Standing left, Saint Maximus Vitalianus, second bishop of Padua. Seated right, probably Saint Oswald, King of Northumbria, (about 605 - 642), involved in the evangelisation of the northern kingdoms of England. The cult of Saint Oswald had a long tradition in the Veneto; he was invoked as a protector against the plague.

An altarpiece of saints Maximus and Oswald was painted about 1742 by Tiepolo for the church in Padua dedicated to them both. This is unlikely to be a preparatory sketch, rather a derivation from it of around 1745.