Luca Cambiaso (1527-1585) was a Genoese School painter and draughtsperson. He visited Rome at least twice and Michelangelo was a powerful influence on the massiveness of his figures, although a softness of modeling perhaps has more in common with Correggio. Because some of his figures are constructed using simplified cubic shapes, they look remarkably modern.

This piece brings to mind Michelangelo's Battle of Cascina, a never completed work for the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He created only the preparatory drawing before being called to Rome by Pope Julius II. The best known copy is by Michelangelo's pupil Aristotle da Sangallo.