This is one of two versions of the Flagellation of Christ by Caravaggio painted late in 1606 or early in 1607, soon after his arrival in Naples.

The scene was traditionally depicted in front of a column, possibly alluding to the judgement hall of Pilate.

The most famous treatment of the theme at the time was Sebastiano del Piombo's High Renaissance Flagellation of Christ in the church of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome.

Piombo's Flagellation, much imitated by later artists, shows multiple idealised figures twisting through complex layers of space.

Caravaggio has flattened the space, reduced the figures to a minimum, and used light to direct attention to the crucial parts of his composition - Christ's face and torso, the faces of the two torturers, and the hand holding the out-of-frame whip.