Once considered an authentic work by Caravaggio, who painted a famous series of homoerotic images, this painting is now believed to be an eighteenth-century copy of a lost original. It demonstrates an interest in dramatic contrasts of light and shadow associated with the Italian artist, who inspired generations of artists. The composition loosely resembles Caravaggio’s famous painting “Boy Bitten by a Lizard” (National Gallery, London), where a boy similarly appears alongside a vase with flowers. The boy's sexually provocative demeanor and the overblown roses in his hand appear to promise sensual gratification.