The composition is derived from a Cristo incoronato di Spine done by Jacopo Bassano towards 1589-1590 (Rome, private collection), in which Ballarin clearly sees the influence of Titian´s Christ Crowned with Thorns (Munich, Alte Pinakothek, inv. 2272). The Galleria Sabauda in Turin houses a bottega replica which, like the Prado version, is painted on slate.

Several aspects of the painting justify its inclusion among the imágenes de devoción Philip II possessed in the private oratory at the Alcazar in Madrid: the subject matter, which invites the believer to meditate on the Passion of Christ; its small size and the dramatic effect the painter achieved by using the colour of the slate as a setting for the scene, which is illuminated only by a torch and a brazier; and the presence of a prominent tear on Christ´s cheek. The inventory mentioned two more paintings on slate of similar characteristics which the Madrid-based Milanese sculptor Pompeo Leoni had presented to the king as gifts: Christ on the Way to Calvary and an Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple. Given their similarities (same size and support and ebony frames), it seems logical to assume that they came from the same source. Each of the three was covered with a taffeta curtain, which enabled the sovereign to unveil only the image he wished to pray before on each occasion. Lastly, the inventory notes that, even in Philip II´s day, the Christ Crowned was hendida y pegada (these qualities are visible to this day), which was why it was valued at only 50 ducats compared to the too ducats of its companions.

Another Bassanesque painting on slate depicting Christ crowned with thorns, of the same size (54 x 49 cm) but poorer quality, is housed at the Escorial and is probably the one Padre de los Santos refers to as hanging in the sacristy of the Pantheon in 1657. The composition is similar and the architectural elements that frame the scene are based on the same model. The existence of two versions of the same theme with exactly the same format and support is a perfect example of the industrialisation of the Bassano workshop (Text drawn from Falomir, M.: Los Bassano en la España del Siglo de Oro, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2001, p. 233).