Ecce Homo

The emotional intensity of this scene is heightened through the removal of the figure from any narrative to create a purely devotional image. It seems likely that Palomino’s design was inspired by Titian’s celebrated treatment of the subject on slate painted for the Emperor Charles V, which was in the Escorial by 1574. Palomino’s first-hand knowledge of Titian’s original would explain the similar pose of Christ adopted here, turned to the right, with his head bowed, set against a dark background.