The Reilly drawing was created between 1609 and 1614, while Reni was in Rome. It details a scene from the life of the celebrated Saint Philip Neri prior to his canonization in 1615. The drawing by Reni was a design used for one in a series of forty-three prints chronicling the saint's life completed by the engraver Luca Ciamberlano (1580-1641) and first published in 1625 in the second edition of Giacomo Bacci's biography of the saint.

Saint Philip Neri was a Catholic reformer called the Apostle of Rome. This popular saint founded the Congregation of the Oratory known for their informal afternoon services. The scene depicted in Reni's drawing refers to Saint Philip's desire to leave on a missionary trip to India after reading accounts of India from newsletters. Philip sought the advice of Agostino Ghettini's, a Cisterian monk of Saint Bernard's Order, to learn of divine will through prayer and Ghettini's advice. Ghettini placed the matter before God, and relays that Saint John the Evangelist appeared to him saying it was God's will for Philip to remain in Rome. Agostino said that Rome was to be Neri's Indies.

The drawing depicts Saint Philip Neri in the right foreground speaking with Agostino Ghettini, to his left, in front of a building. In the background, Agostino Ghettini receives his vision of Saint John the Evangelist shown with his evangelist symbol, the eagle. The image is made with rapid gestural marks in what appears to be gall ink.

from Coleman, Seminar in Italian Drawings (Notre Dame, 2009)