Valentin was one of the most significant French painters of the 17th century. He belongs to the glorious group of the "Roman French" - artists who represented the French national school while working permanently in Rome. Valentin was a follower of Caravaggio, whose work inaugurated the heyday of realism in 17th-century art. Caravaggio insisted on complete authenticity in the depiction of reality, with all its "crudeness" and "irregularity". Valentin introduces lower-class types into his composition and works boldly with complicated foreshortenings. The sharp contrasts of lights and shade invest the picture with heightened emotion. The painting dates from the last years of Valentin's life, when the dramatic aspect grew stronger in his work.
The painting came from the Crozat collection in Paris that was acquired by Catherine II in 1772.