Mrs Phillip A. Brennan, before 1964, by whom given to
The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana;
By whom sold, New York, Sotheby's, 10 January 1991, lot 96 (as attributed to Agostino Masucci);
Anonymous sale, Paris, Millon & Associés, 6 April 2012, lot 20 (as attributed to Andrea Casali).

R. Baistrocchi, Ms. Parm. misto C 30, fol. 348 recto (Biblioteca Palatina, Parma);
G. Cirillo, 'Nuovi apporti al catalogo e alla storia della pittura parmense del Settecento', in Parma per l'Arte, X, fasc. 1–2, 2004, p. 84 (as Giuseppe Peroni);
A. Crispo, in A. Crispo and G. Cirillo (eds), Clemente Ruta (Parma 1685–1767), Parma 2012, p. 20, reproduced in colour p. 21 (as Giuseppe Peroni).

The canvas is relined, and the paint surface secure and stable with no major damages visible to the naked eye. The varnish appears clear and even and the picture appears in good overall condition. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals minor scattered strengthenings and retouchings, the main concentration of which is in the shadows of the Virgins pink robe; throughout the dark red of the figure at the far left; and to the clouds and sky immediately below the shining star at the upper margin. There is a degree of wear in the shadows of the blue tones of the fabrics. There are a few scattered well-restored old damages including three old minor tears or surface scratches at the upper right corner; one small damage to the left of the virgins knee; three small damages in the figures of the men in the distance at the far right; and a patch of restoration at the lower right margin that runs 5 inches up the canvas edge, and is 1 inch deep. All are well restored, and none are visible without UV light. In good overall condition and offered in a carved and giltwood cassetta frame in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Giuseppe Peroni first studied in Bologna under Felice Torelli and Donato Creti before moving to Rome, where he worked in the studio of Agostino Masucci. Much of his work imitates the style of Carlo Maratta (Masucci's own teacher), although he was also very much influenced by other contemporaries, such as Pompeo Batoni. 

Crispo dates the present work to the years around 1734, when the artist moved from Bologna to Rome. According to an entry made by the artist's contemporary, Romualdo Baistrocchi, this painting may once have had a pendant representing The Nativity.¹ The face of Saint Joseph in the shade here is most comparable with that of Saint Roch in Peroni's Our Lady of Sorrows with Saints Roch and Sebastian, in the Church of Torrechiara, while the head of the boy carrying the casket reappears as the figure holding a crucifix in the main altarpiece of the Church of San Lazzaro (Collegio Alberoni, Piacenza), which depicts San Vincenzo de’ Paoli.²

1. See Cirillo 2004, p. 84.
2. See F. Arisi and L. Mezzadri, Arte e storia nel Collegio Alberoni di Piacenza, Piacenza 🤡1990, pp. 411–12, cat. no. 296, reproduced in colour p. 411, fig. 401.