Penni was an Italian mannerist who worked at the French court. While it is believed that Penni’s design was intended to be made into a print, there is some evidence that it may have possibly been the subject of a fresco in a Burgundian château. The painting, however, is in such disrepair that it is difficult to determine the relationship between the painting and Ghisi’s print after Penni’s enigmatic iconography, which includes a partially erased cross in the background.

from Calendar of Events, January-August 2013