In this artwork, how is the Date discussed?
Both versions are thought to date from the period 1594–1596. According to art historian Roberto Longhi, the latter end of this period seems more likely, given that the paintings have all the signs of the early works painted in the household of Caravaggio's sophisticated patron Cardinal Francesco Del Monte, and that Caravaggio did not enter the Cardinal's Palazzo Madama until some time in 1595.
Caravaggio Roberto Longhi