Massinissa wears a red toga over the shoulder representing both murder and destructive love.

Sophonisbe wears blue fabric, a rare color reserved for important people.

In 1987, the painting was restored after an examination by the LRMF (French Museums Research Laboratory) in the Versailles workshops.

The examination revealed the presence of several changes, including a horizontal seam in the middle part of the painting (passing at the level of the neck of the figure receiving the cut) and the whole of the pictorial layer has been obscured by a very thick greenish-brown varnish.

Then, the work was subjected to the resumption of wear and the painting of the re-harmonization glazes in watercolor on the right forearm of the man in armor.