Patch went to Rome in 1747, and his work attracted the attention of Claude-Joseph Vernet, who invited him to work in his studio. Patch remained there for three years, and was a fellow lodger with Vernet and his wife, together with Reynolds, at the Palazzo Zuccari, which was run by Alessandro Nozari of Bergamo, who had transformed it into an inn especially for artists. The influence of Vernet can clearly be seen in the present painting.