Crowning of Thorns

After interrogation by Pontius Pilate, Christ is made to wear a crown of thorns by the soldiers. He is thus mocked as King of the Jews. While previously regarded as a Roman or Neapolitan variation of a lost Caravaggio, this picture has now been confirmed as an original by the discovery of certain documents. Other arguments for its authenticity previously put forward included technical idiosyncrasies of the painter, such as the contour lines engraved with the stem of the brush to be found on Christ’s head, and on the shoulders, chest and hands of both henchmen.