Corrodi received commissions for history paintings from the British royal family. He was acquainted with most of the European royalty of the time, including a friendship with Queen Victoria, and traveled widely in the Far East, including Egypt, Syria, Cyprus and Istanbul, which provided the subject matter for many of his paintings.
In 1893 he was knighted as an Academic of Merit by the Academy of St Luke, where he had been a professor.
In the last month of his life he made The nocturnal ascent on mount Athos.
Hermann Corrodi died on January 30, 1905. So, this ascent must have been one of his very last paintings.
The hermits hut clung on the steep rock like a birds’ nest is an interesting detail. The seven monks with their lamps and walking sticks lead the viewer to the ascent.