This bozzetto representing a seated St Anne leaning towards Mary was created in 1717, as is apparent from the inscription on the reverse of the pedestal where, according to a note added to the signature, the sculptor was 53 years old. Giuliani used the bozzetto only several years later. In 1730/1731, the piece served in all probability as a model for the gilded wooden sculptures of St Anne and The Virgin Mary crafted for the side altar of the chapel in Heiligenkreuzhof in Vienna. Giulianni was Venetian by origin, but spent most of his life living and working in Lower Bavaria and Salzburg. Later in Vienna, Giuliani worked principally for the Prince of Liechtenstein. In 1711, he entered the Cistercian abbey in Heiligenkreuz as a lay brother and pledged to execute woodwork in the monastery without demanding pay and to hand over his personal property that included his sketches and models.