Francesco Pepe (c. 1684-1759), an influential Jesuit preacher in Naples, promoted the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and acted as intermediary between Pope Benedict XIV and the Bourbon monarch Charles VII, King of Naples and Sicily. Mengs painted the priest in Rome in 1758 on their only meeting. Cut down at an early date, the canvas may originally have shown Pepe seated, as suggested by the slightly raised position of the left arm.