The Palatine Chapel is dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption, therefore the central painting of the ceiling, made by Domenico Morelli, one of the greatest Italian painters of the nineteenth century, represents the Assumption of the Madonna. The work was commissioned to the Neapolitan artist by Annibale Sacco's Deputy Intendant of the Royal House in 1864. On May 2 of that year, in fact, the painter received from the Royal House 4,500 lire as an advance of the 20,000 lire agreed for the work.

The realization of the canvas took a very long time mainly due to its size (9.80 x 5.56 m). It is thought that the artist, after the preparatory studies and the approval of the sketch, executed the painting in the Royal Chapel itself, since it is problematic to place the canvas in one's studio without folding it.

The work was completed in June 1870, arousing unanimous acclaim in the criticism of the time.

“L'Assunta”, thanks to a preventive intervention to remove the canvas, which was lowered down and placed in a safe place, was saved from the bombing in August 1943, which destroyed the vault of the chapel. A recent restoration with consolidation of the pictorial film, cleaning, varnishing and pictorial reintegration (2006) has restored the original aspect to the work and has brought to light the signature and the date (Morelli 1870).