Giulio Campi was part of a family of painters active in Cremona in the sixteenth century. Campi first studied with his father Galeazzo Campi, and later taught his two brothers, Antonio and Vincenzo. The Campi family was known for several important secular and religious commissions, including the decoration of the San Paolo Converso in Milan. Seated Apostle has been shown by Mario di Giampaolo to be a study for Giulio Campi’s Pentecost, a major fresco on the vault of the nave of San Sigismondo in Cremona. Campi absorbed a number of influences throughout his career, and his work is particularly indebted to Il Pordenone, Giulio Romano and Parmigianino. In this particular work, Campi likely used Correggio’s apostles on the drum of the Parma Duomo cupola as a source.