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A practically identical version of this devotional painting is in the National Gallery, London. The somewhat earlier prototype of the painting is in a private collection (Palma Camozzi Vertova Collection, Costa di Mezzate, Bergamo). Stylistically, Raphaelesque and Leonardesque origins of the image are evident.
The presence of St Nicholas of Tolentino indicates that the painting was commissioned by someone connected with the Augustinian order. The inclusion of St Jerome on the left reinforces this assumption. St Jerome as a hermit was the favourite saint of the Augustinian order.
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