in 1810 in Paris with help from the baron Dominique Vivant Denon for the Hermitage Museum, in Saint Petersburg, where it now hangs.

[1] The composition draws on models by Fra Bartolomeo and the pyramidical group owes much to Michelangelo.

[2] The influence of Michelangelo is apparent in the twisting of Mary and in the plastic vigor of the figures, while the accentuation of the expressions already reveals a completely personal non-conformism, slightly enlarging the somatic features of the faces: the mouths are elongated grins, the noses marked, the eyes large.

Among the putti, particularly singular is the one which, in the foreground, projects its head and shoulders outwards and holds a hand at its side: it looks very much like a view of Michelangelo's David from above.

The other cherubs also show bold views and expressive twists of great originality.