There are very few known paintings by Baldassare Peruzzi, and this one is one among them.

He was a key player in the early 1500s period that came to be known as the High Renaissance, and he was a contemporary of the well-known artists Michelangelo and Raphael.

Before being listed for sale, the piece spent decades in a private collection in Britain.

Because of its cultural value, the government imposed a temporary export prohibition so that local galleries and museums could increase their asking prices.

The Department of Communities in Stormont provided a £70,000 grant to the Ulster Museum, which had just six months to gather the necessary funds.

It was the ideal moment, according to Senior Curator of Art Anne Stewart, to place the artwork on exhibit.

Ms. Stewart: “A large portion of Peruzzi's fresco work has been lost.”

“His oil paintings are extremely rare and so it’s something of a Christmas miracle that we are able to welcome visitors to the Ulster Museum to enjoy this exciting new acquisition.”

She stated that painting a nighttime scene was the largest difficulty of the time, and Peruzzi had shown remarkable talent in the intricate use of light to make the piece come to life.

After months of meticulous repair, it is on exhibit in London.