Nanna Risi, known as 'La Nanna', the wife of a cobbler living in Trastevere, became a professional model and was the mistress in Rome of the German painter Anselm Feuerbach. Described by Leighton as 'a very handsome model', she sat to him on many occasions after his return to Rome early in October 1858.

Three years after this work Leighton painted his 'Bianca' (404569) of identical size, which seems to be intended as a pair. Leighton contrasts two different styles of beauty: the dark brooding glamour of the peacock in 'Nanna', which is subtitled 'Pavonia' ('pavone' is a peacock in Italian) and which features a peacock's feather and the light wholesome radiance of the dove in 'Bianca' (a name which means 'white' in Italian). This pairing may not have occured to Leighton when he painted this earlier picture, but the idea of a distilling a particular character or essence of beauty certainly seems intended.

Signed and dated: L 59