Described as “the greatest nocturne of the 16th century in Italy”, the painting, dating to around 1575, is an outstanding example of the “candlelit” style which became widespread in the second half of the 16th century. From the collection of Vincenzo Giustiniani in Rome, it is one of the most representative works of Cambiaso's later output, imbued with a light which heightens the deeply dramatic nature of the scene and seems to anticipate some of the most brilliant output of 17th-century Europe.