The painter and engraver Guido Reni became head of the Bologna Academy in 1614. His works were tremendously popular with contemporaries. The rare subject of the Hermitage painting is linked to the increased activeness of the Catholic Church in the 17th century. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was advanced by the Church Fathers in the 4th century, but only officially confirmed in a bull issued by Pope Pius IX in the mid-19th century. Reni depicts the Virgin Mary appearing to the Church Fathers deep in pious reflection. Depicted in the foreground are Saints Jerome and Augustine, behind them Ambrose, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. In their images the artist embodies the idea of noble and wise old age. The bold combination of large patches of yellow and red endows the work with grandeur and monumentality.
The painting entered the Hermitage from the famous Walpole Collection at Houghton Hall in England that Catherine II purchased in 1779.