Beside the great sailships leaders of the offers by the Sanctuary of the Boschetto, this is one of the few that has a small fish boat as central figure.

Fishing was an important activity until the beginning of the 1800's and never abandoned also when Camogli, in the mid- 1800's, becomes "the city of the thousand white sailships" and transport leader from and by all world seas. 

Before, the economy was founded instead on the fishing activity, especially from 1780; as a documented example, the passage of great banks of "zeri", sort of small anchovies, just in the gulf of Camogli. Thanks to this particular phenomenon for years fishing was so important to suggest the founding of a cooperative (still existing) with the purpose to organize their forces at the best.

Then, starting from 1810 the banks of zeri unexpectedly disappeared from Camogli and a financial ruin was preparing for all: luckily at the same time great swarms of big anchovies were found in the waters near the island of Gorgona (cfr. G.B. Ferrari, "The Thousand White Sailships", Camogli, 1935, anastatic Genoa 1991, pp. 74-83). Therefore, following the mysterious flows of the fish banks, moved also the presence and the activity of the camogliese fishermen without fear of risks and dangers for their economy. 

The painting that we are considering was offered for the salvation obtained after a fall in the sea in the night's darkness. Emotional is the moment visualized by the author of the painting in which the man between the billows hang on the tow-rope thanks to an unexpected moon gash that illuminates the scene, natural event but here dued to the miraculous divine participation for grace and by the appearing Virgin, on the left in a supernatural light in contrast with moonlight. 

A label on the back indicates that the painting was exposed in Milan (Ambrosianeum) to the Exibition of the Ex-Voto of Northern Italy in March-April 1953.