The commission of the work originated in 1480, when Perugino was decorating a chapel in the Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Pope Sixtus IV was pleased by his work, and decided to commission him also the decoration of the new Chapel he had built in the Vatican Palace.
Due to the size of the work, Perugino was later joined by a group of painters from Florence, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and others.

Perugino's assistants in the Sistine Chapel included Pinturicchio, Andrea d'Assisi, Rocco Zoppo or, less likely, Lo Spagna or Bartolomeo della Gatta, but the attribution of details to them is disputed.
The commission of the work originated in 1480, when Perugino was decorating a chapel in the Old St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Pope Sixtus IV was pleased by his work, and decided to commission him also the decoration of the new Chapel he had built in the Vatican Palace. Due to the size of the work, Perugino was later joined by a group of painters from Florence, including Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and others.
Perugino's assistants in the Sistine Chapel included Pinturicchio, Andrea d'Assisi, Rocco Zoppo or, less likely, Lo Spagna or Bartolomeo della Gatta, but the attribution of details to them is disputed.
Baptism of Christ (Perugino, Rome)