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János Szily, the Bishop of the newly founded Szombathely diocese was an old admire and patron of Maulbertsch, and commissioned him in 1782 with the decoration of the salon of the Bishop of Szombathely's residence. He also turned to Maulbertsch when, almost ten years later, he was finally able to begin the furnishing and decoration of the recently built Szombathely Cathedral. In the first period, from 1791, the cathedral's altarpieces were planned and executed.
On the high altar the Bishop ordered an altarpiece representing The Visitation of Mary, on the side altars the patron saints of Szombathely, St. Martin and St. Quirimus. In accordance with the pictorial practice of the time, the painter made some sketches which reflected his employer's requests and concepts, and sent them to Szombathely, for approval. Some of these sketches have survived, in the Bishop's residence in Szombathely, in Vienna's Österreichisches Barockmuseum, and in the collection of Pannonhalma Abbey. The composition of the Pannonhalma sketch shows essential differences from the final version of The Visitation. In the altarpiece, which was executed in 1792 and gravely damaged during World War II, Mary stands, for example, on the left, while in the sketch she stands on the right, at the top of a stairway. This modification is mentioned by Maulbertsch in a letter written to Bishop Szily in April 1792. His opinion was that is contributes to a better pictorial effect.
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