Various figures surround Christ and mock him. An armed soldier and an executioner place the Crown of Thorns on his head while another offers him a cane as his scepter. The scene is contemplated by two other figures through a window. This work from Van Dyck’s youth is strongly influenced by Venetian painting, and in fact, Jesus’ figure is directly based on a model by Titian. The composition, with Christ on its axis, derives from the artist’s study with Rubens, as does his use of chiaroscuro, which the latter employed in the first decades of the 17th century. The work was painted in various stages, and the dog and men at the window are later additions to the initial composition. Some pentimenti are visible, including a foot between Christ and the dog and a hand at the far left, near the executioner’s elbow.

Infrared reflectography and x-rays make it possible to very clearly observe the scene painted by Van Dyck and to precisely determine the modifications he made in the successive stages that characterize his development of this work. These can also be compared to his other version of this composition, which is now lost. The main difference is the elimination of two full-length soldiers from the left of the scene, where they appeared in the lost version. The fact that the tiniest details are visible -both in the forms and in the treatment of light and shadows- indicates that the figures were practically complete when the artist decided to hide them (Text drawn from Alba, L., Jover, M., Gayo, M. D.: "Introducción a los estudios técnicos: la práctica artística del joven Van Dyck", El joven Van Dyck, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2012).

This work was a gift from Van Dyck to Rubens. Following the latter’s death, it was acquired by Philip IV, who sent it to the monastery at El Escorial. From there, it entered the Museo del Prado in 1839).