It had entered the duc de Richelieu's collection by 13 October 1665, when it was admired there by Gian Lorenzo Bernini during his stay in Paris.

[2] It appears in an inventory of works owned by Charles Le Brun until his death in 1690 in the hôtel de Gramont near the palais du Louvre.

Another inventory places it at the château de Versailles from 1695 onwards and specifically in its palais du Luxembourg in 1750.

[3] The painting depicts an apparition of the Virgin Mary to James the Great, who demands him to go and evangelize Spain.

Poussin's work is close in style to other of his contemporary canvas of similar dimensions, The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus.