Only in 1953 was it established that the subject is Philip the Apostle by the art historian Delphine Fitz Derby.

[1] Following the resurrection of Jesus, Philip and his sister Mariamne together with Bartholomew preached in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria.

He does so from a low perspective, giving the main characters monumentality and showing a large part of blue sky.

On the left, on the other hand, the people who appear are oblivious to what happens; there is a woman holding a little child in her arms and looking toward the viewer, putting a tender and delicate counterpoint to the cruelty that dominates the rest of the scene.

Judging by the treatment of color, the touches of brush and the splendid nude, this is a mature work by Ribera.