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Regarding the altarpiece's original impact, it is worth noting Vasari's brief praise of it in the 1568 edition of the Lives. Although generally critical of Sodoma and his work - because of his allegedly dissolute life-style - Vasari commented that this painting was considered to be one of the best that Sodoma produced. Specifically, Vasari singled out for praise a man seen from the back but whose face is also visible in the helmet lying on the ground; with his striking parti-coloured hose, gleaming cuirass and swaggering pose he is certainly an eye-catching feature of the painting. Moreover, the tiny detail of this figure, seen from the front and as if reflected on the polished surface of the metal helmet, is unquestionably a testimony to Sodoma's powers of visual observation.
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